Xtreme Magic starring Dirk Arthur is an explosive experience where you can see the largest illusions and collection of exotic cats in the world. He has all the elements of an outstanding magic show: sexy dancing assistants, heart thumping music, special lighting effects, mind boggling illusions and an array of beautiful cats that are incorporated into his acts throughout the show.
Dancers clad in black leather jackets synchronized to Kid Rock’s song, “Bawitdaba” open the act and roll out what looks like a silhouette of Arthur painted on three separated spinning wooden slats. As the music, lights and pyrotechnics reach their climax, Arthur materializes from the silhouette with a bang.
He follows with what he describes as a world premiere illusion where he makes one of his assistants disappear from a huge cannon on stage and then somehow reappear at the other end of the stage. Next, Arthur makes an exquisite Siberian tiger named Jodie, part of his endangered species program, appear in the same spot.
His high-energy performance and masterful illusions create thrills and excitement for the audience in anticipation of what he will make appear on stage next. Arthur’s ability to effortlessly employ stunning yet obviously dangerous large cats into his show is a spectacle in itself.
You see his assistants disappear and then an exotic cat reappears in their place. First it is a cute and cuddly looking leopard. Then Arthur is wrapped in a straitjacket and put in a box where he transforms into one of his assistants and later, a black leopard named Shadow that has performed in over 10,000 shows with the magician.
After wowing the audience with several different illusions, Arthur takes a moment to talk about what everyone in the audience can’t help but wonder, “how does he train those cats?” Part of this explanation is done through a clip from his “Animal Planet” special where you can also learn a little something about his training techniques.
Arthur uses gentle and passive conditioning of the cats to help them develop good habits. Then he tries to reinforce these habits so that the cats maintain them in contrast to their innate instincts to be otherwise “dangerous every second and one of nature’s strongest killing machines,” according to Arthur.
He has a beautiful pure white snow tiger, Snow Magic, that is only one of five in captivity in the world. His next wonder is a liger, a mix of a lion and tiger. Apparently, it is not just a made up animal from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.” Ligers, the largest of all cats, can grow up to 1,000 pounds, and this is the only show in the U.S. where you can see one.
The cats are not his only large illusion. He also makes a helicopter appear on stage at the drop of a sheet while the James Bond theme song is playing the background. His show is full of surprises and an array of different illusions. It is a unique opportunity to see some rare animals and be amazed by some truly “xtreme” magic.
Show review by Caroline Fontein
