Dowd Center Theatre…First Stop?

This all started out as a one and done! One show at the Dowd Center Theatre, just to give Matt a chance to visit some friends in North Carolina. It turned into so much more!

Let’s do a show!

I first met Matt Donnelly backstage for Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Matt’s one of the writers for the show, and he’s also a performer. After my recent win on the show, Matt and I had a chance to talk backstage and we’ve kept in touch ever since. I even had the honor of being on his podcast, Abracababble (look it up where you listen to your podcasts).

Matt reached out to me a few months ago and said, “You know, Michael Goudeau moved to North Carolina.” Now I saw Michael Goudeau in Las Vegas when I was 18 years old. He did his juggling act for the intermission of Lance Burton’s show at the Monte Carlo hotel. I had no idea he had moved out of Las Vegas…let alone, into my state. Matt told me he had other friends in North Carolina that he wanted to visit. Then he asked if I had any theater connections and would I be interested in doing a show with him and Goudeau. I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough, especially since I hadn’t done a ticketed magic show in Charlotte, NC at a theater in a long time. I’m primarily a corporate magician, even sometimes doing virtual magic shows for corporate groups. And selfishly, because I’m a magician in Charlotte, NC, I have a LOT of friends and fans who always want to know if I’m doing a public show anywhere.

I called Tina, who I had worked with in the past for a magic show in Charlotte at a very large, 1600 seat performing arts center…so I knew she was THE person. She very quickly had us booked at the Dowd Center Theatre in Monroe, NC.

Comedy, Magic & Mayhem…Expectations

We didn’t have any doubts about the show being good. All of us are full time performers and not strangers to big stages. It was to be a 90 minute show with each of us doing around 30 minutes. I would go first, Michael Goudeau, with his juggling and other stunts, would go second, and comedy magician, Matt Donnelly, would go last. We said, “This will be a good show.”

Nothing could’ve prepared us for the response we got.

Magic show in Charlotte (Monroe)…with juggling!

The show kicked off at 8pm. I did a half hour version of one of my live shows to an incredibly lively audience. I walked offstage, as an opening act, to a two-thirds standing ovation from the audience. My wife told me later, “More people stood as you were walking off.” It’s possible that whole audience would’ve stood if I had waited another few seconds. The reason I highlight this so much, is because in my lifetime of doing shows where I’ve been an opening act, or I’ve had an opening act, I’ve never seen a standing ovation that early.

Michael came out second and absolutely killed! It was amazing to watch him from backstage, since many years ago, I watched him from the front row in Vegas. Having an act that was THAT good in the middle of the show, and not have it be another magician, was irreplaceable. It was a perfect break to the magic, and still was just as amazing.

Matt, who Las Vegas Review Journal called the “Best up and coming comedy magician in Vegas“, closed our show and was hilarious. As it was all brought to a finale, without giving too much away, Michael and I made a surprise appearance at the end of Matt’s set that caused the audience to instantly stand and applaud.

When the three of us walked backstage, we collectively said something to the effect of, “We’re stupid if we don’t tour this show.”

What others are saying…

After an instant standing ovation, we did a meet and greet with the nearly sold out theater and the two things we consistently heard from audience members were:

1. “That was the best show!” and…
2. “Where are you touring?”

Employees of both the theater and the booking agent said, “That’s the best show we’ve ever had in this theater.” In fact, Tina spoke with me two days later saying that she had nonstop rave reviews since BEFORE the show ended. Apparently, she was getting text messages from her employees during the show, as well as the theater director.

Now, I wouldn’t be saying all this if it was just me, because it would be bragging. Let’s just say I’m bragging on the show…and am allowed 1/3 of the bragging rights. The fact is, Tina told me, “Whatever vibe you three guys have onstage, it just works.” That’s almost exactly the wording the three of us used backstage after the show. We balanced each other in a way that just worked perfectly.

Maybe an incredible show like that really was just a one and done…but we’ll find out soon enough. We have some important conversations over the next weeks and I’ll share more when we get there.

Just remember…it all started at the Dowd Center Theatre in Monroe, NC! Keep an eye out for Comedy, Magic & Mayhem…coming to a city near you!