"Hans Klok-The Beauty of Magic"

"Hans Klok-The Beauty of Magic"

My first first review on my new web site, I am excited and I thank you for finding me.

What is happening here is simply my opinion and my review of events, its not right, its not wrong, it is just like judging boxing matches, just an opinion. I have seen every Las Vegas show the last 23 years so there is some history here. I am quite critical and will tell you if I see slop.

Magic? Do we need more........well if its good why not?

Hans Klok, "Magic at Planet Hollywood", where did he come from? Recent reviews are telling his story and mine will help. Klok, who is 40ish, is from Holland,.... he says his father inspired him to perform after his grandfather gave him a simple box of magic tricks at age 10. For sure he is smart enough to get financing for this big production here in Las Vegas. Klok is known as "the fastest magician in the world", he performed in Europe to a soldout tour and now combines 40 illusions, new production and natural showmanship into this colossal effort.

First of all... LATE. Late is unacceptable, unacceptable now unacceptable tomorrow, unacceptable forever, one minute, one hour, one second, it is unacceptable period. Truly amazing they could put this mamouth production together with all its little pieces and yet not start on time. Han's 8 June 2007 show for 8 p m went at 806 and there went the possibility for a perfect score. I was not too happy either about people arriving late and crawling over me during an 86 minute show.

Now what, well with Las Vegas Review Journal entertainment writer Mike Weatherford giving this a C- in his published review on the date of the show I saw, I was influenced (unfairly)......not to like it. Wrong about that Rona Barrett breath, it was sensational. Friends with me called it, "the best magic show" they had ever seen. Not too far wrong and I have seen Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Dixie Dooley, Harry Blackstone, Steve Wyrick and everybody else that has done magic in Las Vegas the last 23 years, this dude is second to none. After the unacceptable 6 minute delay, bingo.....14 first class dancers going full speed followed by a wonderful display of fast paced mechancial magic that often asked , "How did he do that"? Here lies the bottom line to what I want to see in a magic show, fooled me, HOW DID HE DO THAT? This show, other than being late, had all the elements: production, lighting, music, costume, dance, exceptional timing, staging, continuity, showmanship, dance, fire, hard work, preparation, writing, design, color, colour, staging, history, coordination and lots of other pluses too numerous for the old scribe to mention. It is unfair to write about something that must be seen to be appreciated. This sucker goes four times a week at Planet Hollywood (formerly the Aladdin) in Las Vegas $40-113, four shows a week Thursday, Friday, and 2 shows on Saturday, they are selling tickets thru September. Reports have $30 million going into this baby and the representation I saw shows nothing but first class. The Theatre for the Performing Arts which is where this goes, is no miniature, maybe 9000 seats with a big balcony, it is curtained off for 3 sections to seat maybe 4000. Their big stage allows creativity and adventure, I have seen Paul Simon, Cats, West Side Story, Tango, boxing and motorcycles here and it all plays well.

Since the renaming of this Casino-Hotel, two multi million dollar magic shows have opened here in one month, Steve Wyrick the other (to be reviewed here soon). Seems strange to put direct competition a 100 yards apart under the same roof, I only wish them both well or as an employee told me, it might cause them both to step it up. Steve better be awful good to grade as well as Hans Klok!

From a technical standpoint Klok's show went like well "magic" to coin the phrase. Everything was in place, on time (EXCEPT THE START) and ran smoothly. The beauty of live theatre is the possibility of the unknown and unforseen and my show ran perfectly, including the factor of me looking for something out of place.

Now we come to Pamela Anderson, whoever she is. Her bio says whe will be 40 in July and she still looks like the ultimate slut. She had a small part in the end of Kluks show, I was programmed to not like her and I didn't. The web site picture of her and her history and list of boyfriends lead me to negativity. Klok had 3 female leads that I thought were more than adequate performers. Marquee value with Anderson? Not for me, she was actually a negative promising something extra when she was not extra, she may need this show more than it needs her, it can sell on its own staging I do believe she can get credit for taking the big bucks for her 8 minutes of whatever it is she does!

The levitation was outstanding, I liked the dancers and their costumes, I liked the card tricks, I liked the speed and professionalism that made this whole thing flow. The show had great athletics, the music included the Phantom and Gershwin (too short) and it had a split video board drop that I did not like, I liked the film but a split video board frays the image. The stage was set with giant video screens on each side, these can be helpful but we were close enough to the stage to have perfect site lines. I could do nothing other than to highly recommend this show to anyone and wish them a long run.

As always all shows are graded on the Sammy Davis Jr scale, the ultimate prototype. Maybe 97 A+ for this.