NATURAL MAGICK WITH DAVID BEN

David Ben wraps up his series of "Natural Magick" shows tomorrow as a part of this year's Luminato Festival in Toronto. From the National Post:

Natural Magick is Ben’s first show since Tricks in 2004, the longest gap in the 50-year-old magician’s career. Lest you think he’s been sitting on his wand, Ben has kept busy writing books, publishing a quarterly magazine on magic history, and running Magicana, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and exploration of magic as a performing art. The 90-minute show takes its title from Giambattista della Porta’s famous tome, first published in 1558, the first book to describe optical illusions. “I think this is the best work we’ve ever done,” he says. “I’m at a point in my life where I’m hopefully hitting my prime.”

After watching Sunday night’s performance at the Tarragon Theatre, it’s hard to argue.Natural Magick features several moments that simply defy explanation. Keen-eyed observers could surely spot the sleight-of-hand in a cups-and-balls routine, and when Ben plucks silver coins from out of thin air — though what’s the fun in that? — but there are tricks that border on miraculous.