Judging by the comments I regularly get from readers, there is strong demand for this type of fare in Casino City.
But age-appropriateness would be a moot point if "Magic & Beyond" didn't work on the most important level. More than anything else, the program gives Daniels ample room to show off his mechanical skills; he is among the best technicians ever to play AyCee, displaying consummate skills whether he is manipulating a deck of cards, or climbing into a bizarre looking chamber for a disappearing trick.
If there is a place where Daniels and his show falters, it's in the nature of the illusions themselves. While technically flawless, the star seems a little short on imagination. Only a couple of the set's two-dozen bits offer any kind of twists on the standard magic-show playbook.
The most impressive is the one in which a kid from the audience chooses a playing card from a deck. Daniels asks him to return it to the deck, then tosses all of the cards high in the air over the stage. At that moment, a parrot swoops in from above the audience and catches the kid's card in his beak. It is simply marvelous piece - a few more like it would have made "Magic & Beyond" truly special.
However, the overwhelming majority of the illusions are based on chestnuts like "Cut & Restore" (in which Daniels' appears to shred a newspaper and then return it to a pristine condition) and making himself and others disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye.
But that's for cranky, magic-show old-timers like me to nitpick. For the majority of people who don't see every such production in Atlantic City, "Brett Daniels: Magic & Beyond" is sure to provide 75 minutes of awe and wonder for youngsters of any age.
