If he ever pulled a rabbit from a hat, it would probably turn into a homicidal clown and cut off his head. RUDY COBY is more scientific superhero than magician, and he guarantees you'll A lOt. Words: Peter Ross
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THE LIGHTS GO DOWN AND THE ORCHESTRA strikes up in Monte (‘arlo's exclusive Sporting Club. The beautiful people — Princess Stephanie. Bono. David Bowie — take their Sl()() seats as the mechanical dancefloor rolls up to hecome a stage. A tall figure leaps from the wings. hounds across the floor and is caught in the flick of the spotlight. Standing at well over six feet. he wears a white lab-coat. hoasts a gravity-defying quiff and sports shades. To thunderous applause. he shoots an arm fifty feet into the auditorium and grins like a man who has it all. He is Rudy Cohy. the coolest magician on Earth. and David Copperfield can kiss his enchanted ass.
'This is a magic show for people who hate magic.‘ gahhles Coby. still wired from his act. hut heginning to chill out in his luxurious ocean-side hotel. ‘l‘m the anti—David
Copperfield: I'm not saying “I‘m so suave. I can do all this stuff“. I play a character called Lahman — Defender Of Science! He’s a mad scientist superhero who thinks he’s a genius. but several times in the show he gets hlown to hits or
'I was the kid plucking out
plucking out his eyehalls at hirthday parties!‘ Hitting the grand old age of eleven. (‘ohy heat off veteran illusionists and won American Magician of the Year twice in a row. The rest is incredihly successful history.
grows two extra legs. does a four- - In fact. (‘ohv's gigs at the I, . , ~, ,. , hiseyeballsat . [..§.‘.l.i.., cggcd dancc. and then cuts thcm . l alladium could we icgait LL as .1 off with a chainsaw. We have birthday step down for a man more used to rohot girls on stage. we have '1 ' ' ilaving to rovaltv and rock stars. ..~ . .~ ‘ ‘ parties. RudyCoby ' - ~. ~ .. - homicidal eight foot puppet that But he insists that he s going to
comes to life and heheads me. we have a kind of Nazi-esque. Pink Floyd — TIM Wall puppet show with a tiny puppet which I ahusc.’
This spectacular act — including special effects built by the same people who worked on 'li’rminumr 2. Jurassic Park and Titanic ~ has made (‘ohy an American phenomenon. complete with primetime TV specials. sold- otit enoriiiodomes and a popular comic hook which harks hack to the classic l)(‘ strips. Kids have even been known to dress up as the hofiin huffoon at l-iallowe’en.
liven more impressive. Lahman is about to he launched as a Saturday morning serial. (‘ohy negotiated for two years to keep the rights to his Lahman character. with (‘olumhia-Tristar eventually caving when his high-powered lawyers advised that their clients mental state was so screwed up he was never going to hudge. ‘Check him out. he's insane.‘ they said. (‘ohimhia-Tristar checked him out and now there‘s a movie in the works.
But the Rudy (‘ohy story doesn't begin with million dollar deals. It begins with a kid who loves cartoons so much that. at the age of live. he starts to draw comic hooks and make Super 8 movies. At nine. he got a magic kit for Christmas. but the instructions were in Japanese so he had to invent his own. prophetically gross tricks — 'l was the kid
find the Festival creatively inspiring and anyone coming along is sure to have a hlast.
‘If it was my venue. there would he a money—back guarantee.’ he crows in energized .\'oo Yawk tones. ‘lf you wanna laugh your ass off. come and see the show. If you wanna see a serious magic show. with guys jamming women into boxes and passing swords through them for no reason while they try to look sexy in really had costumes. don't come. If you just wanna have a laugh and see a lot of mindless violence. come and he a part of it. It's gonna he a hall. we‘re gonna make every show a pafiyf
He's insane. (‘heck him out. ’/
Rudy
Coby —
The Coolest Magician On Earth (Fringe) Calder's Gilded Balloon At The Palladium (Venue 26) 226 2151, until Sat 5 Sep, times vary, £8 (£7). See also Freeloader ticket offers.
T3—20Aug i998 THE usm