Secrets Biographies  Reviews Photos Corporate Bubbles Contact

 
 

 

 

 

A Review  from MAGIC

By John Moehring

Photos By R. Faverty at Beckett Studios 

Arian Black at Fitzgeralds

   Listen to the music of the traffic in the city... Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty... Yep, Folks, Downtown Las Vegas is the place where you can "forget all your troubles, forget all your cares..."

   Hey, hold on. That's the voice of Petula Clark singing "Downtown" over the mega sound system of the Fremont street Experience - the multi-million-dollar light and sound canopy that stretches over the front doors of all the big downtown hotels.

   But that's Okay. It means we're in the right place to find a magic show where there's no admission charge. Across form the Four Queens is the entrance to Fitzgeralds, the hotel/casino where Arian Black has been holding fourth with her new daytime show since September of last year. And the signs on the marquee proclaim it's a Free Show. So it sort of  sounds like Petula is right, singing out those lyrics, "Downtown... everything's waiting for you... Downtown..."

   Upstairs and next to Fitzgeralds' buffet is the newly renovated showroom called the Events Centre, where 120 chairs and a smattering of two foot round tables face and elevated platform stage in the back corner of the room. There's an enclosed lighting and sound booth to one side and a service bar on the other.

   Now if I told you that Arian black's show is really free, I'd be lying. Read the sign when you walk into the room that was formerly a cozy little lounge. There's this one-drink minimum thing, which means if you want to sit down, get comfortable, and watch Arian's show, you have to buy a drink. However, a "well drink" is only $3 (and for another buck or two they'll fix one of those tropical concoctions with the tiny parasol).

   The houselights dim and an off-stage announcer tells it's time for Arian Black's Secrets. The curtains part, there's some bouncy pre-recorded music, and out dances a young lady wearing a glitzy showgirl costume. with some ropes and pulleys she hoists a cloth tube high above the stage, and when it's dropped to the floor another attractive lady makes a surprise appearance. This one's wearing black leather pants, a bright frou-frouish top, and is sporting a headset mic. " Yes. I am the magician," says Miss Black, Greeting the audience. "I see a look of surprise on a couple people's faces. Don't worry my parents had that look ... they were expecting a boy too." 

   Thus begins a magical character dilemma that lasts for the next three quarters of an hour. From trick to trick, the audience never seems quite sure if Arian desires to be perceived as a ditzy gal with a few cool tricks or a sexy sorcereress who possesses impressive magical powers. For starters, the show title of Arian Black's Secrets is somewhat misleading. With a name like that, first-time audiences could indeed anticipate seeing a necromancer with possibly a mystical, dark side. Instead, standing before them is a bubbly blonde who seems ready to show the stuff that was her talent in the beauty pageant.

   Arian immediately goes into a silent routine where her gloves change into silks, playing cards are produced and manipulated, and there's a paper tear with a heart-shaped piece of tissue. A couple more scarves are produced, ending with the appearance of a glass of wine. Arian comments "there's a one drink minimum, and it seems to apply to me too."

   Now it's time for a favorite card trick, but we're warned it requires unusual cards, a jumbo deck that has been cut in half diagonally. After an audience member selects a half-card, Physic Sarah is introduced. Using only her uncanny sense of smell, Sarah (a very cute mute) selects the other half of the card that's held by the spectator.

  Assistant Tina (Joan DuKore) pushes out a stars and stripes theme Cube-Zag illusion, which is performed next. A gentleman from the audience then assists with the Gypsy Rope Tie, where there's a speedy jacket exchange, despite the fact that Arian's neck, waist, and arms are tightly bound with a knotted length of rope.

    As Miss Black leaves the stage to slip into something that's a little showier, it's Tina's turn to do Egg and Silk with the usual sucker explanation. Returning to the stage in a  gold evening dress, Arian does a two ring Linking Ring routine. Then a finger ring is borrowed, vanished, and supposedly transported to a ring box, but the spectator finds a penny there instead. When she puts the coin into a gumball machine, out comes the ring. Another costume change later and a cracked reflective surface is used for the Walking Through a Mirror illusion.

   For her final effect, Miss Black has two jumbo cards randomly selected for a performance of Card Warp, using Eugene Burger's "Inquisition" patter and presentation. However, when the "inside-out card is dramatically torn apart, she acknowledges the applause with the silly statement, "And I'm blonde!"

   As an encore piece, Arian creates an amazing little animated carousel made entirely of soap bubbles. This leads to the appearance of bubbles from her empty hands, a` la Snowstorm, filling the room with hundreds upon hundreds of bubbles.

  Secrets is definitely not a production that's going to have the magic hungry throngs lined up outside Fitzgeralds every afternoon at three. With the exception of the sequence with Sarah and the split deck, there's little in the show that could be called original and different. And disregarding Miss Black's indecicisive character, there's room for improvement on everything for dialogue to direction.

 

    Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Secrets is Arian Black's contract with the hotel. It is totally unlike many of the magic shows of late, where deals are made to rent the showroom and share percentages of ticket sales.

   Fitzgeralds' management and entertainment staff actively sought out the 33 year old Magician after seeing her perform at a convention early last year. After months of back-and forth proposals, Miss Black finally arrived at a budget figure to produce a show of a scope that the hotel wanted. And when Secrets opened last fall, it met with the endorsement of the local press: "It took a businessman from Detroit Fitzgeralds' new owner, Don Barden) to bring back a little old Vegas mentality," wrote Jerry Fink in the Las Vegas Sun. "Give the customers something... don't gouge them. There is nothing elaborate about it, but what do you expect for free? Or almost free."

   Arian receives a salary, and the hotel gets the revenue from drink sales. The arrangement is as simple as that. Crowds have averaged 50 to 60 for a performance, so you'll have to do your own math to speculate if the venture is profitable or considered to be a "loss leader," as were most shows back in those "old Vegas" days that Fink writes of. Either way, it appears to be an amicable arrangement for both parties - Fitzgeralds gets a promotable no admission daytime attraction and Arian Black has a rent free showplace to hone her talents. And it's all happening in Downtown Las Vegas where Petula Clark can be heard singing, "How can you lose? - There's no finer place, for sure - Downtown."
Return to Reviews.