The NY Daily News is in love with the newest rendition of Carnival of Wonders starring Jeff Hobson and Kalin & Jinger. In an articl subtitled, "In 'Carnival' of stunts, the 'Wonders' never cease," reviewer Phil Poura says, "If people ever doubted that big surprises come in small packages, all they need to do is take a trip down to the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City to check out the compact "Carnival of Wonders."It is a knockout, a big fat magical hit and one of the funniest shows the town has seen in years - thanks to the zany antics of acid-tongued Jeff Hobson.
(Jinger) Leigh is not just one of Kalin's pretty props. She is an integral part of the tricks he performs. And when was the last time you took in a magic show and saw dancing as cleverly choreographed as this, particularly by the two boys. They perform leaps that might draw Baryshnikov's approval. (One also does a mean turn as Igor during a hilarious Dracula setup.)
But this is Hobson's show, and he steals it as cleanly as a slick bank robber. A combination of Red Skelton, Paul Lynde and Daffy Duck rolled into one, Hobson is an outrageous punster who'll have you roaring with laughter while insulting you to death.
Wearing an emerald-colored top hat that would make the Mad Hatter green with envy, the innuendos flash across the stage like a rainbow. He calls himself Mr. Twinkles, wears outrageously tight leotards, laughs a lot (like Lynde) and grabs a hunky twentysomething for a drive in a swan car through the Tunnel of Love. But Kalin makes a point to say that the comic is the father of three kids.
Hobson is not half-bad at performing simple magic bits, either. But he probably wishes he had a woman like Luba from Russia in the audience every night. It took a while
for him to convince her to come up on stage - "I don't speak much English! Please!
No!" – but when she finally did, the scene turned into a hysterically funny bit involving an egg and a cloth bag. Don't ask.
LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH JEFF HOBSON:
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LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW WITH KALIN & JINGER:
OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN:
RSS :: GET IT AT ITUNES :: ZUNE :: MP3 DOWNLOAD