SoakCity

SoakCity can confirm that the toilet paper/bra gag is still occasionally used in the show, dependent upon whether or not the kid volunteer from the audience stays on stage long enough after having been handed the "10 of Clubs" poster. Alonzo does NOT do a good job here in keeping the kid on stage. He gives all indication that the kid's portion of the show is up and the kid leaves. What's the kid supposed to do?? SoakCity has seen an additional seven (7) performances of this show and is happy to report that the shows are successively getting better, although they are not perfect and SHOULD BE at this stage in the game. There are still too many technical issues occurring. Hey, anyone wanna know how the final illusion works? You know, the with the all the girl dancers stepping into the ticket booth, only to "disappear" from the booth and reappear through a side theater door?? The answer coming soon... Peace, Magic & Mayhem, SoakCity

SoakCity & Co. has attended the 2 p.m. showing and awaiting the start of the 3:30 p.m. show. Please check back in near future for a full REVIEW... SoakCity UPDATE: There was little improvement in Thursday's 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. showings. Some of the tricks/illusions did NOT work such as the monitor with the guy in it to start the show. There was audio but the screen was BLANK (not turned on??) Also, the fabric shot out of the light stand into audience did NOT return to the paint roller ban on ladder.

Thanks, "markr", for your civil words. I will continue to give constructive criticism on this show. Yes, I've seen it 5 times and will likely see it many more times before its run is up. I'm seriously rooting for it to IMPROVE!! As I stated in an earlier post, I'm in the entertainment biz and am pretty well-versed on all aspects from content to talent to technical production and marketing. I literally cringe when something doesn't go right because I know what it's like MYSELF (yes, from personal experience!!) when things go wrong. This is a NEW show and I saw it on the FIRST DAY. And like any NEW show, there were bound to be problems. There's always a grace period, but to many audience members there is NO grace period as that is the ONLY TIME they will see that show. I then saw the show 2 days later--on Monday--and unfortunately the production mistakes were still numerous. Also, there were serious talent issues with the card trick going horribly wrong. The "circus curtain" fabric that is pulled away at the beginning of show would not fully detach prompting the production crew to bring down another curtain so that it could be manually detached. Also, yours truly was NEARLY CHOKED BY THE STRING of one illusion after it went terribly wrong on Monday. You see, the fabric that is shot out of the light stand actually follows a string (shhhhh...a secret!) that is randomly attached to various points in the theater and then returns to the stage and goes into the paint roller pan attached to the ladder. For some reason, that string got pulled down into the audience and audience members started pulling on it. At one point it became VERY TIGHT up against SoakCity's neck until people tugging on it finally snapped the string. It's possible SoakCity will see the show again today (Thur. 6/7) and, if so, will report back with a full report. Stay tuned... SC

Thanks for your truthful observations. I know we're not alone. It is indeed a train wreck and I agree it's quite comical at times. But I do a lot of cringing at the same time.

I'm not sure how you could make any of those statements. The "bra gag" was NOT in ANY of today's performances. Maybe your "contact" in the "entertainment department" does not know?? Let's see...the show has ONLY been on 3 days, so how can you make a statement that "it has averaged a lot more than the ice shows"?? Haha! That's ridiculous. No way. I've been there 2 of the 3 days and seen 5 performances and there have been very, very few people in the audience. Wanna first row seat? No problem - just show up a minute before the show starts and it's yours! I will see this show again and will report back with ACCURATE observations.

Thanks for making my point: why are Kings Island tickets DISNEY-LIKE? Kings Island is no Walt Disney.

By the way, I saw Forbidden Magic: Secrets of the Mummy's Tomb several years ago and liked it. Immensely! I'm absolutely certain Kings Island is saving lots of $$$ by doing away with ice show and replacing it with this low-grade Alonzo magic show. Just sayin'.

First of all, I am and have ALWAYS been in the entertainment industry, so I know about what I speak. I know a high quality show when I see one. I have nothing bad to say about any of the ice shows the past several years. They were entertaining and well done (note: most of the talent came from OUTSIDE this area).When I say this show is bad, I'm not talking about the appropriateness of the content (i.e. matter that may not be suitable for families and a Midwest audience). Although, I must tell that you that one act has already been ELIMINATED from the show -- where Alonzo pulls "toilet paper" out of the young boys shirt which is attach to a woman's bra at the end. Here's what happened today: The circus curtain didn't completely come down at the very beginning, so a stagehand runs out and physically holds it back until Alonzo appears, walks to the front of the stage and a main stage curtain could be closed, so that it could be detached. Alonzo's microphone was clipped at the beginning and he was on stage pointing to his mic so the audio board op could turn it on. Alonzo's card trick went horribly wrong. The card that the audience member picks out is ALWAYS the 10 of clubs, but Alonzo drops one of the cards and it messes everything up....and up....and up....and up....until he tells the boy "here's the card you picked" when the boy was saying "No, I picked the 2 of diamonds". Alonzo was clearly embarrassed and sweat poured down his face. When Alonzo first appears on stage, he's SUPPOSED to walk out of an upright box with a bright flash and puff of smoke, but that effect has only worked 2 times out of the 5 times I've seen it. There is NOTHING wrong with the girl dancers. They are the best part of the show. Unfortunately, it's a MAGIC SHOW and that is the part that is severely lacking. The tricks and illusions are VERY child-like and amateurish. It reminds me of a friend in grade school who just got a magic set for his birthday and he's trying out the new tricks on his family members. So far, audiences have been very sparce which, in some part, is a reflection of the overall very sparce crowds at Kings Island this season. Did you know the daily walk-up single-day admission charge is now a whopping $53.99?? Are they serious?? I enjoy Kings Island, but Kings Island is no Walt Disney World.

Saw this show 2 more times today (Mon. 6/4) and honestly, it is SIMPLY DREADFUL!! Ed Alonzo is hideous and the show's content is even worse. I am usually very positive on KI shows, but so far this show is THE WORST!! There is no doubt KI management spent VERY LITTLE money on acquiring this show. Sorry. Just the truth.

I went on Saturday, June 2, 2012....and IT WAS TERRIBLE!!! I saw the show 3 consecutive times and all 3 times it was a train wreck. There were many, many technical issues with the mic cutting in and out, especially in the 3:30 p.m. performance. Alonzo finally walked off stage and got a stick mic, BUT EVEN THAT DIDN'T WORK and he threw it in a bucket. In one act, the dog ("elephant") got stuck and Alonzo had to free it before it could run offstage. At one point, the lights and siren went off prematurely. At another point, the gun didn't "shoot" (the bangs didn't sound). And how tacky is THIS?? Alonzo didn't know the names of the girl dancers and was clearly reading their names off of name tags that taped behind the light board at the front of the stage!! Arghhh I will give them a one-time pass given that today was the FIRST DAY of the show. The whole show, however, is VERY amateurish. It's not hard to figure out each and every trick/illusion. For example, when the kid that Alonzo "randomly" (set up before show) picks from the audience shoots the gun and makes things fall down, it's clear Alonzo has a remote control clicker (garage door opener) in his hand and simply pushes the button to make the effects happen. Also, when the kid picks the card, it is ALWAYS the 10 of clubs. I hope and trust this show will get better with each performance, but FOR NOW, IT'S A DISAPPOINTMENT!!