Steve Allen Theater, at the Center For Inquiry West (Los Angeles, CA)
Mentalist Max Maven, called by Orson Welles "the most original mind in magic," presents his full-length show. It's not exactly a one-man show, because it involves dozens of minds...including yours!
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Thinking in Person was Friday July 11, 2008 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
Currently at Steve Allen Theater, at the Center For Inquiry West:
The Steve Allen Theater presents Nevermore, a one-man show celebrating Edgar Allen Poe's bicentennial. Actor Jeffrey Combs stars as the brilliant and tragic author of "The Raven" and "The Tell-tale Heart"; Combs starred in such horror film classics as Re-Animator, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Director Stuart Gordon and writer Dennis Paoli both worked on Re-Animator. Learn More
His talent was very impressive but some of the acts were a bit too slow. I brought 3 teens who felt similarly.
Max Maven is very entertaining - in the sense that he looks ridiculous and you can't take your eyes off him. He is absurd. He looks like a vampire who just graduated from samurai school. I loved him. His show on the other hand is not exactly the night of a lifetime. Max weaves in to his act these historical 'did-you-know' tales that almost put me to sleep. I really went to see his Mentalist powers, but all I got was card tricks. None of the text-book Mentalist tricks you would expect from a card-carrying Mentalist... He has a great sense of humor, but I think I could have written a better act for him - the show is sub-standard - the performer is potentially great, but not on that night... and yet I miss this fashion-disaster and will probably see him again.
This Max MAven is scary! He really does some provocative tricks! And, he enraptures you with his dialogue! Everyone needs a little MAx in their life for the challenges he solves and the mind-bending he does! See him. He is so magnificant. What time well spent!
It was a little slow with all the talking and no as much magic as there should have been. Max comes across as a bit pompous but that makes the act fun. It was good, I went up on stage so I don't think he has people in on it in the audience... but I do think there is a microphone in his ear... Go see him.
I thought this was a really great event. For the price of going to a movie we got a very entertaining, live theatre performance. It was fabulous!. So glad we went. I recommend it, makes a nice evening out.
A clever, amusing, and thought-provoking entertainer.
Max Maven did a wonderful job of both earning laughs and building suspense with his brand of mental-magic.
This is an tour de force. This is not some man in a tuxedo pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Rather, it is a blend of acting, literature, philosophy, hummor and magic interweaved into a cohesive and thinking persons journey into the arena of magic of the mind. If there is only one magic show you are to see in your life this is that show. I challenge those who havent seen live magic of the mind to attend this show and post their impressions here.
The magic performed was phenomenal!
The presentation was a bit weird: Orson Welles is perhaps not the best recommender: too much "I'm smart and this could be dangerous" vibe.
all three of us loved it. it was a unique blend of magic, intellect, esoterica and humor. max has a wide-ranging mind and it was a pleasure and an experience to listen and watch and be awe struck at his work. if you think and you want something different in mystery and entertainment, this is it.
thanks max maven; see you again.
The man has talent, but i don't think it has to display itself with such magnificent arrogance! There were times when the audience grimaced over his annoying and stab-worthy innuendos, directed at innocent audience members picked on by him to assist. To hear him ramble endlessly about his fabled past and recite verbatim words of wisdom from others- including of course, himself, many unrelated to the show, was also more than a tad bit much.
Further, the place was an oven and kept most people squirming and fidgeting to stay awake.
A more gracious and humble host and an air conditioner switch would have worked the magic for me. I left at intermission.
I didn't know what to expect, but after reading his bio on Goldstar, I was very excited. What I thought would be a very thought provoking/mysterious evening of entertainment turned out to be more of a monologue show with a few tricks thrown in. At first, I thought the monologues were leading up to something important/relevant to the the magic, but they seemed to be simply decoration. More specifically, they seemed to exist purely to let the audience know how "smart" he was. I was disappointed with the audience banter as well. It all came out very scripted and predictable. I spoke to a few audience members who were Max fans, and they seemed to understand how I felt, but they stood by him, and spoke about his other shows and his great books. I also discovered that this was a first night of an indefinite run at the Steve Allen Theatre, so perhaps he will get better as the run progresses.
I really liked it, but would have enjoyed the show a little more if the theatre's concession stand had provided an option for wine beverages as it has occasionally for other shows--especially with the offbeat and slightly sophisticated humor of Max Maven. Some shows at the Steve Allen Theatre offer wine and others do not.
Max is somewhat of an old-school showman. More than half of the 2 hours was essentially story-telling and build-up. But the other half--the "tricks" (for lack of a better word)--was well worth the price. Pretty freaking amazing.
This is a small TheaterVenue.
No bad seats in the house.
The Menalist aspects of Max's show are a 10+.
That being said, Max has a strong flair for the theatrical side which depending on your expectation's can be a lot of endless dialogue or interesting information and entertaining.
For my tastes perhaps a bit less Theatrical would be more greatly appreciated. However, the Menalist aspect is spectacular.
Seeing the show once is worth the experience.
This is a wonderful, thought provoking event. If you want to think and keep thinking about a live show, this is the one. I just loved it! Max is the best at what he does and the theater is very nice.
He talks too much. Just do the magic and mentalist thing! Read my mind!!
Great show! I loved his running dialogue. It was different and made me think. He is an excellent showman.
Clever and creative and VERY funny!
Max Maven can truly read minds!
The show was smart and very entertaining. I would highly reccomend.
He's the best at what he does, and is an inspiration to me, a fellow magician. I'm so glad I got to see it - THREE TIMES now!
A great show! Fun, amazing, mystifying, and a steal for the cheap ticket price.
Too bad there is only one more performance for this event for a while. Entertaining, magical, and humerous, all in one man's performance. An event not to be missed!
Max was very warm, funny and entertaining! I brought my 14 year old son, and he loved it, too. I've recommended the show to my friends.
This is the second time I've seen Max Maven; and once again, the show blew me away! Max's dialogue is so interesting, intellectually enriching, and humorous, that the performance is unlike any other "magic show" out there. It is more like a combination of mind-baffling illusions and great theater. My guests and I were unable to talk about anything else, on the drive home.
I thought this was one of the very best shows I have ever seen not only in my 15 years in Los Angeles, but in my entire life. Mr. Maven is nothing short of astounding...and I look forward to seeing the show for my third time next week.
Max is funny, thought-provoking, magical, and thoroughly entertaining!
Catch Max where ever and whenever you can. This is a truly entertaining evening that will leave you thinking.
One of the very best shows I've seen in a long time. Mr. Maven give it his all...and does not disappoint. He's one of the very brightest stars on the magic scene today, and this show is not to be missed.
This was a wonderful, thought provoking show that had most of the audience hanging on Mr. Maven's every word. It was entertaining in both a comedic and mysterious way, and all of the elements came together to really create a wonderful experience.
Entertaining.
His bedside manner is questionable. The best part was the last 10 or 15 minutes...
The production is an interactive show, where Max Maven uses member of the audience to provide items or be participants when "reading minds". This is not some show where some "other worldly" skill is demonstrated like talking to the dead. Instead, it is a clever act, much like a magic show, where Max dazzles you with his skill, intuition, and ability to read people.
Max Maven is perceptive and quick. You will be impressed and perhaps come to believe that he can read minds. I will say that Max Maven appears arrogant, but he is humorous and almost charming; he is clearly at home on stage performing.
A deeper commentary on magic and theater is incorporated into his show, reminding us that mystery, wonder, and the ability to allow yourself to be dazzled is what actually makes things magical. On some level, we all know that the Wizard of Oz was only mysterious, great, powerful, and magical, as long as one did not attempt to look behind the curtain.
As I am a proponent of live theater, I think most good humored and intelligent folks will enjoy this alternative magic show, and hopefully allow themselves to fully experience the mystery provided. If you are not a fan of theater, dislike magic shows, or cannot suspend your disbelief, this is not the entertainment for you. It is a great option for people in L.A. who want more than popcorn and a movie.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Max Maven is witty, intelligent and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed this one man show of Illusion. Very different not entirely what I expected but it was interesting.....
I love Goldstar events because they each and everyone is different and always an enjoyable experience.
A great close-up and interactive magic show from a master, within which is woven a funny and sophisticated essay on the philosophy of magic, and how illusion presents a window with which we may glimpse the nature of mystery itself. The charismatic Max Maven switches effortlessly from crowd-pleasing mind reading to quotations from Einstein and Schrödinger, to witty improvised jokes. A fun evening.
It was very interesting and entertaining...a welcome change from the 'usual' Friday nite 'dinner & movie'
MAX MAVEN delivered a smart, thoughtful, engaging, thought provoking evening of entertainment, overflowing with mirth and mystery.
Max Maven at his best! Incredible performance!
Minimal props and maximum head games -- Max Mavin puts on a great show!
Max Maven's magic was superb but his act was totally original and brilliant. What a smart act!
An amazing performance and tale!
Highly entertaining magic and dialogue give you reason to think deeper.
The quality of the show entices me to return to see other performances at the Steve Allen Theatre.
There's more to this (literally) thought-provoking show than mindreading. With a unique sense of style and an acerbic wit that Variety described as "serpent-like," Maven offers observations on a wide variety of topics ranging from abstract painting to Kabuki theater, from theology to higher mathematics. The result, as noted by the Chicago Tribune, is "wonderfully esoteric."
Magic magazine, the leading professional conjuring journal, published a list of the 100 most influential people in the field of theatrical magic during the 20th century. Included on the list was Max Maven, cited for "entertaining and astonishing audiences with his bizarre brand of mental magic.... Maven's mind-boggling feats are accomplished through psychological subterfuge that he himself has cunningly created.... If mystery does indeed give magic its meaning, then the enigmatic persona of Max Maven makes us ever mindful of the art that is hidden in the mystery...."
Orson Welles wrote that Max Maven has "the most original mind in magic." The New York Times observed that his "category-defying mind-reading show veers into conceptual art." People magazine hailed his work as "a new form of participatory theater." The Los Angeles Times stated that Maven's "improvisational skill is enhanced by a charismatic animal magnetism." Audiences in over two dozen countries agree.
He created and starred in Britain's multi-season TV hit Something Strange with Max Maven and brought his patented brand of mind-bending broadcasting to Canada's highly rated children's show The MAXimum Dimension. Max has also starred in series in Taiwan, Sweden, Norway and Finland as well as hosting eight specials in Japan (performing in Japanese). He has also appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, CNN, HBO, TLC and the BBC.
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