(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)
The Judges' Cuts round of Americas Got Talent started this week, with 20 acts competing for seven places in the Live Shows, due to start in August. Among these acts were two magicians: Michael John and Piff the Magic Dragon. In each week of Judges' Cuts, the four regular Judges (Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie) will be joined by a "Guest Judge", and this week, the guest judge was Neil Patrick Harris. In addition to his roles on sitcoms such as Doogie Howser, M.D and How I Met Your Mother, Neil is noted for his love of magic, so Michael and Piff needed to provide a memorable performance in order to impress him.
How Did Michael John Do?
For his Judges' Cuts performance, Michael decided to continue with the Street Magic style of his audition by doing a coin trick. He got Howard and Mel B to sign both sides of a coin, then appeared to make it pass though the bottom of a closed Soda can. He opened the can, pouring out the Soda, then revealed the coin inside it. The trick is a familiar one, but Michael performed it without making the secrets obvious. In spite of this, it was a disappointing performance. Although Michael's main weakness was his quiet personality, there is a difference between taking a soft-spoken approach, a la David Blaine, and being nervous, and it was easy to see that Michael was struggling with nerves. He also made some mistakes in his presentation, causing too much of a mess when he opened the can and taking a long time to get the coin out at the climax. As a a result of these problems, Michael received an X from Howard, who noted after the performance that it was "very hard to get worked up about what you're doing", because his approach did not translate to a large stage. Although magicians such as Collins Key and Smoothini have done well on AGT with Street Magic, one key reason for their success has been their sense of showmanship, which Michael lacked. Therefore, it was not a surprise when he was eliminated at the end of the show.
How Did Piff the Magic Dragon Do?
For his Judges' Cuts performance, Piff introduced the judges to his pet chihuahua, Mr. Piffles . Inviting Heidi on stage as his volunteer for a second time, he told her to pick a card, sign it and return it to the deck. He then promised that Mr. Piffles would find the card with his sense of smell, and would receive a can of dog food, which he gave to Heidi for safekeeping, as a reward if he did so. Piff then claimed that Mr. Piffles would throw the cards into the air, with the chosen card in a special position for him to catch. The cards were thrown into the air through a card fountain, but instead of the chosen card, Piff caught a different one. Claiming that Mr. Piffles would not do the trick until he got to eat, he then opened the can of dog food to reveal that the signed card was inside. Piff succeeded in the difficult challenge of providing everything that made his audition stand out whilst simultaneously upgrading his act. Whilst he did another signed card trick with Heidi, it was different enough to demonstrate that Piff's act will continue to develop as the competition progresses. He also repeated a memorable moment from his audition where he ate his lunch after the performance, but this time, he prepared and ate a ham and cheese sandwich, which was more extravagant and therefore funnier. However, Piff also did a number of new comedic bits, including listing the prices of his props at the start of his routine, and explaining his failure to find Heidi's card by saying that Mr Piffles had changed the chosen card into an indifferent one and removed the signature. Neil spoke for the judges by saying he "loved all of it", then pressed his Golden Buzzer, putting Piff through to the Live Shows without any need for further deliberation from the panel. Piff definitely deserved his spot in the Live Shows, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?
In addition to Piff the Magic Dragon, six other acts made the Live Shows. They were:
- Videomapping Dance Group Freelusion Dance Company
- Crossbow Artist Silvia Silvia
- Dance Troupe Chapkis Dance Family
- Stand-Up Comedian Myq Kaplan
- Pop-Rock Group 3 Shades of Blue
- Soul Singer Samantha Johnson
I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows.
Next Week: Jazz/Swing singer Michael Bublé joins the judges, and more magic acts compete to join the Live Shows.
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