William Rader and Gregg Tobo had a vision for a new kind of magic show, but they needed to find a home. The Avenue Theater was searching for non-traditional programming to complement its Comedy Sportz improv. It would become a perfect opportunity for both parties.
Rader and Tobo, who have made names for themselves with their sophisticated approach to magic, wanted to create a monthly magic show for a discerning grown-up audience. They were in search of a theater that could support their magic in a proper theatrical environment. And through a series of fortunate events the Avenue Theater became that home.
The inaugural performance of the “Denver Magic Show” proved that Denver was ready for an upscale magic show. Over 60 tickets were sold and overflow seating was needed to accommodate the crowd. Not bad for a Monday night at a small theater.
“Too often, magic is thought of as children’s entertainment,” says Rader, “but with ‘America’s Got Talent’ and Penn & Teller in Las Vegas, grown-ups have come to recognize magic as a cultivated form of entertainment.”
Four magicians performed that evening with Brandon K. Parker opening the show with a series of intimate illusions performed with the audience seated inches away. Shawn Preston followed with his confident blend of comedy and magic. Rader kicked-off the second act with some graceful sleight-of-hand before Tobo closed the evening with his theatrical magic. The highlight of Tobo’s show was his bamboo mat that could twist and stretch into a bewildering array of shapes.
For the audience it was a chance to witness a rebirth of the magical arts in Denver.
“Magic hasn’t had a home in Denver since the late ‘80s when the ‘Magic Works’ closed its site in Larimer Square,” says Tobo, “So there’s been a void that’s been waiting to be filled.”
Meanwhile the Avenue Theater has been reaping the benefits of recent growth in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood. The theater has worked tirelessly to support non-traditional theater and the variety arts with its annual production of “Santa’s Big Red Sack,” plus Dave Shirley’s “Oddville,” and their weekly improv comedy.
But like the neighborhood, the Avenue was ready to grow. And fortune would decree that a magic show at the Avenue Theater was in the cards.
So once a month, Rader and Tobo will bring their bewildering magic and mentalism to the Avenue’s line up. The “Denver Magic Show” will feature 3 or 4 magicians each month and is scheduled to play on the first Monday of the month through the end of the year.
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