Mac King Comedy Magic Show

Offbeat afternoon show is King's court

Staff Report

Mac King has a dual personality.

On one hand, the native of Kentucky has the wit of a stand-up comic. On the other, he has the skills of a superior, sleight-of-hand magician.

King performs the Cloak of Invisibility bit, spits out a goldfish after slipping a sliver of carrot into his mouth and performs amazing card tricks.

No one seems to mind that King's routines and standard jokes vary little from performance to performance -- they still amaze and amuse, even if fans have attended the show a dozen times (and many have).

Though his act is rigidly structured, there is enough flexibility so his shows are never boring.

Much of his act relies upon volunteers from the audience, and when you are dealing with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, you never know what's going to happen.

King is a master at dealing with the unexpected.

One of King's funny gags is a card trick in which a volunteer takes a card from a deck, replaces it, and King later pulls it from the fly of his plaid pants. He usually jokingly asks the female volunteer if she would like to reach for the card.

Once, according to a fan at the recent performance, an inebriated volunteer actually tried to take King up on the offer.

His facial reactions and his comments following surprise occurrences such as that are what keep the act fresh. And his boyish delivery of jokes make them funny, no matter how many times you have heard them.

That's about as risque as it gets in a King performance. His shows are wholesome, good for the entire family.

King has a country-boy charm that appeals to his fans, and a sense of humor that may make you forget how talented a magician he truly is.