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Magician brings tricks, energy to town | lancastereaglegazette.com | Lancaster Eagle Gazette
He's been described as a class-act magician who boasts the energy of a hyper child after drinking too much Mountain Dew.
At least that was John Coen's first impression of magician Sam Sandler when the Philadelphia-based entertainer made a stop at Crossroads Ministry Center in Lancaster this past year.
It was that hyper energy, partnered with Sandler's hilarious antics and mysterious magic tricks, that made the show a hit for families, said Coen, director of creative outreach and media communication at First United Methodist Church.
So when Coen had the opportunity to book Sandler's magic show again this year, the decision was an easy one.
"We felt he'd be the best bang for our buck," Coen said. "It's going to be a great family Valentine's Day weekend event; people won't be disappointed."
Sandler will perform his 90-minute magic show, with the help of his assistant, Christine, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Crossroads. Tickets will be on sale until Saturday.
Sandler said those who come to his show will see a lot of comedy, some great special effects and an array of grand magical illusions featuring both audience members and live animals.
"My show is unlike any other show; I bring a certain amount of fun to it that other magic shows don't have," said Sandler, who performs about 200 to 250 shows a year throughout the U.S.
One of those components, of course, is the explosive energy Sandler said he brings to each and every performance.
"I try to have a lot of funny faces and overacting; the kids love seeing me get hit over the head," Sandler said with a laugh. "I just turned 40 in January and people come up and still can't believe the amount of energy I have."
In addition to hosting a show that is different and unlike anything one would see outside a Las Vegas arena, Sandler himself also is fairly unique: He's the only full-time deaf magician in the U.S., he said.
"My goal is to perform the illusion show the same way I did when I could hear and then, at the end, I tell the audience I'm deaf," Sandler said. "I just love the shock value of that."
Perfecting a routine around his hearing loss, which occurred in 2009 as the result of a genetic disease, wasn't easy for Sandler. He said he feared at first he would no longer be able to continue with his show.
"My show began to struggle; there were certain tricks I struggled to perform and I became a wreck when I couldn't do what I wanted to do," he said.
Sandler said it took time to find a solution that would allow him to continue to present the same type of shows he did before he lost his hearing.
The adjustments that were made, he said, are fairly high-tech.
"We put hidden cues within the music so I know where I'm at and I also got a friend of mine, who is a smart computer guy, to design a clock that can be put on a computer screen so I can 'time' where I'm at," Sandler said. "For example, I can time that the music starts up at 22 seconds and Christina will walk out at 29 seconds."
He and Christina also rely on hand signals now instead of verbal signals. He said the new routine works out well, although there are some elements of the show he can no longer perform.
"One of the things I miss most is bantering with the people who come on stage," Sandler said. "I can't do that anymore, but the show hasn't suffered because of that."
Sandler said he has plans for improving his show and reaching out to others who are deaf or have a hearing loss. He recently put together an educational and magical program about deaf culture and history called Silent Magic.
"I want to bring it to schools throughout the country and teach the kids about deaf culture and sign language and how (sign language) helped me," Sandler said. "For part of the show, I'll make fun of being deaf; I'll show them how I wake up in the morning with a special alarm clock and how, when the doorbell rings, the lights flash."
Sandler said he feels grateful that, despite his hearing loss, he still can entertain people around the world and continue to be the magician and comedian he's been since he was 5 or 6 years old.
"I wake up some mornings and say, 'Are you kidding me, I get to do this for a living?'" Sandler said. "I feel truly blessed."
He's been described as a class-act magician who boasts the energy of a hyper child after drinking too much Mountain Dew.
At least that was John Coen's first impression of magician Sam Sandler when the Philadelphia-based entertainer made a stop at Crossroads Ministry Center in Lancaster this past year.
It was that hyper energy, partnered with Sandler's hilarious antics and mysterious magic tricks, that made the show a hit for families, said Coen, director of creative outreach and media communication at First United Methodist Church.
So when Coen had the opportunity to book Sandler's magic show again this year, the decision was an easy one.
"We felt he'd be the best bang for our buck," Coen said. "It's going to be a great family Valentine's Day weekend event; people won't be disappointed."
Sandler will perform his 90-minute magic show, with the help of his assistant, Christine, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Crossroads. Tickets will be on sale until Saturday.
Sandler said those who come to his show will see a lot of comedy, some great special effects and an array of grand magical illusions featuring both audience members and live animals.
"My show is unlike any other show; I bring a certain amount of fun to it that other magic shows don't have," said Sandler, who performs about 200 to 250 shows a year throughout the U.S.
One of those components, of course, is the explosive energy Sandler said he brings to each and every performance.
"I try to have a lot of funny faces and overacting; the kids love seeing me get hit over the head," Sandler said with a laugh. "I just turned 40 in January and people come up and still can't believe the amount of energy I have."
In addition to hosting a show that is different and unlike anything one would see outside a Las Vegas arena, Sandler himself also is fairly unique: He's the only full-time deaf magician in the U.S., he said.
"My goal is to perform the illusion show the same way I did when I could hear and then, at the end, I tell the audience I'm deaf," Sandler said. "I just love the shock value of that."
Perfecting a routine around his hearing loss, which occurred in 2009 as the result of a genetic disease, wasn't easy for Sandler. He said he feared at first he would no longer be able to continue with his show.
"My show began to struggle; there were certain tricks I struggled to perform and I became a wreck when I couldn't do what I wanted to do," he said.
Sandler said it took time to find a solution that would allow him to continue to present the same type of shows he did before he lost his hearing.
The adjustments that were made, he said, are fairly high-tech.
"We put hidden cues within the music so I know where I'm at and I also got a friend of mine, who is a smart computer guy, to design a clock that can be put on a computer screen so I can 'time' where I'm at," Sandler said. "For example, I can time that the music starts up at 22 seconds and Christina will walk out at 29 seconds."
He and Christina also rely on hand signals now instead of verbal signals. He said the new routine works out well, although there are some elements of the show he can no longer perform.
"One of the things I miss most is bantering with the people who come on stage," Sandler said. "I can't do that anymore, but the show hasn't suffered because of that."
Sandler said he has plans for improving his show and reaching out to others who are deaf or have a hearing loss. He recently put together an educational and magical program about deaf culture and history called Silent Magic.
"I want to bring it to schools throughout the country and teach the kids about deaf culture and sign language and how (sign language) helped me," Sandler said. "For part of the show, I'll make fun of being deaf; I'll show them how I wake up in the morning with a special alarm clock and how, when the doorbell rings, the lights flash."
Sandler said he feels grateful that, despite his hearing loss, he still can entertain people around the world and continue to be the magician and comedian he's been since he was 5 or 6 years old.
"I wake up some mornings and say, 'Are you kidding me, I get to do this for a living?'" Sandler said. "I feel truly blessed."