Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Today I am grateful for a fantastic magician. We decided to support the Live Strong (Cancer Survivor) Program at the YMCA and attended a magic show by Sam Sandler, a deaf magician. He was great!
I have never seen him at my Y, but I guess he works out there all the time. I didn’t even know he was local. And I have to confess I was more than curious as to how a deaf magician would handle a stage show. No worries there.
Talk about a challenge. I know first hand from the shows Magic John does, how difficult it can be to include audience members. Sam didn’t have a problem at all. When he asked them their name and they told him, he obviously couldn’t hear them so he said, “That’s right! Correct answer.” Brilliant.
There was razzle dazzle, loud music, sparkle and glitz. Sam’s daughter was a great addition, even though she, too has a substantial hearing loss. I didn’t realize how much because they both fooled me, until after the show when I told them how great it was. They didn’t hear a word. I could tell. Sam’s wife and daughter signed and Sam answered vocally, every word understandable.
If I’m honest, I wish that the short biographical information he talked about and the pitch for going into schools had happened earlier in the performance or when the entire show was over. For me, doing it when he did sapped the energy of the audience, so that the illusion he did following felt bogged down and not as great as it might have been. Remember, that’s for me. Others probably didn’t even notice. But that’s a simple thing, easily re-directed and he might not even do this with every show, so possible a moot point.
On the way home Himself and I discussed how much we loved the show. . .and how glad we were that we didn’t have to clean everything up and put it away. Magic shows are beyond messy and you can’t just go pack stuff up willy-nilly because it’s “magic” and half of it will fall apart when you look at it.
The next day I could see him in the kitchen, from my perch at the computer and his hands were waving around. I asked him what he was doing. “I’m learning the sign language alphabet that was on the back of Sam’s card.” How cool is that?
If you’re looking to hire a true entertainer, who knows how to work a crowd and bring joy, then contact Sam Sandler. He will make you believe that some handicaps cannot only be overcome, but give you a reason to shine. Sam shines.
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