Kirby VanBurch Magic
Kirby! Great
Presence, Master Illusionist And Comedian. Very Delightful!
 All
of the editors on our staff have seen and anonymously
agree this was a wonderful show to see. Kirby
surprised us with his gentle comedic timing. Your
feelings go from laughter to bewilderment to outright
amazement and then back again. Our editors have
gone twice in secret with different friends and paid for
tickets. Then we went last week, letting them know
we were there 2 minutes before show time. The only
thing that changed is they darkened the lighting during
illusions. It made it almost impossible for me to
get good pictures so I apologize for how crummy my
pictures are. I guess they were worried we
might reveal the tricks (heh, heh). We're pros,
guys.
From the start, Kirby wastes no
time performing astonishing illusions. He split
women in half, made tigers and leopards come out of thin
air, made motorcycles vanish and walked through a solid
plate glass mirror.
 Even
though Kirby has fascinating (very expensive) illusions,
he mixes it together with sidewalk tricks that revealed
the child in him that was probably enthralled with
"magic." So very appealing to the young children
that they are glued to his every movement. This is
a show we highly recommend for children 4 and up.
Kirby did it all - from pulling sand from water,
to letting a bottle of Perrier float. Kirby did a
superb job with storytelling, injecting humor and making
the audience roar and want more. Let's be clear:
This is not just a magic show.
Philip Wellford is outrageous with
his unicycle and bowling pin routines. He was an
excellent slapstick comedian. However, Phillip did a
nice job of engaging the audience so that Kirby could
set up his multi-million-dollar acts. I especially
liked the imitation of Richard Nixon.
We understand it takes time to set
up these illusions but the show could use a shorter
intermission.
The show is produced by Kirby's
wife, Bambi VanBurch. It's directed by Mark
Walker. The lighting director is Greg Rowan.
The sound director is Craig DeLaney. The stage
manager is Seth Critchley.
Dancers performed unique ballet mixed in with cabaret.
By the way, the costumes were gorgeous. Their
names are: Mark Walker, Lead Dancer, Jennifer Obi,
Lead Female Dancer, Jessica Smith, Dancer
Lori Anne Gaither, Dancer
Illusion Crew:
Noah Wells, Travis Gibbs, Mike York, Seth Critchley,
and Gail Ciasulli, Show Manager.
 A
highlight of the show was when Eli, a 3 or 4-year- old
boy from Forsyth was picked by Kirby to help him with a
very important illusion. If you don't laugh until
you almost cry during this segment, check your pulse
because you're probably going to die soon. It was
hilarious, hilarious, hilarious.
Bambi reveals a mysterious woman
named Madame She-de-lep-ski, (if
that's the right spelling - I have no Idea.) We
don't want to reveal this part because it needs to be
discovered live in person. Bambi is a beautiful,
elegant lady who brings balance to this show.
We truly applaud Kirby for his end
summation of a tribute to his grandmother (and telling
the children there is no real magic performed at his
show) and that everything he performed was an illusion.
For those of us with impressionable children - this was
a helpful statement, and a fitting close. Without
a doubt, we all agree: Kirby has all it takes to
be a great star. Excellent job Kirby, Bambi and
Crew!
-Doug and Lori Holland,
BransonCritic.org Editors.
Photo Gallery of Kirby: Prince of Magic Show (All Show
Photos I Took)
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