What? No review on Steve Wyrick?

[Guest]

Hi,

I am new to the board, and I am a big fan of magic, good magic that is.

I was recently in Vegas, and saw, Rick Thomas, Steve Wyrick, and World's Greats magic.

I would say that World's Greatest magic was slightly
better than Rick Thomas. This would not have been the cause if I didn't think that Rick Thomas' personality was too Abrasive, and caustic with the audience, he did not come off as likable at all.

Kozak, who hosts WGM on the other hand has a reputation for being very caustic, and even rude,
and he was surprisingly charming and very likable.

Steve Wyrick, well I had read the articles and reviews, and heard a great deal about Wyrick, I had heard that he sucks. And he did, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. What surprised me the most was the Banquet Hall/Retail space that he was performing in, it is pretty hard to take that theater seriously.

Especially when the Video screens on the strip show his show from the Sahara when HE WAS IN A BIG ROOM, then you show up at the upper floor at the Alladin, and the room feels like a church basement
and the even is a MOTHER DAUGHTER BANQUET and Steve WHO ACTS LIKE EVERYONE KNOWS WHO HE IS, and they don't walks out, and it is painfully obvious and they guy spend a ton of money building a "mega magic show" to fit adn be performed in a double wide trailer.

THE CRANE OF DEATH?????
Cute trick. Obviously a version of the Table of death that is made to fit in the 10 foot high ceiling. I did laugh out loud though. It was pathtic.

The Plane?
he had to cut the landing gear off the thing again so it could fit.

The Motorcycle Vanish?
Hoisted so it butted up agains the ceiling just so when the bottom swung down it would clear the floor.

Oh God I could go on and on, and don't get me wrong I am having fun, but my fingers are getting tired.

I will check back to see if you want to hear more,
I do have positive stuff to say about his show, but who wants to hear that about Wyrick.

Oh for now I will leave it on this note.

NOT THAT I WAS STARING!!!!! But Steve likes to stand at a profile so that you notice he must have a pair of rolled up socks stuffed down the front of his pants!

He aint no Copperfield, and he sure aint no Tom Jones!~!!

Just let me know if you want to hear more!

Merry Christmas from,

The Fan

[Christopher Starr]

Since I have never seen Steve perform, I couldn't begin to criticize him.

I do recall reading somewhere that he was quoted as saying that he considered himself a better businessman than a magician.

I have also found it interesting that he has been able to convince large venues to hire him, even though he is relatively obscure, ie, little to no tv exposure, no bankable name to draw people in.

Maybe it is the "sock" that they are coming to see....? ;)

[Shawn Farquhar]

I saw the same three show about four weeks ago. I loved World's Greatest Magic. The chemistry was awesome and the talent was incredible. Kozak was genuine and funny. Gabriel, Majestics, Arden James and Kevin James rounded out the show with a young magician, geez I wish I clould tell you his name. The flow was great and worth every dime...just wish they were on the strip. The cab driver didn't know where to take us and we had to make a call to find out.

Rick Thomas has really changed in the past couple of years with the help of Don Wayne...saw him in t audience taking notes...

I'm not a fan of the new attitude thing but I like that he doesn't dance as much as before. I missed seeing Gracie (sp?) but he told me she is pregnant...too cool.

Steve Wyrick's show was my least fav and it didn't have anhting to do with the venue. I liked the tiny theatre and the very comfortable seats. I liked that the VIP's were directed out of the theatre through the magic shop at the end. I loved some of the props like the awesome metal styled Janet Box and the automated elevator.

What I didn't like was the feeling I was watching an overly rehearsed but not practiced performance.

He had several volunteers and my gut says they were all stooges. He selected a guy to watch him do "Sam the Bellhop" and during on phase whne I was certain the cards were screwed up the volunteer took the cards, cut them under the table and gave them back to Steve...and all was well again.

He had a Asian lady who pretended to not speak much enlish and they struggled through a jumbo version of side kick...which seemed totally rehearsed.

He did a linking finger routine that was brilliant and had to have used a stooge ..but who cares since it didn't feel like a stooge.

I asked the folks on either side how they felt. The folks to the right, from Florida, said the tickets were free and "that's what they were worth". As for the folks on the left, from Ohio, they replied, "we wasted three hours of our lives"...I didn't understand so they explained they got the tickets free for attending a two hour time share progrm.

Me, I didn't dislike it, but I'm not going to send my friends. I paid for my ticket...full price..but I had just won $4200.00 on the tables downstairs a few minutes before show time so who am I to complain.

Cheers,

Shawn "I would die to have a theatre like Wyricks" Farquhar

just a note: I don't believe Steve is ever hired to work for a hotel. In fact he rents the space and sells the tickets to make his profit. The casino gets their money up front...this makes him quite the magician...

[Tabman]

So glad to hear you liked my old boss, Paul Kozak. He's really a great person and deserves all the success he can get. Thanks for the good comments.

-=tabman

[Shawn Farquhar]

Hey Tabman,

I just discovered your website tonight. I've been working with poker chips for my new version of Matrixpress. Your stuff looks awesome!

Paul must have been a blast to work with. If you see Paul, please say Hi to him and his daughter Mackenzie.

[Tabman]

Thanks Shawn for the kind words about my magic and I can't say often enough that Kozak is not only a blast to work with, he never had a bad word to say to me and always treated me and everyone else around with respect. He is a gentleman and an excellent magician. I am a very independent person and have a low tolerance for BS and he's one of the few people that I would ever feel comfortable working for.

-=tabman

[Pete Biro]

Kozak is right up there with Levent, Hobson and the guy from Canada who posted messages above, but I can never spell his name! :p

[Shawn Farquhar]

Now that's funny Pete! It's Farquhar ...just like it doesn't sound!

I promised my parents I would keep it...even if it does hurt my career. hehehe

[Michael Edwards]

And I thought he was just having trouble with the Shawn/Sean spelling ;)

[Pepka]

I met Kozak at Magic LIVE. He has been a hero of mine since I was in high school and saw him on night at the improv. I believe he's one of the people that inspired me to get into magic. I haven't seen WGM yet, but I'm gonna try when I'm in town for WMS.

Back to Wyrick. I've only seen him on TV once or twice and was not impressed. I think he produced or vaniched a helicopter or airplane or something. Never been a fan of that kind of stuff.

[Guest]

WOW! I am disappointed at how negative and critical people are about fellow magicians... especially when it comes to Steve Wyrick's show in Las Vegas. Thus, I feel compelled to provide my personal thoughts on Steve Wyrick and his journey to success in Las Vegas.

I have seen Steve Wyrick's show at each venue he has been at in Las Vegas (starting with the Lady Luck, then Sahara, and now Aladdin). Let me begin by saying that it is foolishness to believe that Steve's show is flawless, but I have never seen ANY magician that was perfect and had nothing to improve upon. Steve is no different, but he still has a great show despite some of the flaws!

Let's look at the bare bones of Steve Wyrick's success...

I used to hear his name in relation to corporate gigs about 10-15 years ago, so I suppose that is when he was first classified as a professional magician. After a few years traveling the corporate circuit, cruise ships, and performing at his own theater in Branson, Steve arrived in Las Vegas. Is there any magician who can truly say he would never want to have his own permanent gig in Vegas??? I doubt it! In and of itself, the fact that he is has survived in Vegas for almost a decade has got to say something about his entertainment abilities, creative juices, and business acumen.

When I saw Steve's show, "Sexy Magic" at the Lady Luck back in 1996 or 1997, I was pretty impressed with the size of show he was able to perform in Melinda's old tent/theater. He definitely worked his butt off to make the most of the space he had to work with. His show gained national attention when he was featured on several network television specials again, something most magicians only dream of! Pretty impressive accomplishments before he even reached 30 years old!!!

I suppose somewhere along the way, a Vegas big-wig must have seen his show and recognized its potential. A short time later, the show moved to the Sahara. That show was absolutely huge! It had some of the most elaborate and beautiful sets Ive ever seen for a magic show. And the illusions were a perfect fithelicopter appearance, motorcycle vanish, airplane appearance, Hummer appearance, an entire Hotel lobby routine, etc. I saw that show twice over a two year periodand there were definite improvements in Steves presentation and style. Clearly, he was working hard on the personal performance side of his show since he already had kick-ass illusions.

Im not sure of the exact reasons that Steve moved from the Sahara to the Aladdin, but I have pretty knowledgeable sources in the Vegas entertainment circles that say Aladdins owners have been developing plans to construct another custom theater for Steves show (similar to the one that was built for him at Sahara). Actually, Aladdin is changing its name to the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino sometime in 2006. The new owners are the ones that I heard are working on a new contract for Steves show, complete with a custom theater. All of that said, every person who seems to know the scoop is telling me that his current show is in the smaller, temporary theater, only until the new theater opens in a year or so.

My speculation is that most of the criticism of Steves show is rooted in jealousy. Lets admit it, those of us stuck doing hippity-hop rabbits at birthday parties and strip-mall openings would love to have a Vegas show with 6 hot dancers surrounding us. Right??? As I stated before, I have seen Steve perform multiple times over the past 7 or 8 years, and his show has come a long way since he first arrived in Vegas. Does that mean he cant improve? No. But is also does not justify such negative reviews and comments such as accusing him of stuffing a sock in his crotchthat is so pathetically petty! Why cant we be proud of our fellow brother in magic? After all, if we want magic shows to continue to thrive in Las Vegas, we should be supportive of those who have made it so that the tradition can continue. All of the negative nay-sayers on here must have a serious inferiority complex. I am man enough to admit that I would LOVE to have a show like Steve Wyricks with such a great venue and awesome props/illusions. I just wish others could put aside their personal pride to applaud a fellow magician.

LoneStarSt8@hotmail.com

[Brad Henderson]

Hi,

When we perform publically, we open ourselves up for criticism. There is informed criticism, and uninformed. To bash Steve without seeing his show would be wrong. I agree, many in magic like to play the game of "pile-on."

However, if one has seen the show, and did not care for it, they are entitled to that opinion. Bear in mind, they must have seen the show to be entitled to an opinion. Similarly, it would be nice if they could defend that opinion with specific references to the show.

Likewise, if one enjoyed the show, it would help that they make specific references to WHY it was good, rather than merely offer a history of the performer.

While people may be motivated to say poor things of a performer because of jealousy, they are equally inclined to make laudatory remarks out of friendship.

I think your opinions would be better received if you supported why you thoughts Steve's show was successful, rather than merely tell us about his "successes."

Particularly since you come from Texas, where Steve grew up. It helps to make statements supported by facts so we can evaluate your ideas on their own merit.

[Guest]

This is an odd poll. The two answers are unrelated. For example, if I like Steve Wyrick and I want to hear more, I can't vote for both ideas. Or if I don't like him, and don't want to hear more, I can't vote.

It should be worded --

Do you want to hear more?
Yes No

Do you like Steve Wyrick
Yes No

[Richard Kaufman]

Bill, this thread is a year and a half old!

[Pete Biro]

Bill is slow.... :D

[Guest]

I have nothing of merit to add, however Richard and Pete's posts made me laugh so hard that I want to keep this thread going.

Tony Brent
Outta Control Magic Show
Orlando, Florida

[Guest]

I must say the last few remarks made me chuckle and I too shall continue a tired thread.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
Bill, this thread is a year and a half old!

I'm older than that, and I don't let it slow me down.