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Spellbinding
PRINCE FREDERICK
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Kerala-based magician P. M. Mithra has a few new tricks up his sleeve
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Photo: K.Pichumani
Vanishing act Mithra all set to make a car disappear
During magic shows, grown-ups exhibit greater involvement than children. Because they keep their eyes wide open for slips. Also because they rack their brains to find a rational explanation for every trick. In his inaugural magic show at Rani Seethai Hall, P. M. Mithra seemed to tease such grown-ups. He would make the first part of a trick simple, eliciting `pooh-poohs' from the audience, but finish it in a manner that would make many wonder - "How did he do it?" Then, he would make something look like sleight of hand. As the trick continued, you would keep a sharp eye on his hand, all the while muttering `Gotcha' and in a trice he would embarrass you by shifting your focus to some place, miles away from his hand.
The Kerala-based magician made his entry, levitating. That's a standard trick, you might say. Yes. In fact, even most other tricks cannot make much claim to freshness. But the packaging is what lends these tricks a new charm. The show is punctuated with Malayalam songs and ethnic dances.
If one had to pick out four tricks that truly enthralled, here goes. First, the `long-and-short mystery'. A five-foot tall girl lying on a wooden structure is shrunk to the size of a new-born after quick twists and turns of a wheel. Mithra then proceeds to tickle the girl's feet, accompanied by the recorded laughter of a child. Two, the `girl-in-the-box' trick. A trick that's probably done to death. But when Mithra `separates' the girl's head from her body and locks it in a box, a fair degree of originality shines through. Third, `propeller escape'. Mithra's histrionic ability comes to the fore when he prepares to put his body through a spinning propeller. Four, `tumblers-in-and-out-of-cupboard' trick. A snappy and smart trick, it has Mithra clearing a cupboard of about three-dozen silver tumblers and depositing them in a wooden box. The tumblers, however, do not stay in the box. But when he swings the empty box in the direction of the empty cupboard, the silver tumblers take their position once again on the shelves.
Personally speaking, the much-touted `car vanish' trick did not live up to the hype. However, children were awe-struck.
Mithra's show will be on till June 5, at Rani Seethai Hall. For details, call 9381014384.
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