Hughes, Zabrecky, Diffatte. As Good as Comedy Magic Gets.
Austin, Texas, is the world’s live music capital and home to the South by Southwest and Austin City Limits Festivals. It has a vibrant and incredible musical scene. Now and then, however, you must spend an evening without hearing a mandolin and bluesy guitar riffs! Sometimes you merely want to enjoy a good laugh; this is where the Moontower Festival comes in!
Every April, the Moontower Comedy Festival takes over the city, and for two weeks, over 150 comedians take over every venue in town. An international roster of star comedians, headliners, and the cream of the crop of contemporary comedy performers converge on ATX (as we locals refer to it), and comedy runs wild. I hope that sets the stage before I tell you about one of the finest evenings of Comedy Magic that I have seen.
When we discovered that Derek Hughes, Rob Zabrecky, and Nick Diffatte were performing, we immediately bought tickets and marked the date in red on our schedule. I was particularly excited because while I had met all three performers, I had never seen them perform live. The fact that all three were performing together was particularly thrilling. How often do you see three seasoned headliners of this caliber sharing a stage? Not often.
Hughes, Zabrecky, and Diffatte performed eight shows in Austin; seven were at the Hideout Theatre, a small black box theater in the heart of town, and one at the Cap City Comedy Club. Susan and I caught their first show at the Hideout, a sold-out/standing ovation event. There was a smattering of local magicians in attendance, and as the evening progressed, I was checking out their faces and quickly realized that it wasn’t just me who thought this was something special.
Hughes opened the show with a simple but highly visual card trick that showed how effective a piece of pure sleight of hand can be onstage. He also seamlessly set up moments that would come together later in the show. Derek divided his set into three segments to interweave with the other performers. All his routines were performed casually, but they had kick-ass magical punches. The Invisible Deck is often described as the world’s best card trick. Derek turned it into something special with great handling and an overlapping extra layer to the mystery.
Derek Hughes hosted the show in a friendly, relaxed manner that made it look easy. Spoiler alert: it isn’t! Every performer who has attempted it will tell you that doing a good job at MCing is anything but easy. Derek set up each act nicely and kept things moving at a perfect tempo. The audience knew they were in the hands of a pro, and that is what’s needed.
The first act that Hughes introduced was Rob Zabrecky, whose charmingly off-base persona was an excellent contrast to Derek’s style. If you haven’t seen Zabrecky perform, his show is an object lesson in creating a stage persona that envelops his entire performance. Slightly spooky and very funny, Zabrecky began his act with a fast visual effect and then a “ghost touches” routine using two spectators and a feather. Next, Rob performed a “picture analysis” routine that closed with a drawing duplication. Zabrecky’s experience as a pro showed in his skillful and respectful handling of his onstage volunteers.
Rob closed with a beautiful version of the Diminishing Cards, which allowed him to make an elegant final exit from the stage. As he headed offstage, he was still casually tossing tiny cards in the air. It was a beautifully realized ending to his set. Zabrecky is an original who has invested himself in every aspect of his work.
Hughes used his calculator to predict a date and exact time to close out the show. I’ve never been a fan of iPhone calculator tricks, but this was different because the entire audience was invited to follow along with the process on their phones. Derek did a superb job on all fronts!
For the final act, Derek introduced Nick Diffatte. Nick has established himself as one of the brightest young stars in the magic world. He performs unusual and original material, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand within seconds. Nick’s act is filled with potent magic, verbal and visual comedy, and callbacks. Diffatte has structured his show expertly, but is far too smart to let an audience know it.
Nick’s show highlighted his signature “spoons in glasses” routine and a funny gag/trick involving a ball prediction. He also performed a “spectator’s ring to magician’s toe” effect that involved great visuals while a spectator onstage removed his shoe and then cut away the end of his sock to reveal the missing ring. This routine is a modern classic of comedy magic.
Diffatte closed his segment with a curiously deranged version of the 20th Century Silks while standing on a chair. It was funny stuff and a strong closer that left the audience on their feet, applauding. Nick is a fine performer who combines great sight gags and impressive feats of magic. The entire cast took a final bow together, which resulted in a full standing ovation and loud cheers from the audience. The energy and excitement in the room were palpable, and it was clear that the audience had experienced something truly special.
The laughs came thick and fast throughout the show, and I am no fan of taking notes (I think it is better to be a committed audience member), so I apologize if I confused the sequences of carefully layered magic. When you laugh as hard as I did, it is tough to make mental notes. So much was packed into that 75-minute show that it wasn’t easy to catch all the subtleties. I tried, but was quickly caught up in the action and laughs.
The casual rapport shared by these three performers, coupled with their very different styles and personas, made this one of the most textured and enjoyable comedy magic shows I have seen. My only criticism is that it was too short! I suspect that this show will be touring extensively in the near future. Don’t miss it!
REMARKABLE MAGIC 