Mesmerizing Moments at Magique

Mesmerizing Moments at Magique

There are some nights, some glorious, improbable nights, when the universe decides to throw a party. A party of color and chaos and improbably flexible human beings. I’m talking, of course, about a recent jaunt to the Nugget in Reno, a city that already feels like a fever dream wrapped in a casino carpet. The mission? To witness a spectacle called Magique. Holy hell, did we witness it.

The show, I’m happy to report, was a glorious spectacle. The stage, a riot of light and color, was home to a troupe of six dancers, a contortionist who seemed to be in a constant battle with the laws of physics, and the two ringmasters of this particular circus of delight, Kevin and Lord Caruso. From the moment we crossed the threshold, it was clear this wasn’t some half-hearted matinee. This was an event. The room thrummed with energy, a delicious anticipation of the impossible. The cast was a glorious collection of humanity: —Kevin and Lord Caruso—who radiated a kind of manic, beautiful conviction.

The show itself was a breathless, theatrical punch to the gut. The acts cascaded one after the other, each more gloriously absurd than the last. The costume changes, my God, the costume changes! They happened with a frequency and flair that suggested some kind of temporal anomaly. Lord Caruso, a clear savant of sartorial delirium, had crafted outfits that were a magnificent riot of texture and color. And the headdresses! They were a full-throated, celebratory shout-out to the gloriously over-the-top headwear akin to  San Francisco’s legendary Beach Blanket Babylon.

The diverse audience metamorphosed into a single, collective organism, a sea of faces utterly mesmerized. No one was checking their phones; no one was whispering to their neighbor. We were all strapped in for the ride, our eyes glued to the stage, our minds grappling with the beautiful madness unfolding before us. The intermission happened to be perfectly timed for additional sips and souvenir. But what truly made it all sing, what elevated it from a mere show to a transcendent experience, was the sheer, unadulterated passion of Kevin and Caruso. Their energy was a tangible force, a infectious joy that filled the room. The music, a masterful crescendo of sound, built a wonderful, heart-pounding tension, a perfect aural mirror to the spectacle on stage.

Magique is not a coincidence; it’s a testament to fact that when people throw themselves completely into their art, magic happens. I, for one, am still reeling from the joy of it all.

Check it out for yourself:  Magique LIVE at The Nugget