'Mickey's Magic Show' keeps little fans enthralled

The magicians enlisted help from the audience for some of their illusions.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- For his first trick, Mickey Mouse turned Chevrolet Centre into a theater.
"Disney Live! Mickey's Magic Show" cut the arena in half with a black drapery, transforming the downtown arena into a 2,000-seat stage venue. The touring show opened a four-day, eight-show run Thursday night.
The set-up demonstrated the arena's versatility, while Mickey & amp; Co. conjured up the usual Disney magic.
All the big names were there -- Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy -- with cameos by Cinderella, Princess Jasmine and others.
Tickets appear
For Danielle Taylor of Youngstown, the magic started last week when she won four tickets from a local radio station's call-in contest. She took her 3-year-old twins, Brandi and Bryan, and her 7-year-old son, Robert.
With a sorcerer's apprentice hat on each of the kids' heads, it was clear that their first stop had been the souvenir stand.
"The first thing they wanted was a hat," said Taylor, who admitted, "We have everything Disney. Name the movie and we have it."
The trio was enthralled, though -- abra-ca-potty-break! -- they did miss a short portion of the 90-minute show.
Who were their favorites? Mickey for Robert, the princesses for Brandi, and all of the above for Bryan.
Magicians
Magician Brad Ross and his sidekick Benny do pull off quite a few big-time illusions, including the old saw-the-pretty-girls-in-half trick (to which they added an amusing twist).
The dancing brooms were cool, too.
They also pulled a couple of pint-sized assistants from a sea of hands to help them on stage.
But it was the moms and dads who had to pull off the final -- and probably hardest -- trick of the night. After they got home, they had to get their starry-eyed sorcerers to sleep.
As for Taylor, she said she was going to hold off before attempting the feat.
"We're going to get straight into the Disney movies when we get home," she said. "Probably 'Fantasia.'"