Last night I went to the monthly Cape Magicians Circle where I was truly treated like a layman… and I LOVED it! I forgot how much fun it is have to pick up my jaw from the bottom of the floor. We were treated to a show by Stuart Lightbody. I first met Stuart when I was job-shadowing a good friend of mine, Jacques Le Sueur , because I knew I wanted to be a magician when I grew up. I was 17 and Stuart was a young lad. But from then, I already knew he had a special talent, and last night I was reminded why he is one of the best sleight-of-hand artists in South Africa.
I thoroughly enjoyed participating and even though some of the effects I knew how to do, the way in which he performed was just gorgeous. It reaffirmed my belief that no two tricks can be performed identically by two magicians who are passionate about their craft. He was so smooth and just executed every slight with such speed. You know, the key of making a sleight look so invisible isn’t about the quickness of the move, rather, performing it slowly will provide the audience with the notion that you are conjuring up miracles.
I enjoyed the feeling of being inspired and actually sitting there going: “How in the hell did he do that? I mean I know HOW, but how did he do it where I knew what to look for and didn’t even see it?!”
I enjoyed watching Stuart perform, and you too can enjoy this if you’re in Cape Town. He will be performing at the Fringe Festival from 25 Sept – 5 Oct. Go book now! You won’t regret it!
The Magic of Greg Gelb 