It was truly a magical evening last Friday, Feb 2, 2024, when international stage magician and master illusionist IVAN the Selfie Magician graced the stage in Makati City for his concert, Magic of Love.
He opened the sold-out show with a thrilling trifecta of big acts we thought we would only see on screen, immediately showing off his unparalleled skills.
Impeccably dressed in a black three-piece bespoke suit designed by Ryan Chris, Ivan entered the stage through the audience while holding a flaming torch, illuminating the complete darkness. Using the flames from the torch, he lit a pre-set empty cage and with a swish of a cloth, made a woman holding an eight-foot-long luxury ivory Burmese python appear from thin air.
The same woman was then placed inside a box, hypnotized, and sawed in half to the disbelief of a racially and age diverse audience.
And if that was not enough, after piecing her back together, Ivan proceeded to pierce the woman with multiple flaming spikers, only to reveal her gone. Or was she? Because with just a wave of a cloth, the woman and another female assistant emerged.
Showing off his years of training in the Philippine theater, Ivan delivered his spiels and jokes naturally leaving the jam-packed audience in stitches.
While it was his solo show, Ivan was generous enough to share the stage with game audience members. He allowed them in on the magic, making them catch doves out of nowhere and participating on his signature mentalism act. With a romantic LED and lights show, he even hard-launched his girlfriend, journalist and Binibining Pilipinas 2022 candidate Justinne Punsalang, claiming that last night’s show was her idea baby.
What elicited the most impressed wows from the full house of audience was his crystal balls act, wherein he made not one, not two, not even three but seven crystal balls float in the air. A true innovator, Ivan pioneered the act in the Philippines, and remains to be the only one with exceptional illusion skills.
Nothing, however, beats the literal breathtaking finale of his show, where Ivan was able to showcase his freediving skills, boasting his Wave 1 Molchanovs certification. A chained-up Ivan entered an acrylic box filled to the brim with water, where he was locked with only a lungful of air and a desire to escape.
Amazingly, barely 10 seconds later, the smiling assistant holding up the curtain over the box disappeared and was replaced by the drenched but definitely unscathed magician.
Ivan the Selfie Magician has indeed brought the height of magic in the Philippines.
And he was hands on for the production, tirelessly spending three sleepless months to perfectly curate his show. He collaborated with his friend, actor CJ Barinaga to direct, and his fellow magician, Leodini Domapias as script consultant.
Adding to the magic of the show was the amazing light design by multi-awarded lighting director Gabo Tolentino.
Never leaving his passion for theater, Ivan had stage actors Ash Nicanor and Liway Perez to serve as his assistants, together with his go to male assistants Jhuztine Aquino, Scott Dalumpines, and Nash Delfino.
With 19 years of magic and illusion experience on his belt, you might wonder what is next for Ivan. Well, the 27-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down. Starting this year, he will be regularly flying to Singapore to perform and extend his magical empire overseas.
