By Melanie Bucoy, staff writer
If you were one of the lucky students to attend NJIT SAC’s Java House on Thursday April 21, then you would know that comedian and magician, Ben Seidman, has been one of the best performers to come to NJIT.
NJIT had the pleasure of having this wonderful man entertain us to new levels that left the audience in awe and laughter simultaneously. Seidman is a creative magician that combines both his talent of psychoanalysis and sleight-of-hand with his comedic wit to wow his audience and make them laugh like never before. Not only is he constantly engaging the audience with his cunning tricks, but he also makes witty comments and jokes that make the whole audience fall in love with him. If there was one thing to take away from Ben, it was his saying that resonated with the audience: “Fate is just a message in a bottle”.
Seidman is known for being a resident entertainer at Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, performing all over the country in various venues and universities, and is even a TV personality on the Travel Channel! When he’s not on the stage performing he also writes and directs shows like Criss Angel Mindfreak on A&E and even teaches magic tricks to Johnny Knoxville.
What makes Seidman so special is that he gets the audience to be comfortable with him and allows us to interact with him throughout his entire show. His acts integrate both the humor in his anecdotes and his clever tricks to the very end of performance. From the very beginning he sets up the stage for a captivating and also insightful experience for the audience. As a proper magician he controls the audience with ease, constantly commandeering the gaze of the audience through misdirection. At one point of the show he picks out someone from the audience, to which he gives the audience a peek of how he uses misdirection by performing a trick on the person. He takes out a plain tissue box and pulls out a tissue paper. He then clenches it in one hand and extends both arms prompting the participant to guess which hand he tucked it away in. Using his sleight-of-hand he makes the participant believe the tissue paper is in one hand when, in fact, it is in the other. He does this a couple of times, impressing the audience members and the participant. He follows up by then letting the seated audience members, not on stage, in on his tricks. He dexterously manages to throw the tissue papers over the participant’s shoulder without them knowing, and then he extends his arms again for another round of guessing. The participant was baffled; from the participant’s perspective the tissue papers were vanishing. The audience members watching knew full well of what was happening. This is where he uses his comedic talent to connect with the audience. To make sure that the participant isn’t missing out on what is occurring before them he begins to use bigger objects like tissues that he balled together. To the participant the magic is unravelling as he starts using his shoes and it becomes obvious to what is happening. At this point Seidman has the audience right where he wants them as he triggers large amounts of laughter and chuckles, and eventually applause.
If you are looking for fresh and good entertainer, be sure to check on Ben Seidman’s materials on the Internet. Check him out on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Even better, he also co-stars in Magic Outlaws on the Travel Channel. Seidman is definitely worth the watch.
SAC’s Java Houses are a highlight of an amazing organization, the Student Activities Council, bringing in great performers for our students. Any student can come to these events and receive a night full of great entertainment and food, with the added bonus that it is all free. Now that the semester is closing, keep your eyes open for any last events that you can be a part of and back again in the fall. Be sure to check out the performers that come by on campus.
