Enter Houdini and the first of many lessons he will teach me. With the performance date fast approaching and nothing on paper a kind of panic starts to set in. They inform me that the show has been sold out for weeks and there is no way they can change it. This block gets so bad that I am forced to call Pleasanton to try to convince them to change the show. At some point I am convinced that this show will never come, that I will never get beyond this block and of course will never be able to perform it. Weeks pass and though I have a concept and a form for the show including specific stories, tricks and illusions when I put pen to paper nothing comes. Ideas come and go and finally a concept for the show emerges from the fog and I think I know what I am going to do. I begin to really delve into the life and work of Houdini. This learning has always been a constant companion and a source of amazement to me and Houdini is no different. Now every show, every character has something to teach me. That evening I was booked to return with a new Houdini show. When I mentioned Houdini however the reaction was universal and enthusiastic. I threw out a few names and was surprised to not get the reaction I expected and even more surprised to find that some of my favorite characters were almost unknown to the audience. Now it isn’t often that you have more than 250 people to bounce ideas off of. At some point I am asked what character I’d like to do next. The theatre is packed and everyone stays after the show for a Q and A session. Now I have performed in this great space several times over the years and have become a bit of a staple in the community. Fast forward and I am performing Einstein at the Firehouse Theater in beautiful Pleasanton California.
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