Certified lunatic and masterful magician Tomáš Kubínek had the Bing Concert Hall audience, ranging from 3 to 93 years young, alive with laughter during his matinee show on Sunday, May 4.
Adorned in an antique robe, Kubínek drew the crowd in as he shuffled silently to the stage. After lighting a candle for ambient light, Kubínek told stories from his childhood, of the microscopic shared candy at his grandmother’s home and of a magic show. Kubínek punctuated his narratives with a spot-on imitation of an operatic record player and a sleight-of-hand magic trick involving a disappearing red handkerchief.
Tomáš Kubínek’s early life story was as equally fascinating as his opening impressions. Originally from Prague, Kubínek’s family fled to Austria to escape the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. After two months in Austria, Kubínek came to Canada and joined the circus scene, passionately taking in clowns, circus, theater and magic. Kubínek has since taken the world by storm with his impassioned performances.
Kubínek made sure to interact with his Stanford audience, praising the acoustics of Bing Concert Hall for allowing him to hear, with such clarity, snaps, heartbeats and even the voices in people’s heads. He even joked that he ought to rename the concert hall “Bing Crosby Hall,” remarking on the peculiarity in naming a hall after a person’s first name.
With a touch of playful uncertainty, the comic genius leapt onto the seats to filch a woman’s handbag. Kubínek delighted in the multi-zippered wallet within the bag, giving the audience something to marvel at as he withdrew his red handkerchief from the final zipped wallet compartment. Only after mysteriously finding six silver dining spoons from the woman’s bag did the magician return the purse.
In a feat of musical flexibility, Kubínek pulled out a petite soprano ukulele and a glass of wine. The star placed the filled wine glass on his forehead and began strumming a calm tune on the ukulele. The serene music contrasted with the odd contortions Kubínek’s body made as he somersaulted backwards, while keeping the glass on his head. As if this feat was not yet remarkable enough, Kubínek proceeded to play the ukulele behind his back, as he finally unwound and drank his much deserved glass of wine, amazing every last audience member.
After becoming and singing songs of a six-legged man, the vaudevillian selected an audience member to come to the stage to participate in physically awkward tension exercises for their slapstick humour value. Kubínek concluded his matinee show with a spectacular flight around Bing Crosby Hall and a last youth tale.
Kubínek’s unique lighthearted performance brought out the innocent child in everyone, drawing forth positive energy and radiant smiles from impish youngsters and wise seniors alike. In the bustle of everyday life, Kubínek’s performance serves as a reminder to appreciate every smile each day brings.
Contact Sophia Dao at sdao “at” stanford.edu.