"If you’re locked in anywhere, the first thing a human is going to try to do is get out," Dooley said. performed magic tricks by age 6, escapes (whiskey barrels and mailbags a specialty) by high school. "But the true art of escapology is kind of a vanishing aspect of magic - so to speak."ĭooley - raised in Augusta, Ga. "There are a lot of magicians who use escapology as a final stunt in their act or to sensationalize a television special," said Dooley, who performs five escapes per show. This is a statement of fact, not opinion, because he’s the only performer currently working in Las Vegas who calls himself an escape artist. It became like a sporting event."ĭooley, 54, is the best escape artist currently working in Vegas. "Anyone would bring anything to the stage to lock him up and see if he could escape. "There was no one greater before or since," Dooley said. "Houdini was the master," said Dooley, who collects original Houdini posters, performs the valley’s only annual Houdini seance and runs a Web site called. But none will tell you how exactly they do it - with the possible exception of magicians Penn & Teller (and then, only Penn).Įscapology existed before Houdini, but only like rock ‘n’ roll did before Elvis. Some escape artists employ illusion others pure agility and strength. Maybe I shouldn’t have used the word "great."Įscapology is the practice of breaking free of restraints. It went perfectly during rehearsals, I swear. Today, Dixie Dooley has donated a portion of his show at the Royal Resort to "the Great Cordini." And, as a testament to his faith in my skills, Dooley has already offered everyone in the audience a free pass to "any other night you like." I’ve wiggled my arms free of the sleeves but the blasted jacket refuses to pull over my head, no matter how desperately I yank. Unlike Harry Houdini, I’m not escaping (although I’m doing fine on the struggling thing). (He found that audiences preferred watching him struggle.) Like Harry Houdini, I’m performing my straitjacket escape without a curtain.
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