Picture this.Two leaves changed into a butterfly at the snap of fingers. Ten colorful threads turned into a bracelet as they passed through the magician's bare fist. A bowl of rice and chicken turned into steaming laksa under the cover of, again, bare hands.
No fuss, no frills, no drama. No black cloths, stage lights or screens. Just the magician and ordinary objects.
Oh well, there is some drama as Cyril strikes a pose and says his signature line, "Watch this." LOL. But that's about it. You can tell he's enjoying himself and doing it almost unconsciously.
I first watched Cyril on AXN's exclusive, Simply Magic. They got him to do the show in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan - and I'll be forever grateful to AXN for bringing Mr Takayama here.
Watching him is like having the color splashed back into magic. Previously jaded and paled by theatrical magicians, drama and I Scared You, Didn't I illusionists, my imagination come back to live.
Some people argue that magician this is more creative, magician that is more original but they're proving to be small in numbers. I care about creativity and originality and I say Cyril has them in abundance. But what makes him people's favorite is not that. It is the fact that he's not out to frighten you or challenge your ability to figure things out or trick you with his skills.
He does his stuff to deliver magic. The one we knew when we were six years old and watched a man in tuxedo pull out a white fluffy rabbit out of an empty top hat. The one that fills you with awe and wonderment; the speechlessness you thought had been kicked out of you.
It is an ambitious goal for a magician but by God, he does it.
I mean how else do you feel after you see something like this?
