I hope this is the correct forum for reviews...it seemed to be the best choice. I’ve seen several shows in the past couple months and would like to share my views. I won’t go into too much detail so as not to ruin the show for others.

The first was Mat Franco at The Linq in Las Vegas. I saw him on AGT and thought he did a great job and deserved to win. His stage show is different than many others because it doesn’t include a lot of big box illusions. He instead does what I would consider smaller effects, but he makes them big. He is very personable and enthusiastic, and comes across as a genuinely nice guy. My wife and I both enjoyed the show and would recommend it. It seems to be a very popular show and I think it sells out on most nights.

Frederic Da Sliva performs in “Paranormal” at Bally’s in Las Vegas in the afternoon. This is a pretty high energy mentalism show with obviously, a lot of audience participation. He uses frisbees and stuffed animals to select random audience members. His enthusiasm is very infectious and he had the audience amazed much of the ttime. The theater is relatively small so any seat is a pretty good one. My wife and I both enjoyed this show.

The Worst Show in Vegas--that’s the name of the show, and while it’s meant to be a joke, it’s not far off the mark. It’s performed at Hooters Casino in Las Vegas. The show is done very much tongue-in-cheek but it doesn’t quite make it. The performers are all personable enough, and there’s some actual talent there (especially Judy) but this is a show that I would expect to see at a small amusement park theater...not a Las Vegas casino. While it contains a bit of magic, it’s more of a variety show. We saw the show very early in its run. Maybe it will get better with time.

The Clairvoyants: We saw this mentalism show at the Del Lago Casino in Waterloo, NY. We really enjoyed it and had front row seats for a very good view. Thommy and Amelie work very well together and put on a great show. The highlight is when Thommy goes into the audience and has people remove items from their pocket. Amelie then divines what the item is. The show has a nice variety of effects and is sure to please.

The Sentimentalists: We saw this show just a few days ago at the Smoke and Mirrors Magic Theater in Huntington Valley, PA. Mysterion and Steffi Kay (who just fooled P&T) are a mentalist team with a very engaging act. They give it an old-time feel and they do some very impressive bits. It’s a very entertaining show and the audience was completely into it. At one point, Mysterion took my wife’s cell phone and put his hand on it. Nothing was written down and my wife said nothing, but Steffie came up with three of the four numbers of her unlock PIN in the correct order. That was close enough for me to be impressed. If you can catch this show I would highly recommend it.

On another note, the Smoke and Mirrors Magic Theater is a fantastic place to see a show. It’s small, about 60 seats in what apparently is a European style of seating. Every seat is great. We were in the fourth (back) row and the rows are elevated so that everyone has a perfectly unobstructed view. This was our first time there but I’m sure it won’t be our last. We also had the pleasure of seeing Jim Vines do the routine he’ll be performing at the Magic Olympics. It was in a word, outstanding. Don’t miss a chance to visit this theater.

Mac King: Mac performs in the afternoon at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. What can I say? I’ve seen Mac’s show at least eight times in the last dozen years and it never disappoints. A few effects change from time to time but it stays basically the same. I still never tire of it. I love his newer bit with the guinea pig. The show is always funny, although not always “family friendly” depending on your definition. There are some jokes that are definitely more adult in nature but most of them will fly right over the heads of the children. His show is a must see, especially if you’ve never had the chance to enjoy ie before.

Thanks for the reviews. Michael Carbonaro's live show is just like that. We saw him in a huge theatre but he uses minimal props and no box illusions. His version of Bill in lemon was great!