Conjuring up some optical fun and, perhaps, a temperamental turtle and some disappearing wedding rings, comic magician and improv master Chipper Lowell will appear in “BLiNK” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, at Portsmouth’s Music Hall.
A family-friendly version of the show is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28.
Lowell, whose TV appearances include visits to “The Tonight Show” and The Disney Channel, will be joined by a trio of fellow illusionists: Jade, who has performed on “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson”; Christopher Hart, who animated “Thing” in the “Adams Family” movies; and Joe Devlin, known as “The “Matador of Magic.” “On Friday night after Thanksgiving, you’ve been shopping, watched a game, had leftovers, now what to do?,” said Patricia Lynch, The Music Hall’s executive director. “(Enjoy) a laughter-filled evening where magic turtles, flying arms, disappearing girls and science experiments gone hilariously wrong are all part of the act.” Saturday’s hour-long program is geared toward folks with children under eight.
Lowell has received two Merlin Awards from the International Magicians Society, putting him the company of past winners like David Copperfield, Penn & Teller and Sigfried & Roy.
“My performances tend to mix in tons of comedy with the magic, which audiences really get a kick out of,” Lowell said. “It makes the entire show a really enjoyable experience. It also provides a wonderful platform for some eye-popping magic, because just when you’re laughing like crazy is when we surprise you with magic routines and tricks you never saw coming.
“You’re caught off-guard at all times, never knowing if we’re simply going to spoof something or actually present magic with that ‘wow!’ factor,” he said. “The comedy pieces also provide a nice balance with some of the more artistic segments presented by the other magicians in ‘BLiNK’.“ Lowell said two routines in particular are the most fun to pull off.
“For physical and visual laughs, we have a supposedly trained turtle (don’t worry folks, he’s not real) that performs a series of seemingly impossible animal tricks, but he also has a bit of a temper,” Lowell said. “The other routine is an adult favorite where three borrowed wedding rings from audience members are vanished one by one, only to reappear in an impossible location.
“It’s close-up magic done with HD cameras and a large projection screen and uses music behind it to help with the emotional impact,” he said. “It is also partly a tribute to one of the great close-up magicians from a few decades ago, Slydini, and definitely one of my favorite pieces to do.”
Tickets to “BLiNK” at 8 p.m. Friday range from $24 to $33; cost to attend the 11 a.m. show Saturday are $17 and $22.
