Many magicians and illusionists fall into one of two categories: those who can perform great technical magic without great entertainment, and those who are great entertainers but perform the same routines done by other magicians. Joseph Tran combines the two in a performance that keeps the audience members on their toes.
Between card tricks, Twitter, twerking and bad equipment, the show brought the audience to their feet after each magic trick and joke. Tran moved cards, without touching them, from underneath the bottoms of two men. He stopping running water using “the power of our minds.” He predicted the card choices of four random students 30 minutes before the show started by posting them on his Twitter, @josephtran.
Show business has taken Tran across many performance platforms. His resume includes being a Hollywood tour guide, the stuntman for the red Power Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a magician and a comedian.
When he first stepped out on stage, he used a strong Vietnamese accent. But then he dropped the act, jumping into some ice-breaking jokes by playing comedy-timed songs “Turning Japanese” by the Vapors and parody “Secret Asian Man.” He made jabs at the Harborside Activities Board staff for playing “racist” songs.
If you send Tran a message, he promises to respond to you in some form. So if you want to express your gratitude, critique his performance, or just say hi, make sure to hit him up on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or his website, josephtran.com.
The event was hosted by HAB.
