Magician’s mojo delights Civic Club dinner guests

The Civic Club’s Magic Dinner Theatre brought out Wimberley’s fun loving and curious individuals for Cody Fisher’s magic show last weekend at the Community Center. Laughter, amazement and good-natured groaning accompanied his performance as he pulled out all the stops to keep his audience entertained. Fisher took the stage after circulating among the tables where he stumped diners with card tricks designed to prepare them for his stage performance.

In a long running trick only revealed at the end of the show, he “borrowed” a $100 bill from one of the guests, Jerry Fields, and asked him to put his initials on the back — and promptly stuffed it into a tip jar.

His entertaining patter accompanied handkerchief tricks that changed color, ropes that began the trick in uneven lengths, changed to even lengths, and then back again, and silver rings that connected and disconnected by magic. When the audience was slow to respond he chided them for not applauding fast enough which brought laughter along with the applause.

He asked the audience what the difference was between a magician and an illusionist. “About $75,000 a year,” he said. “Those tigers are expensive to feed.”

As the evening progressed, Fisher referred to the “borrowed” $100 bill as the $50 bill, then as a $20, a ten and finally a five. Each diminishing value brought laughter from the audience and a good natured laugh from the “donor.”

For one memorable trick he asked who the longest married couple was in the room. The honor went to Robin and Steve Lowe for their 40-plus year union. His patter centered on the inevitable merging of the minds among long-married couples and asked each to choose a card bearing the image of an animal. One chose a zebra and the other selected a duck. It appeared that, since they didn’t choose identical animals, his trick must have failed. However, when he offered them a stuffed animal as a consolation, he surprised them with a half zebra and half duck plush toy from his magic bag.

For another illusion, he called an audience member to the stage to demonstrate his magic rings. While she held several rings, he showed how they could magically merge and unmerge to the delight of the crowd.

As the two-hour show wound down, Fisher asked if the owner of the $100 bill would like to win his money back. He presented him with cards and the one he pulled displayed an image of a lemon. Back on stage, Fisher searched in his magic black bag and pulled out a fresh lemon. He halved the lemon with a knife and presented it to the owner of the bill and the owner pulled out of the lemon his $100 bill, complete with his initials scribed on the back. It brought down the house.

Organized by Becky Williams, the Magic Dinner Theatre is one of the Spring Events presented each year by the Civic Club to raise funds for scholarships and to donate back to the community’s non-profits. For more Spring Events go to wimberleyccc.org.

PHOTO BY TERESA KENDRICK