Peter Marvey: Magician Without Limits (Genting Highlands)

July 20th, 2014 by Evan | Tagged in: Genting Highlands, Magic, Malaysia

Watching a Peter Marvey magic show is akin to taking an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Right from the onset, you are transported to a magical world of large-scale illusions, lavish sets, stunning costumes, well-choreographed performances and intimate close-up magic. One moment you’ll be reveling in this surreal world of magic, the next you’ll be in shock as Marvey drops a wall of fire spikes into his beautiful stage assistant. You’ll be wondering how he managed to teleport from the stage to the midst of the audience. You’ll be awed as he levitates around the stage with grace and elegance. You’ll be charmed by his stage charisma and affable personality. And finally, you’ll find that this is more than just a magic show; it’s an inspirational combination of dreams and reality.

What a ride.

Peter Marvey is a world-renowned magician from Switzerland who has performed in over thirty countries and states in five continents. He has had a deep passion for magic since childhood and performed his first levitation illusion at a young age in high school. He has won many accolades and magic competitions such as the prestigious Merlin Award for ‘Magician of the Year’ given by the International Magician Society (IMS), ‘The Golden Magic Wand’ at the 12^th Grand Prix of Monte Carolo, the Swiss National Champion award, the World Championship in Japan, and many others. Impressive credentials, to say the least.

Raevian and I were lucky enough to catch the “Peter Marvey: Magician Without Limits” magic show at Genting Highlands, Malaysia recently. I am a cynic when it comes to magic shows and big “illusions”. To me, these spectacles are simply the results of sophisticated equipment and machinery, and you can probably see through the tricks anyway.

Waiting for the show to start at Genting International Showroom

Therefore, I have pretty low expectations about the performance as I sit on my comfortable plush seat inside the Genting International Showroom. Raevian probably shares my sentiments because her head keeps nodding forward as she tries hard not to doze off while waiting for the show to start.

I am leaning back on the chair and randomly flipping through the show’s brochure when the lights dim and an announcement is made over the speakers:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the show is about to begin. Please be aware that no filming or photography of any kind is allowed during the show. If our staffs see you using such a device, they will have to politely collect it from you for safekeeping. Your device will then be shrunk down to a small shiny coin which can be exchanged for a beer, cocktail, or house pour at any Resort World Genting bar. Thank you. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the ‘Peter Marvey: Magician Without Limits’ magic show!”

I feel more awake after the tongue-in-cheek announcement and I nudge Raevian to wake up before she starts dreaming about using shiny tokens to exchange for drinks.

Emotional Ride One: A Surreal World
Peter Marvey makes a grand appearance as he appears on the stage not on his legs, but levitating amidst white fog, flashing lights, attractive dancers, and techno music. This act of levitation is dreamlike and Marvey carries it off with finesse. It is surreal and sets the tone for the rest of the enchanting night.

Ultimate Cut

Emotional Ride Two: Shocking Stunts!
One of his illusions is titled the “Ultimate Cut” and I have a feeling it should be a pretty gruesome trick. I am not disappointed. One moment Peter Marvey is riding gaily around the stage on a unicycle, and the next he decides to slice himself in half using a chainsaw. After he gets dismembered, his upper body remains attached to a metal stand while his legs cycle away on a unicycle in a comical confused manner. Eventually, his legs manage to find their way back and get reattached to his torso.

Fire Spikes

Next up in the Peter Marvey’s magical arsenal of medieval torture devices: Fire Spikes. He lights up a dozen sharp metal spikes doused in kerosene, and orders his reluctant assistant to climb into a box beneath. Even though I’ve seen such feats before, my heartbeat still increases a little when he cuts the rope and the spikes drop with a loud bam into the box. The assistant emerges unscathed. Classic illusion but nevertheless still impressive.

Strongest Woman

Emotional Ride Three: Amazement
Peter Marvey has plenty of tricks up his sleeves (literally). Other than just big illusions, he performs a few intimate close-up magic tricks as well. He requests for a coin from an audience member on stage and announces that he will push the coin into a can of Coke. “Wow” I think. He picks up the can, places the coin on his palm, and lightly slaps the coin downwards onto the can. He then proceeds to open the can and pour out the coke. Amazingly, the coin is indeed inside the can! I am intrigued.

Diamond Illusion

Emotional Ride Four: Uniting Dream and Reality
One of Peter Marvey’s famous quotes is “The magician’s secret lies in the art of uniting dream and reality”. Indeed, audiences of his shows are transported to a world where the line between dream and reality becomes blurred.

The lights dim and I can see the silhouette of a hexagon-shaped object floating in mid-air. The dark cloth covering it is removed and it is revealed to be a large glittering diamond cage that is spinning and sparkling as it refracts the lights shining on it. It is a beautiful sight and is testament to Peter Marvey’s artistic vision. This glamorous illusion was invented by Peter Marvey and it is known as the “Diamond Illusion”. The floating cage is covered with a cloth, and when it’s removed his attractive stage assistant appears in the cage from nowhere. I’m still trying to figure out how she entered the diamond cage when a second assistant emerges. And before I know it, a third assistant climbs out from the cage. All this is happening while the diamond cage is still levitating in mid-air! Finally, Peter Marvey himself enters the Diamond cage and his assistants cover the cage with a piece of dark cloth. Seconds later, he reappears offstage amidst the audience, a significant distance away from the stage. It feels like he teleported there and I am reminded of the classic movie scene in “The Prestige” where Christian Bale did the same illusion. I smile and shake my head in disbelief.

As the show reaches its final moments, Peter Marvey performs an enchanting flying illusion. With soothing music playing in the background, Peter Marvey slowly levitates off the ground and floats gracefully around the stage while performing elegant movements and acrobatic aerial somersaults.

It is fair to say that Peter Marvey has truly united dream and reality in his magical show.

Peter Marvey Embodies the Unification of Dream and Reality
From Peter Marvey’s interviews and quotes, you can tell that he applies his philosophy of uniting dreams and reality to his personal life too. He is a man who has powerful dreams in his career and he has managed to achieve these dreams over the years. His interview with The Sun Daily below gives us a deeper insight into his attitude towards life.

“But that was just a vision, a dream. And then, when you think of how to bring it to reality, it’s just thrilling.” (when talking about his early vision for the ‘Diamond Illusion’)

“I believe that everything is possible but maybe not at this time. Either we find a solution or someone else does, maybe today or tomorrow. But if you believe, you will find the solution more easily.” (when discussing about what makes a good magician)

In 2008, Peter Marvey built his own “Magic-House” in Switzerland, which was specially designed for his large-scale illusions and creations. In the show’s brochure, he states that completion of this building was “a dream become reality”, suggesting that it was a personal dream come true for him.

Therefore, not only has Peter Marvey united dreams and reality in his performances, he has also fulfilled his personal dream of becoming an elite magician.

Revenge

“Peter Marvey: Magician Without Limits” – An Amazing Performance That Will Transport You to a Magical World
The fact that Peter Marvey is an amazing magician is an a priori truth. The Earth revolves around the Sun, and Marvey is an amazing magician.

Looking at the publicity photos and his credentials, you would probably expect Marvey to appear edgy and superior. However, he has an affable stage persona and comes across as a likeable, mild-mannered guy who also happened to know how to perform some amazing illusions and magic tricks.

With its large-scale illusions, lavish sets, stunning costumes and well-choreographed performances, Peter Marvey’s magic show has high production value and will transport you to a magical world. If you are like a cynic like me who doesn’t really enjoy watching magic tricks, you will change your mind after watching Peter Marvey’s show. With tickets starting at just RM48, this show is a steal and you would kick yourself if you did not catch this performance while you’re in Genting Highlands!

Thank you Peter Marvey, for bringing magic and inspiration into the world.

“Peter Marvey: Magician Without Limit” is currently showing at the Genting International Showroom in Genting Highlands. The show is held daily (except Tuesdays) and will run till 24th November 2014. To buy tickets, click here.

Click here to see the floor plan for the respective sections (VIP/PS1/PS2)

Free Preview
For a free preview of Peter Marvey’s amazing magic show at Genting Highlands, you can check out this YouTube link where he levitates three people in an ultra-cool outdoor magic performance in Kuala Lumpur!

*This was an invited media session

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