This is a review of Ultimate Magic at The Arena, starring JC Sum and Magic Babe Ning. I attended the official launch last night, 21 Oct 2008.

Before I start, I would like to state that this review is my opinion only, based on what I observed from watching this show (does not mean it is right). I have watched several magic and non-magic theatre productions, both locally and overseas.

I think it makes sense to make a comparison to Las Vegas since this is a long-running show and Vegas has the most number of long running magic shows. In Vegas, there are afternoon and night shows. Night shows are the big productions with large scale and big stars such as Lance Burton and David Copperfield. Afternoon shows are generally smaller in scale, shorter in duration but are also cheaper. The quality of the acts of the afternoon shows are comparable to the evening shows but don’t have the same scale, high-end venue and star power that the night shows have. Ultimate Magic is an excellent ‘afternoon Vegas’ show and I mean that as a good thing.

Overall the show was really very good. The audience’s reactions was strong and spontaneous but bear in mind this was a by-invitation show. This means the audience did not pay for their tickets (or at least I didn’t) so they may not truly represent a real paying audience’s reactions. Having said that, I would have gladly paid for my ticket.

My favourite parts of the show were: [Spoiler Alert]

Opening Teleportation – I thought this was a very unique way to start the show and was intriguing because we were first introduced to JC via satellite on the large TV on stage. There was audience interaction between JC at the Night Safari (where he was teleporting from) that made the illusion very convincing.

Crystal Metamorphosis – I have seen the classic substitution trunk performed many times before but have never seen a see-through trunk. The trunk cannot also be called a trunk as it looks like a giant metal and acrylic illusion case (for lack of a better description). Even though I know the effect and was anticipating the exchange, their ‘metamorphosis’ was VERY fast… quite stunning actually and got one of the strongest reactions in the show from the audience.

Glow in the Dark Cust & Restored Rope - This was a beautiful rope routine performed by Ning. What made it so different was that it was performed with luminous rope and sword that glowed in the dark. A very simple but nice touch.

Revolution Fan illusion – This was unexpected and sudden and the prop is very imposing and practically fills the stage. This is NOT your typical passing through fan illusion. I asked JC about it after the show. His reasoning was that it was not designed as a passing through fan illusion, which he feels is common. His point was that magicians always produce people form examined empty boxes but the box does not always have to be a box… it could be a giant industrial fan, as in his case. Magicians expect the passing through because that was what they are conditioned to expect. But a lay audience does not have this built-in expectation and it is never suggested it will be a penetration illusion. To his credit, the audience reaction was quite strong.

Extreme Burn Fire staff escape – Nice! This was the other strongest reaction of the night and it was the finale of the show, fittingly so.

Both performers speak well, interact with the audience well and hold their own individually as well as a team on stage. JC is obviously a very seasoned performer. Ning is called magic’s sexiest magician… I doubt many in the audience will argue with that. She is very easy on the eyes but having said that, she is not just a pretty face as she also holds her own as a magician. Her glow-in-the-dark cut & restored rope with a sword and razor blades swallowing show her magic skills. Many of the illusions in the show take 2 people to pull off as well so she is not just a girl in a box as many female assistants or partners are in most illusion shows.

What I read about JC and Ning’s chemistry and personalities are spot on. They play off each other very well and their banter and presentation make standard routines like the multiplying bottles, spikes through body and straight-jacket escape very novel, fresh and entertaining. It is the performer’s that make the show, not just the illusions or magic. JC & Ning have that special spark that makes the show their own.

Some things I observed:

It was VERY crowded. I’m not sure if this is typical but I felt it was overcrowded and not everyone had seats. I’m assuming this is not usually the case as I cannot imagine a paying audience having to stand throughout the show. From the brochure, there seems to be only one ticket price. And it is free seating but not all seats are the same. That means, if you do not come early, you might be sitting very far from the stage with people’s heads blocking you but you still pay the same price. There is a camera which shows what is happening on stage on TVs but the point of attending the show is to watch the performance on stage live.

I felt some parts of the show moved along a bit too fast. The set-up and introduction to some acts were quite short so it seemed like one act or illusion followed another very fast. Maybe, tell a story to set up an act or talk to the audience longer. But, I guess the setting also does not allow for anything too theatrical.

Ultimately (pun intended), Ultimate Magic is an excellent show and I would recommend the show without reservations. Just make sure, it is not a full house.

My ratings:

Entertainment Value 5/5 stars – the show did not feel 1hour and had a good variety of audience interaction, illusions, stage magic and wit.

Originality of acts/ presentation 4/5 stars – there are a good mix of original acts as well as standards. But the presentations of the standard routines make them entertaining and different.

Venue 3/5 stars - mainly because it was overcrowded and warm.

Value for money 5/5 stars

Overall experience 4/5 stars

Congratulation, JC and Ning, you both did a great job, thanks for the invitation.

The Ultimate Magic Show..really a power & excellance show, i really enjoy it.

I will tell other about it. B)

Finally got to see it, so here's my review and some of my gf's (a layperson) observations.

As I know some of the producers, I think I would just do away with the niceties and go straight to the things which I felt might require some improvements. Think you guys would know I am being objective here.

I will not go in sequence so bear with me..

1. I think it would be better if JC had penetrated through the fan instead of appearing in front of it.

My gf was left wondering why Ning had the spectator inspect the fan beforehand when it didn't have any link to the final appearance. She mentioned that JC could have just appeared from a box, but why in front of the fan? The preceding inspection seemed like a meaningless exercise to kill some time.... according to her.

Yes, it might be too common to penetrate through fan, but sincerely, most of the effects were not too "uncommon" to begin with. Most were quite standard effects.

2. In the production of the bike (can someone confirm with me that it was Matt that was on it?), what was the point of taking out the mini-bike just before the production? My gf was asking, "Why did she (Ning) took that minibike out for?" Again, that gesture failed to convey meaning to the audience.

It might have been better if the mini-bike (prob with a figurine on it) be put inside the box and it transformed into the real bike withe the rider.


3. In the fork bending effect, the angle was quite bad from my side (right side of the stage) and we could all see the p**-b**d. I spoke to JC about that last night and I understand they couldn't cover all angles... so how about moving the screen to the other side? So JC can move his body to he right and the audience in front still can see the effect from the screen.

4. The "teleportation" of JC from the Night Safari to the stage is well... not really convincing. Even my gf mentioned it looked too "staged". Not helped by the slightly culeless spectator too.

But at least, the "timing" was well-coordinated, if you know what I mean.

5. In the multiple bottle production, Ning was lifting one of the bottles too easily (again, you know what I mean). It was a small thing, but was spotted by my gf again.

6. For the Extreme Burn, yah, it was the best effect of the night. Totally enjoyed it.

Overall, while it wasn't the greatest show, it was pretty decent. I would give it a 3/5. Mind you, I wasn't comparing it to Vagas shows as I have never watched one, so my review is solely based on what I saw.

I had the privilege of being invited to the official launch of ultimate magic at the arena yesterday and I have to say that I am quite pleased with the whole thing. I would not list out the illusions that were performed as I have seen them being mentioned in an earlier thread so I will just go straight to my main point, how did I felt about the show?

For starters, I felt the opening teleportation act was a great way to kick start the show as it got everybody’s attention to the stage but somehow personally I felt it was lacking a tad bit of the magical factor, it may be just me but i find that music plays a just a very important part in making the illusion convincing which in this case I found the music did not really flow well with the illusion, it was great but not amazing.

Next I believe was the multiplying bottles act, I personally loved this part a lot because I felt it really brought out the chemistry between Ning and JC and it surely got the audience cracking up so 2 thumbs up for that.

Then came the crystal metamorphosis act, it was simply stunning, I have seen this illusion being performed countless time on television and to be able to see it live up close on stage, it was truly an eye opener. Although it was considerably one of the shorter acts yesterday, it was needless to say simply stunning, definitely my pick for best illusion of the night.

Another great act would have to be the closing illusion, extreme burn I believe, it totally caught me off guard and left everyone in awe so kudos to the team.

As with all the other illusions:

Fork bending: I felt it was way too over exposed, I was seating on the second row and it was very obvious when JC continued to xxxx the fork even after the 'magic' stopped so that was a down side to that.

Ning’s biggest FAN: I believe this has been discussed a few times in the forum already, not really the kind of fan illusion you guys will expect but nevertheless I still don’t know how JC appeared infront of the blades.

Cut & Restore ropes: Performing it under UV-light is something new and refreshing but after such big illusions like crystal metamorphasis and the appearing bike I felt it spoilt the momentum that you guys have already built, this act would have been better well off if performed at the start.

Final thoughts, I believe everyone will agree with me that the place was way way too packed, was it a case of over invitation Or did The Arena not prepare enough seats. I did not mind having to stand throughout the whole show but if were a foreigner then I would be pretty upset about it.

I would recommend this show everyone but do come with an open mind, due to the space and budget constraints, do not expect to see a multi-million dollar production like you will see in a David Copperfield show.

-Timothy


P.S the free flow of drinks was definitely a plus point =)

Review of......... take a guess everyone. :D


The Ultimate Magic on 21/10/08. The Official Launch! (Looks like you all are mentalist!)

So anyway, here's what happened. Entered the place. Had the big burly asked me a question, "How old are you?". I took that as a compliment to how young I look. :P Got a stamp UV on my arm and entered a wonderfully red room leading to a nice club atmosphere. I came there at 7pm so I got a nice front row seat so my review would be based on that point of view.

Spoilers ahead. Be warned... (Sorry if I get the order mixed.)

-Teleportation-
What can I say? It's fun to watch. :) The anticipation of knowing that someone is suppose to appear in that chamber and seeing that the chamber is empty. Exhilarating. Smoke "Whoosh" Slowly a hand appears. And ta-da JC Sum appears and step out of the box. The Proof was a nice touch for the teleportation.
Ash rating: 7.5/10

-Shadow of Mystery-
Not a big fan (no pun intended :P) of this kind of magic. It's just not my kind of thing but nonetheless a really well practiced act. Someone else might love this though. It's just not my kind of magic.
Ash rating: 6.5/10

-Multiplying Bottles-
Fun. Fun. Fun. :D I just love those lame magician tricks where magicians pretend that the glass and bottle has switched and then have them switched back and only then letting the Spec see. Especially the way JC and Ning did it. You can see that they are really enjoying themselves and that's really the most important thing in performing magic. The energy would spread to the Specs making us enjoy the show even more. :D It was truly fun and cute.
Ash rating: 8/10

-Crystal Metamorphosis-
Speechless... It was that fast and that good.
Ash rating: 9.5/10

-Spiker-
I was expecting Blooood. I'm sadistic. ;) I watch too much Barry and Stuart. It would have been fun to see blood coming out of the spikes as it went through JC. That would have been just fun to watch. Well enough with that. It's nice to watch, has enough theatrics but, I wanted bloood coming from JC's shirt even though his body is intact. That would be soo cool.
Ash rating: 7/10

-Full Throttle-
That's a really fast paced illusion. I felt it only lacked one thing. FIREWORKS. :D That would have gone well with the illusion. Other then that, a nice illusion.
Ash rating: 8/10 (if with fireworks I think a 9/10) :)

-Revo-llusion-
The biggest fan of the show. :P All metal and all solid. As a lay person, a wonderful magicial appearance through the impossible with a gigantic fan twirling and twirling. Not to mention having an audience inspect the fan from all angles and hitting it with a metal pipe ensuring all is as it seems.
Ash rating: 7/10

-Extreme Burn-
The last act and fittingly so. The most magical of all the acts combined.
Ning stuck in a box with her hands handcuffed.
JC with a stick preparing to do some damage to Ning.
JC squashes Ning in the box with the stick and the next thing you know, Ning is at the other side of the club. SERIOUSLY COOOL. :wub: I think I'm in love with the effect. I want one. :P
Ash rating: 10/10

*-Summary-*
There are too many effects to review but in short:

If you need a place to chill, The Arena can provide the atmosphere. (assuming of course that the Official Opening was packed and that a normal day it would be fine)

If you need to watch magic, JC Sum and Ning can do a terrifically wonderful job.

If you need a place to chill and watch magic, go to the show ULTIMATE MAGIC and have a freaking wonderful time there. :) I truly enjoyed the show and would really love to go there again and again and again. I'm proud that Singapore finally has a place where people can watch Magic performed by SINGAPOREANS. And to add on to that, the quality of the show is freaking top notch. (Though I feel more fireworks here and there could make it nicer ;) )

By the way, Extreme Burn and Crystal Metamorphosis were my favorites. The effort and the dedication of the magicians can be seen in these 2 effects as they are simply flawless in execution. Really enjoyed myself. I so love magic. 2 Thumb tips up.

Overall Show rating: 9.5/10 :!!: :g:

Having heard so much about Ultimate Magic, here and off the media, i thought it was time to check it out myself. So i headed down for the show yesterday 25th Oct with my family to watch the 730pm show.

I don't know about how the official launch was, because i wasn't there, but yesterday when i was there, i found it pretty comfortable. The plushy theatre-like seats were filled (i sat at the 4th row) and there were some people at the barstool area. I had a great seat and a very clear view of the show.

Having never watched magic performed live before, with the exception of the very basic stuff that i do, my parents really liked the show. They actually commented that Magic Babe was very sexy. Illusions that they liked included the teleportation at the beginning and the Extreme Burn. My bro thought the show was cool and liked the crystal metamorphosis and extreme burn.

Although i like stage magic, i have never dabbled in that area myself having concentrated all this while on close-up magic, so I shall not do a dissection of each and every illusion, but a general review of the show.

Here goes:

First and foremost, i thought the show was very good and entertaining. It sure did not feel like an hour long to me. Time just flew past when i was enjoying the magic.

I'm not sure what are considered standard routines and what are not, but I really liked several of the illusions like the teleportation, the crystal metamorphosis, the motorcycle appearance, the fork bending and the extreme burn. I was stunned by the appearance of the motorcycle (so fast!) and i could hear the collective gasp actually when the motorcycle appeared. The crystal metamorphosis where J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning exchanged places instantly was really quite awesome too.

Personally i was also really quite blown away by the fork bending especially since I do a bit of spoon bending myself. I thought the bending of 3 forks at the end was awesome! In fact, i'm wondering if anyone could point me to the resource for learning that? :P

Anyway, this is the first time i have seen J C Sum & Magic Babe Ning perform live. I have never seen any male and female magicians pairing on stage at the same time and yet each was given equal amount of 'spotlight' in the show. There seemed to be no domineering of either one over the other. In fact, i must say i very much enjoy their good chemistry together. This was very clear especially during the parts like when they had the friendly banter during the straight jacket segment.

Overall, i thought this is a very well-balanced and entertaining show. The performers' personality shone through the show and the show standard is very high. I have never seen any other magicians perform with this 'total package'.

Would like to say that afternoon shows are not smaller in scale in las vegas. I have seen rick thomas, dirk arthur and mac king. Rick thomas produces many tigers, dirk poduced an entire train carriage, and the mac king show in harrahs has been moved to a theater which is fits about 1000 people. These are all afternoon shows which i must say does not differ in scale in fact some of them are even bigger in scale compared to the night shows. Saw david copperfield's show in the MGM and his theater was smaller than mac king's one but damnn did he give an awesome show.

Review

I was down at The Arena for Ultimate Magic on new year's eve, 31st Dec 2008, the last show for the year and I have to say that I absolutely had a great time while I was there.

Here is my take on the show. But before you continue, it is important to know that this review is based solely on my opinions, which means it does not contain absolute truths about the show, but simply how I felt during the performance.

Here are some of the highlights (spoilers ahead):

Crystal Metamorphorsis
No sneaky movements, no dubious props and a fully transparent box. And yet, in a flash, the magicians switched places! We have seen this many times but never have we seen it done with a crystal-clear trunk. Very stunning, very entertaining.

Floating Table
Definitely one of the crowd pleasers. I always believed that the greatest magical moments one could experience is the simple and elegant type. The floating table was simple, elegant and breathtaking. Just as JC was preparing to perform and as anticipation built, I could hear a tiny shriek of "Oh my god!" coming from my friend. And as the illusion came live, I definitely saw her shaking. The effect was truly magical; there was just no other way to describe it.

Magicbabe's Straightjacket Escape
Magicbabe Ning's signature routine. Being a fan of Harry Houdini and the act of escapes, I cannot believe something like this can be turned into a sexy piece of escape magic and I meant this in a good way. While the magicians' personas shone through the entire show, JC's playful and Magicbabe's feisty, I-can-wear-the-pants-too personalities were clearly evident here and they certainly added the crowning touches to a magnificent show.

Revolution Fan Illusion
The fan was towering ,the roar of its blades deafening, the magic astonishing, original and unexpected. I shall let my friend's words do all the talking here: "This is my favourite.".

Extreme Burn
Ultimate Magic's swan song. This reduced me to a little boy as my heart raced and disbelief struck me as the climax unfolds. A little bit of fire, a little bit of a trapped magician, a little bit of a shocking teleportation and you get a fitting, fitting finale. I just wished it would not end so soon.

Overall, the show had a good variety of magic and the two magicians had great audience interaction. My friend practically had her jaws in her hands the whole time. That pretty much sums up the show.

For people who deemed close up magic (think David Blaine, Criss Angel, etc) to be your cup of tea, Ultimate Magic brings a whole new dimension to your world.

For people who are always fans of stage magic and huge illusions, Ultimate Magic brings original ideas, a fresh dual gender magicians and their charms live on stage.

Before I end, I just want to mention that I am a fan of all kinds of magic. But I really fell in love with grand stage illusions back in the early 90s. With the popularity of close-up, street magic, it was really getting harder to enjoy stage magic on TV or live performances.

Ultimate Magic provided the cure.