This past weekend, the LEAP Ambassadors volunteered at the Old Town Theatre to assist with a show featuring comedian/magician Andy Gross.
One thing that I did not know until researching Andy Gross was that he was the youngest professional racquetball player to ever grace the sport. He joined a professional circuit by the age of 16 and was a signed player by the time he reached 17. Unfortunately, it turns out it’s rather difficult for a television camera to follow a ball going 150 miles per hour . As such, television ratings dropped off and, as television revenue dropped off, Gross decided to retire at the age of 26.
Gross’s background in sports added a layer of intrigue to our volunteerism and, while we are all excited to assist in whatever way we could, we were excited to learn that Anne Jamarik would be serving as Mr. Gross’s assistant.
Our assignments were a bit more routine: greeting folks and assisting with some tech matters. And, after the ticket-buyers were seated, Gross began his act by showing a video of his split-man act, which is equally hilarious and horrifying.
This provided a good warmup for the audience, which Lauren Nash–President of the OTT Board–followed with a proper introduction.
What followed was an hour of laughing to the point of tears and plenty of amazement. It turns out, Gross’s shows are a mixture of magic, comedy, and ventriloquism, with all three having a large role in his act.
He started his show with a monologue, wherein he seemingly drew a bowling ball, which then materialized from a notepad and fell to the floor.
Part of the show’s fun is it’s interactive nature. He brought up audience members to the stage, wherein he…
…pulled a $100 from an unpeeled orange…
…guessed cards imagined by audience members…
…threw his voice around the stage with the help of a young assistant…
…had much fun with a young man named Weston, who clearly had the time of his life! His first trick involved convincing the young man to put a glass filled with liquid on his head, rotate several times, and then pour it on top of his head–all without spilling anything!
His next trick, also involving Weston, was more dangerous. Here, he produced four styrofoam cups, one of which covered an iron spike. Gross challenged Weston to “shuffle” the cups while Gross turned his back.
Without apparently knowing which cup contained the iron spike, Gross slammed his hand down on the cup, one at a time, with Weston shuffling after each crushed cup. A poor guess would maim the magician, possibly ending a career.
But Gross guessed correctly, sparing his hand and, fortunately for the audience, allowing us to see the second half of the show!
If anything, the second half was even more interactive than the first half. With the help of yet another audience member, he produced–and then levitated–a paper rose…
…and then managed to turn it into a real rose right in front of everyone’s eyes.
He did a similar act of levitation–in slow motion, to the music of “Chariots of Fire”–with a cigarette…
Mr. Gross was also able to enlist the audience to see if he could bring one of his “premonitions” to the material world. Drawing randomly from the audience and then allowing the audience to select the next participant, he asked a series of questions such as (1) where do you want to go on vacation?, (2) with whom?, and (3) how much will such a trip cost? The result was a collective audience desire to (1) go to Aruba, (2) with Wayne Newton (!?), and all for (3) $5,000. Then, unlocking a lock box in full view of the audience the entire time…
…Mr. Gross withdrew a sheet of paper that had the following words written on it: (1) Aruba, (2) Wayne Newton, and ($5,000). Mad psychic skills!
His next interactive bit involved a dummy, albeit not one from the audience. It was Steve, which Mr. Gross indicated was a new addition to his act.
“Steve” injected a bit more humor into the show…
…primarily by insulting audience members. His favorite target was Joey…who then served as Mr. Gross’s next and final “prop,” a human ventriloquism dummy.
Mr. Gross put a wizard’s hate atop Joey’s head. The hat, incidentally, concealed a plunger. Gross then slid the “hat” off, leaving only the plunger, much to Joey’s chagrin.
Gross convinced Joey to embrace the role playing, going so far as to convince him to sit in his lap.
The remainder of the act was a series of hilarious one-line jokes, all told in a humorously high-pitched voice.
Joey was a true sport, the crowd was appreciate, and Gross was a big success, a true professional entertainer. Interestingly, despite assisting Mr. Gross throughout the show, Anne indicated she still had no idea how Mr. Gross did his magic!
Following the show, Mr. Gross was nice enough to speak with us, give us some insight into his career and family…
…and proved to be an immensely nice guy.
We indicated we hoped he would return, he indicated he’d like to, and following a group photograph…
…we let him get about the business of cleaning up and moving on to his next act in the next city.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 