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Greenmount Station restaurant, in Hampstead, Maryland, is now home to a magic theater attracting the best talent in the world. In 2018, magician Dave Thomen established the restaurant theater-concept to showcase other regional talent, and now the theater will headline with international celebrities of magic.
These Tuesday evening shows are scheduled bi-monthly. Guests arrive early for dinner and then enter the restaurant’s 30-seat theater. The January 2022 post-pandemic reopening featured a magician from The Magic Castle in Hollywood. Now the restaurant is taking reservations for March 29th and May 10th featuring two magicians who have been on the television series, Penn & Teller: Fool Us. May 10th is the day world-famous magician Eric Jones, who regularly performs on the Disney Cruise Line’s “Fantasy” will be appearing at Greenmount Station.
In 2011, restaurant owner Chris Richards hired Dave Thomen of D’s Magic for weekly close-up magic on Wednesdays, and he still provides this complimentary entertainment.  Since many professional acts have their headline shows on weekends, the Tuesday schedule is ideal for an appearance at a smaller venue. Also, the reputation of Greenmount Station’s food and atmosphere make it more than a local destination. Now one can experience world-class entertainment in a small-town theater as the best travel to Hampstead to be part of the Greenmount Dinner Show.
For additional information and to make reservations, go to www.greenmountdinnershow.com .

Itsy bitsy spider … Klek Entos crushed his audition on America’s Got Talent, though he later crashed and burned. Well, he burns here, too.

A not entirely successful performance by Klek Entos (a masked David Stone, well-known and extremely talented French magician) on America’s Got Talent last year still manages to generate enough creepy atmosphere to give judge Sofia Vergara the willies.

 

By Richard Kaufman

The multi-talented (particularly for a reptile) Piff the Magic Dragon will be appearing on America’s Got Talent Champions on Monday January 14th at 8 pm on the NBC television network.

AGT Champions is a spin-off of the normal AGT shows, and you can learn more about it and see a list of all the acts here. 

There are quite a few magicians, mentalists, and specialty acts competing including Piff, Colin Cloud, Cosentino,  Darcy Oake, Issy Simpson, Jon Dorenbos, Stevie Starr, Shin Lim, and The Clairvoyants.

“Forensic mind reader” Colin Cloud is the last magician standing in America’s Got Talent, and he’ll be appearing in tonight’s show. He just squeaked through the semifinals after a rather scattered performance. Check it out below to see what we mean.

There is a lot going on in this routine; too much for some of the judges to follow, in fact, including the ones onstage. Then again, ping-ponging back and forth between subjects without giving the audience much time to soak in the trick is kind of his style. His performance on the Judge Cuts was quite similar, as he started with Mel then quickly left her hanging as he switched to Howie before finally coming back to her. 

Colin seems like he might have a bit of Eric Jones syndrome: clearly very talented, but a bit wobbly when it comes to stitching the performance together in a way that lets the audience really appreciate the craftsmanship that’s happening in front of them. Good luck tonight, Colin! Maybe…maybe don’t lick anyone this time, though. 

Ok, let’s hammer this out. There’s no question that Philadelphia magician Eric Jones has skills; his performance on the quarterfinals of America’s Got Talent is clear proof of that. But judge Simon Cowell keeps harping on Jones’ lack of showmanship, saying he doesn’t create enough drama with his act. On the one hand, his laid-back approach is a nice change from over-the-top magician patter, but on the other hand, maybe he’s so laid back that the audience doesn’t quite follow what he’s achieving.

What do you think? Is Jones’ low-key approach to illusion appealing, or do you wish he’d amp it up a little? Me, I’m from Philly, so I’ve got his back no matter what, but share your opinion in the comments.