Magician Ben Zabin brings the cannabis-influenced “Smokus Pocus” to Olympia on Friday, Jan. 28.
Courtesy photo
“Smokus Pocus” is, so far as creator Ben Zabin is familiar with, the world’s to start with cannabis-themed magic present.
The a person-person display, coming to Olympia on Friday, Jan. 28, includes tricks dependent on sobriety tests, a great deal of bowls and bongs, and an overall look by a huge smiling inflatable joint.
The mixture of tokes and tips was a organic a person for Zabin of Portland, who introduced what he calls “the world’s dopest magic show” in May possibly and just lately started getting it on the highway.
“I’ve constantly liked magic,” he instructed The Olympian, introducing a few sentences afterwards, “I’ve always beloved weed.”
In actuality, he bought the things soon after he dropped out of Emerson College or university in Boston, where by he went to research the amusement business enterprise as portion of his lifelong quest to be a full-time experienced magician.
Nevertheless he has executed on a regular basis at any time considering that he performed friends’ birthday functions as a kid, Zabin didn’t make a dwelling at magic until finally he arrived up with the thought for “Smokus,” which is as a great deal about comedy as it is about mind-looking through and making items vanish.
“There are a whole lot of laughs,” he claimed. “I’m not getting myself seriously up there. I just like to have a fantastic time with all people who arrives.”
A lot of those people folks are, of class, stoned. “We get men and women coming in with quite, quite bloodshot eyes,” he said.
His website’s header capabilities an undulating emblem of a crimson-eyed rabbit in a hat floating on a qualifications of smoke.
When it was pointed out that it wouldn’t acquire the best magician to amaze the stoned, Zabin laughed good-naturedly, pointing out that plenty of non-smokers attend his shows in the firm of weed-wacky pals.
“I’ve tried to structure my demonstrates so it is an hour whole of actually trippy tricks that are heading to blow the minds of both the stoned and the sober,” he claimed. “I want this to be a actually good demonstrate, not just a really excellent weed exhibit.”
He hedged a bit when requested about his drug use in advance of demonstrates. “I from time to time desire I was ready to be stoned all through the displays, but it in all probability would not be a good effectiveness if I was super, tremendous baked,” he stated.
But he was naturally wondering clearly when he packed up his car or truck and moved to Portland to launch the “THC-induced magical extravaganza” (one more of his slogans for the exhibit).
“I knew the Northwest was heading to be the spot,” he stated. “It’s a cannabis hub. Cannabis is ingrained in the culture in the course of Oregon and Washington.”
Zabin has taken “Smokus” to Colorado and Montana, and it’s headed for Oklahoma next 7 days, but Washington is his most regular out-of-state location. He did a 50 %-dozen displays at the Tacoma Group Arts Centre in the fall and will make his Seattle debut Feb. 11 at the Jewelbox Theater.
‘Smokus Pocus’
- What: Ben Zabin’s hashish-fueled magic present, which sells out weekly in Portland, can make its Olympia debut.
- When: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28
- Where: Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way SE, Olympia
- Tickets: $25
- Far more info: http://smokuspocus.com
- Also: Viewers customers will have to be at the very least 18 to attend.