Reviewed by Jessica Neu
“Think about the first time you saw a rainbow or a sunset…that’s magic.”
As audiences sat captivated at the opening of Eric Jones‘ Immaculate Deception at Liberty Magic, Jones combined baffling tricks with thought-provoking, emotive commentary. Challenging audiences to consider the psychological and relational elements of magic in addition to simply wondering how in the world he makes those cards disappear.
Throughout February, Magician Eric Jones returns to Liberty Magic for his third residency performing the Immaculate Deception.
Jones has also appeared on America’s Got Talent season 12. He was one of just a few magicians who has ever “fooled” legendary magicians Penn & Teller on their show Fool Us. Jones helped to inaugurate the opening of Liberty Magic in 2019. He still serves as an artistic director to help ensure that the organization is delivering quality magic shows each season and that the next generation of magicians is well-mentored and able to perfect their craft.
It is this element of humanity that drives Jones’ performance. He reiterates throughout the show that magic is about the human connection that forms between the audience and the magician. It is, magical in a sense that the audience, as a holistic group, were all together in that shared space for a shared experience in the temporal moment. Jones is engaging, funny, and dynamic, masterfully blending storytelling, conversation, and magic tricks.
Specializing in sleight of hand and manipulation, Jones has spent 22 years perfecting tricks. His illusions and effects prompt audience members to question their sight, defy reality, and suspend logic.
I do not want to compromise Jones’ show’s surprise element or integrity by revealing any of his tricks. I can assure you that each trick is even more dumbfounding than the next. The audience interaction and participation level create a dynamic, interactive experience unparallel to any other show I have seen recently.
Jones’ performance culminates with an exploration of the famous football play from Steelers great Franco Harris, the Immaculate Reception. Jones frames the play not only as a historic football moment but also as an illusion, or even perhaps, magic. The trajectory of the ball that led to the play was simply “magical.” The illusion created by the film results in spectators relying on their vision, perception, and interpretation to determine whether or not the ball touched the ground.
Magic is an illusion, perception, and suspension of disbelief to believe in the impossible.
When asked at the VIP question and answer session after the show whether or not he teaches his nine-year-old son magic tricks, Jones quickly replied, “no, he’s still a kid; everything to him is magic. I don’t want to ruin that.”
In an era inundated with science, proofs, multiple facts, and political propaganda, it was refreshing and even therapeutic to be transported to a place of innocence, where the magic is real, and suspension of disbelief is safe.
Did the ball touch the ground in the Immaculate Reception? Is Jones really clairvoyant? We will never know those answers, but that is ok. Magic can be real…it is immaculate and surrounds us each day. We just need to remember to believe.
For ticket information visit: https://trustarts.org/production/76416/liberty-magic-eric-jones-in-immaculate-deception
Categories: Reviews
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