FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 7, 2004
Contact: Christa Skiles
Public Relations Director
513-345-2242, ext. 232
"BEST OF THE BEST" RETURN FOR CINCINNATI
PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK'S ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO ILLUSION ABRACADABRA,
AUGUST 19-22
(CINCINNATI) – The world’s most magical couple and one of
magic’s favorite comedians will return to the Cincinnati Playhouse
in the Park for a performance of breathtaking illusion and hilarious
sleight-of-hand. Fidelity Investments presents the 14th annual magic
extravaganza Abracadabra from August 19 to 22. This year’s
show features “the best of the best” performers from previous
years — The Pendragons and Mac King.
Abracadabra is the Playhouse’s only major fundraising
event of the year. Proceeds from the weekend are used to support the
not-for-profit Playhouse's artistic, education and outreach programs
throughout the entire season. Abracadabra’s tribute
to sleight-of-hand, jaw-dropping deception and grand illusion has become
a favorite Tristate summer tradition, respected by serious magic aficionados
and those seeking magical family entertainment alike.
Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon are one of the most acclaimed teams in magic
today. Their dynamic mix of grand illusion, storytelling, dance, music and
fantasy repeatedly leaves audiences spellbound. Their unique partnership — with
Jonathan and Charlotte serving as equals and partners rather than merely as
magician and assistant — has earned them a place in magic’s history.
The Pendragons have performed in more than 50 different countries and appeared
on 14 prime-time television network specials, including NBC’s World's
Greatest Magic, ABC’s Champions of Magic and Disney’s Night
of Magic. In addition, they were featured performers on ABC’s Gala
for the President, a command performance for President Clinton that also
featured Natalie Cole, Jon Bon Jovi, Gregory Hines and Kevin Spacey, in which
they were described by The New York Times as “the evening’s
scene stealers.” Their nighttime illusion spectacular, Illusions
of the Night, played to more than one million people at Universal Studios,
earning it a reputation as Universal’s most successful live show ever.
Jonathan Pendragon became a professional magician at the age of 17 and graduated
from the University of California at Irvine with a degree in theatre. He taught
stage combat and choreographed action scenes for plays and films, also serving
as a Hollywood stuntman. He is the youngest illusionist ever to receive the
Performing Fellowship from Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle and, in 2000,
was one of only five contemporary performers listed by Magic magazine
as among the 100 most influential magicians of the 20th century. He constantly
works on new illusions, a characteristic for which he is famous among his peers.
Magician David Copperfield once stated, “When the history of magic is
written, Jonathan Pendragon will be remembered as one of its most creative
performers.”
Charlotte Pendragon is the most honored woman in the history of magic. She
was the first woman ever to receive the Magician of the Year Award, America’s
most prestigious magic honor, as well as the first woman ever to be inducted
into England’s very famous and exclusive Inner Magic Circle. A graduate
of the University of California at Irvine with a degree in dance, she was also
a world-class competitive swimmer and has modeled for several of Joe Weider’s
fitness magazines.
Among the Pendragons’ repertoire of stunning illusions is “Clearly
Impossible,” in which a woman is sawed in half within a box made entirely
of glass, allowing her entire body to be visible throughout the entire illusion. “Metamorphosis,” the
couple’s signature illusion, features a breathtaking and instantaneous
transformation. The Pendragons last appeared at the Playhouse in 1995.
Louisville, Kentucky, native Mac King is one of magic’s funniest performers.
He became interested in the field as a child because both of his grandfathers
were amateur magicians. During his summer vacations from college (where he
majored in anthropology and magic), he performed in a two-person magic show
with fellow Kentucky magician Lance Burton.
Mac King has headlined all of the major comedy clubs in America and appeared
on television shows including An Evening at the Improv and Comic
Strip Live, as well as the magic specials Houdini: Unlocking His Secrets, The
World's Wildest Magic and Penn and Teller's Sin City Spectacular.
He is the only performer to appear on all five of NBC’s World's Greatest
Magic specials.
In 1997, he moved to Las Vegas, where he appeared in Spellbound at
Harrah’s Casino and Hotel, The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular at
The Flamingo Hilton and Splash! at the Riviera. He currently appears
at Harrah’s in The Mac King Comedy Magic Show, which has been
described as “the best deal on the Strip” by the LA Times and “the
best show in town” by Las Vegas Life Magazine.
Among Mac King’s signature illusions are his ability to make his head
cave in, his rendition of Houdini’s Thumb Tie Trick and his newest creation,
The Cloak of Invisibility. He also is known for his Amazing Goldfish Trick,
in which he uses a Fig Newton as bait and “catches” a live goldfish
on a fishing line cast out over the heads of the audience. He last appeared
in Abracadabra in 1998.
Abracadabra week begins on Thursday, August 19 with the return
of the popular Preview House Party, which features an Italian Street
Fair theme this year. Pre-show festivities from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. include
complimentary hors d’oeuvres from Ferrari’s Little Italy
and Bakery, Vito’s Café and Karlo’s Bistro Italia,
as well as strolling entertainment. The Abracadabra performance
begins at 8:00 p.m.
This year's Abracadabra Gala performance is scheduled for Friday,
August 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. and features a Venetian Carnivale atmosphere,
complete with strolling magicians and costumed entertainers. The full evening
of events includes a pre-show reception, performance and gourmet dinner and
dancing to the music of The AirWave Band following the show. Guests also can
choose a package without dinner or dancing that simply includes the pre-show
entertainment and reception and the Abracadabra performance. Tickets
range from $150 to $250 per person. Corporate tables and sponsorships also
are available.
Abracadabra also will be performed at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. both
Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22. Tickets for the House Party
and weekend public performances are priced from $38 to $46 for adults,
depending on the show and seat location. Tickets are from $15 to $20
for children ages five to 12. Due to the full-length nature of the show,
children under the age of five cannot be admitted.
In addition to Fidelity Investments, support for Abracadabra is
provided by Henkle Schueler & Associates, Horan Associates, Bunnell
Hill Construction and Development, JBM Envelope and James Free Jewelers.
Reservations for all performances (with the exception of the gala) can
be made by calling the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 or toll-free
in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana,
800/582-3208. Tickets for Abracadabra performances also are available
online at the Playhouse web site at www.cincyplay.com. Gala tickets are available
through the Playhouse development office at 513/345-2242.
Delta Connection Comair is the Playhouse’s official airline.
The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands
of individuals and businesses that give to the Fine Arts Fund.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage
economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
The Playhouse also receives funding from the City of Cincinnati.
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