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Show Thursday, March 9, 1995 D Page B12 The Park Record D Section B Noel Gray entertains Parkites with some sleight of hand by AMBER McKEE Record staff writer Life is just one big trick to Parkite Noel Gray, whose magical antics and long ponytail are familiar to many in the Park City area. Noel performs his magic at many local venues, festivals and parties amazing one and all with his skill and sleight of hand. He has been performing per-forming in town for three years now. "Actually it was this month three years ago. I came out here for a week to do a performance for the Park City Ski Area's Snowshine Festival and stayed. It's been a long week," he joked. Noel has been making magic for 21 years now prior to working here, he did all the magic shows for Silver Creek in West Virginia, Park City Ski Area's sister resort. He spotted spot-ted a map of the Park City terrain and decided it might be time for a change. "I called up Park City Ski Area Administrative Assistant Sheri Allen and sent her my promo package. She got on the phone to Silver Creek and Park City brought me out here for a week. I just had a ball. I had never seen real mountains before. I had an incredible time." And after his week in the Wasatch Mountains, he decided he wanted to try his luck at 7,000 feet for a while. Noel got his start as a keyboardist in a band called the Hot Peppers, where he got some magical instruction instruc-tion from the illusionist who was doing the band's special effects on stage. When the band broke up, Noel said he decided it was easier to carry a magic case around than it was to carry a keyboard, and "I didn't have to argue with any prima donna guitar players either." Noel's show is really a combination combina-tion of comedy and magic. He spices his sleight of hand with colorful remarks and witty repartee. Although he does some stage performances, he says he prefers to work one-on-one with a small crowd. "It's like the table gets its own private stand-up comedian magician. magi-cian. You are right there in front of them. I like close-up, I get to watch their faces. They ask me, 'How do you do that?' and I tell them, 'I do it very well.'" However, he adds that it's tougher to get away with things that close up. "You put me on stage about 30 or ON NEW PA1K CITY CONGRATULATIONS! THE ALL NEW 1995 CHEVY BLAZER IS THE MOTOR TREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR! 92Chev34 4x4 93 Chev Suburban 92 GMC Jimmy 4x4 94 Chev Suburban 93 Chev 34 4x4 94 Chev Suburban 454 K20 94 Mazda B4000 PU 4x4 94 Chev S-10 Blazer 87ChevX-cabS10 4WD 94 Chev K Blazer 93 Jeep Cherokee Country 4 door 90 Chev S-10 Blazer 92 Dodge Dakota 4WD PU 94 Chev Suburban 94 34 to X Cab 86 4dr Volvo 740 92 GEO Tracker 89 GMC Custom Van 92 Toyota X Cab 4x4 PU 92 SAAB 900S SALES NOW OPEN SAT 9AM - 6PM Sales Dept. Hours Service Dept. Hours 8am-6pm Mon-Sat 8am - 6pm Mon-Friday . 1220 Park Avenue (801) 649-2399 t 1-800-549-2399 40 feet back and I can get away with anything....Everybody likes magic from 6 to 60." Noel's biggest fan is his 9-year-old son Brandon, who lives with his mother. Laughing, Noel added that "Daddy's job ranks right up there with astronauts for Show and Tell." But is there a downside to being a magician's son? "I taught him a trick or two and he's already gotten in trouble at school. I told him, 'Don't do it in class! Wait until you get out in the playground to take their money,'" he joked. ' - All joking aside, though, Noel added that in 21 years of doing magic, "I never have met anyone who didn't like being fooled by magic, as long as it's done in a nice way." He was raised in Boynton Beach in south Florida, the youngest of three sons. His father was first an Army Air Corps test pilot, then a profession boxer who had 12 fights and won 1 1 qf them before becoming becom-ing a general contractor and head of the building department in West Palm Beach. His mother was a housewife who became a nurse after -the kids all grew up. ("I was really proud of her studying like that," he said.") In addition to the instruction he garnered from the special effects guy, Noel said he taught himself magic, basically. "I learned from other magicians and books 1 like to revamp a trick a little to make it my own. You can also buy tricks, but it is tough for the general public to understand the directions, because it uses difficult magician terminology." If you've been dying to learn how to do a one-handed deck cut, or how to amaze and amuse your friends, Noel also teaches magic for $40 per hour. ' r; "It's better to take lessons, ) because then you learn the proper way. Otherwise you can spend weeks learning a trick trying to get it just right," he said. But don't bother asking him how he does his famous floating card trick, 'cause he probably won't tell , you. He may, however, admit it if you guess right. (Try telling him, 'It's magic!') "A lot of the card tricks, it's not so much making them different as making them interesting," he said. "Houdini said that magic is 90 percent per-cent showmanship." (MH AND USED CARS AND TRUCKS ARENOWIN AT MIKE BALE CHBRDLE ! y Oldsnnobile Park City Profile He uses that theory when approaching a table for the first time on any given performance night. "The first trick gets your toe in the door," he said, performing a simple sleight of hand with a flourish. "The second one. is the hook then they're watching...I'm not blowing my own horn, but what I do is good. It drives them nuts, trying to figure out how , I've done it It's lots of fun." Noel's favorite "hook" is again the floating card trick, where he makes a card, chosen by the "victim," "vic-tim," float out of the deck, which is leaning on something solid, while he gestures encouragingly at it from a distance r . Despite the fun he has performing, perform-ing, he still admits to a bit of stage fright, "I have the highest regard for stand-tip comedians. No matter how : many times I get on stage, I still get 1 butterflies. People who say they , ; don't are lying." Once he does calm down and ; start relaxing, Noel says his stage shows can get a little dangerous, because he brings people from the audience up on stage. "A lay person can screw up a trick really fast," he noted ruefully. He also loves to look around for hecklers and sit-in-the-back-ers, whom he brings up on stage faster than you can say ; "Alacazam!" His favorite, trick? "Any of them that work...the ones that make people go 4Wow! (Again, his floating card trick works well for this.) s His favorite all-around magician js Harry Houdini, whose famous underwater trick Noel sometimes performs. However, on at least one occasion, not everything went as planned. "I was doing the underwater escape on Halloween Night which was the night Houdini died at the Dallas Country and Western Club. I had four guys out of the audience inspecting the tank and the lid," to make sure it was for real. Noel was then hand cuffed, after which the four guys were supposed to close the lid and lock it down, but when he went in, he got water up his nose. ' "I started to cough and gag underwater, under-water, which doesn't work. I pushed up on lid, but they had already closed it down. I had to get out of there and get some air." Things worked out well in the end, and the trick was successful, but it was a close call. 4"I figured this way if I couldn't get put, they wouldn't have to pay , for the act," Noel joked, but added more seriously, "It's the closest I've ever come to death during an act. I don't do that one too often and when I do, t charge a lot of money for it." Another potentially injurious illusion illu-sion is the Hindu Needle Trick, which was first performed by Houdin in 191 1. It involves eating a large quantity of sewing needles and some thread to make them disappear, after which the needles miraculously reappear In the performer's mouth, threaded, ' .. Noel admits to having his mouth bloodied a Couple of times, while practicing the trick. However, his favorite recollection is a stage performance perfor-mance during which "one of the women I had brought up from the audience grabbed me and kissed me; stuck her tongue down my throat. "She grabbed the mike, turned around and said to the audience, "Ain't nothin' ii) there but a toooonnnnnnggguuuueee." I told her that we had to talk after the performance," perfor-mance," he said impishly. Magic has been a form of entertainment enter-tainment "since time memorial," Noel said. In biblical times Simon the Magician, who built a tower, plunged to his death when he attempted to fly off it. Chinese magicians magi-cians have been around for thousands thou-sands of years. He jdded that there are around 35,000 members of the IBM International Brotherhood of Magicians. ("We're kind of rare," he said.") 1 He said he likes to watch other magicians perform, both for the experience and to find new tricks although he adds that he watches the performances differently then other people. "Anytime I watch a magician, it's different. With other folks it's like 'Wow! Did you see him fly?" whereas where-as I go, 'Well, he really can't fly, so therefore he must have some other method." ... Experience The Pub at the Olympia Park Hotel. As Park City's newest private club, The Pub proudly presents all new lunch and dinner menus as well as daily specials. Open daily 1 1:30 am until 12:00 midnight. New menu appears March 6th. WARM SPINACH SALAD ... '6.75 Spinach, Gorgonzola, Raisins, Walnuts, Carmalized Red Onion, Port Vinaigrette GRILLED TUNA CAESAR ... '6.25 ; Chunks of Tuna, Romaine, Large Garlic Croutons GRILLED VEGETABLE SANDWICH ... '5 25 Eggplant, Squash, Zucchini, Roasted Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms & Sun Dried Tomato on a Sour Dough Roll, Creamed Horseradish Sauce . SALMON ON BRIOCHE ... '7.00 Filet of Salmon, Pan Fried in an Egg White Batter, Sprouts, Cucumber, Caper, Dill-mayonnaise , CHICKEN PROVENCAL ... '12.75, Boneless Cttkken Breast, Artichoke Hearts, Black Olives, Sliced Mushrooms, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Wild Rice, Fresh Steamed Vegetables GRILLED PORK CHOPS ... '14.75 Two thick Pork Chops, Cinnamon Baked Apple, Smashed Potatoes, Steamed Vegetables The Pub at the Olympia Park Hotel is a private club for the benefit of it's members. Located in Prospector Square 1 895 Sidewinder Drive, Park City, Utah ... 649-2900 v Jf-"" ' ! Parkite Noel Gray demonstrates a shuffle. Some of his favorite jobs are free-bies. free-bies. He gives volunteer performances perfor-mances in pediatric wards in hospitals, hospi-tals, and works with people who have had strokes teaching them how to do one-handed card cuts and roll coins across their fingers, as part of their physical therapy. "David Copperfield instigated the program 10 or 15 years ago. I think it gives them a sense of accomplishment," accomplish-ment," he says of his students. At one particular freebie show at a pediatric unit, Noel created a ball of fire in his hand. One observer was so impressed that he requested an encore. "This one little guy tugged at my vest and wanted to see it once more. I burnt the hell out of my hand doing it again, but his eyes got this big," he said, motioning with his hands. He hesitated a moment, then added, "making little kids smile is fun, that's the real magic.' Noel performs every Wednesday now in a class all our own. a r ' . ' from 7-9 p.m. at Cisero's, every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, as well as at numerous numer-ous private functions and parties. You can probably even talk him into doing a trick or two over the bar he tends at Wolf Mountain on Mondays. He has a series of shows coming up March 28, and April 3 and 5, as part of the Snowshine Festival at PCSA. For more information call 649-8111. Noel is also available to perform at private functions. His exact price for performing varies with the size of the group, but runs around $ 1 00 a hour. Call him at 645-9353. He guarantees guar-antees the performance will be worth it. "Do you remember the last private pri-vate party you went to that had a band? Do you remember the band? I guarantee you that after I perform at your party, people will be coming up for three weeks, saying, "How the hell'd he get that card to float up out of the deck?" he said laughing. 3 if 1 ; '. - IS |
