Wizard Wars

I’m not a Magic Groupie or, as one Magician called them “Wand Waxers”, but I found the format and the performances fascinating. It is produced by Penn & Teller who are the greatest Magical Showmen of our times. OK if not the Best … in the top Two. Two teams of amateur Magicians compete with each other by producing the best Performance and Trick as determined by a panel of Wizard Judges. That Team then competes against a team of two professional for the $10K prize. I think the real Prize is the “jump start” of their careers by winning against the Pros. And the Tricks developed using some strange assigned props and under tight time pressure are amazing. In the first episode the Canadian Team use Penn as a “volunteer” and performed a burning card trick in his hand that even amazed Penn who exclaimed ... “I never saw THIS one before!” No camera wizardry is used and the performances are in front of a live audience. I found the Judging as interesting as the Tricks. The panel judges Total Performance and not just the Trick. How cohesive was the presentation? What was the chemistry between the two partners and how their command of the audience? It’s rated on its Totality as an Act. The Host, Ellen Fox, does a great job in moving the show along. She is a self-declared Muggle, who acts as an Ambassador between the Audience and the Magicians.