Charles Mason, otherwise known as Magicali, greets kids after his magic presentation Tuesday at the El Centro Public Library.
CUAUHTEMOC BELTRAN PHOTO By HEATHER BREMNER, Staff Writer Wednesday, July 16, 2003 3:12 PM PDT
"Oh, my God," shouted a little boy when Magicali the Wizard transformed a small, white tissue stuck in his mouth into a lengthy red, white and blue streamer.
Slowly, like a dragon exposing his expansive and fiery tongue, he pulled the streamer from his mouth and allowed it to lie in a pile on the ground. Children scurried about the floor, picking up tiny remnants that broke lose, maybe hoping a little of the magic would rub off of the crepe paper.
One child — who apparently wanted to destroy the object — told another child who couldn't resist the urge to grab the colorful paper and "Rip it!" About 130 children ranging from toddlers to 14-year-olds packed the El Centro Public Library on Tuesday morning to watch this spectacle produced by local entertainer Charles Mason.
Decked out in a long black robe and a star-adorned wizard hat covering long, white hair and a beard to match, Mason played the part of a Harry Potter-esque magician in his hour-long "Harry Potter Show" that included a few tricks and a couple of trivia questions about the popular movies and books.
Mason turned the common — but always appreciated — disappearing trick when a girl from the audience volunteered to help. Holding up a tissue, the little girl tapped it and in a second's time it was in the magician's mouth.
Although the wall-to-wall children and parents filled the room with an oppressive heat, the youngsters enthusiastically and energetically raised their hands when Mason asked various questions about J.K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter books.
Mason's first question: "What's Harry's last name?" received a hefty response. "That's easy, Potter," said a large group of children in unison. Good, that was just a test question, said Mason.
But when the magician asked more questions: the name of the first Harry Potter book, the names of Harry's friends and the name of the school he attends, an equal number of obvious Potter disciples' hands shot up.
Even when Mason posed what he described as the hardest question: "Who is the author of the Harry Potter books?" numerous children yelled "J.K. Rowling."
Andrew Garvey, who attended the show as part of a field trip with the city of El Centro day camp, said although he's not a huge Harry Potter fan he did enjoy the show, "especially when he did the rope thing."
Although Mason's performance Tuesday was a first for the library, in no way can he be called a novice.
Mason, also known as Carlitos the Clown after his El Centro-based business Carlitos Entertainment, began his career as a professional clown for Circus Vargas. After leaving the circus and learning magic, he opened his own business and now entertains at children's birthday parties and other events.
The El Centro Public Library is hosting two more summer events catered to the younger crowd — Game Day on July 22 and a visit from the Lollipop Clowns on July 29. Both programs begin at 10 a.m.
Staff Writer Heather Bremner can be reached at hbremner@ivpressonline.com or 337-3445.