New Las Vegas Strip headliner delivers old-school skills
The man with the wondrous hair is in your head.
Colin Cloud is the topic. I have finally seen why the “forensic mentalist” has had success around the world with his one-man shows. This guy is an expert showman, a spot-on delivery, great interaction with the crowd.
Cloud has just opened his “Mastermind” show at Harrah’s Cabaret. I caught him as Shin Lim’s guest star and sidekick at The Mirage last year, stating afterward that both of these performers deserved their own shows.
I was swiftly informed that was already in the plans.
Cloud has studied forensic Investigation in Glasgow at age 15, and amassed an audience of hundreds of millions online and on broadcast TV internationally. He is billed as the only mentalist to have performed on London’’s West End, Broadway in New York City, leading him to the Strip and his partnership with Lim at The Mirage.
By now, we have seen all the elements of hypnosis, mentalist and close-up magic presented in a cabaret setting. But Cloud’s classic performance panache keeps you engaged even if you’ve seen these tricks before. He summons a couple on stage for “Deduction,” revealing facts about each in a Sherlock Holmes-style unveiling. “Crime” invokes a quartet of audience members and a stolen ring. He seems as shocked as anyone when a routine works out.
There is an end-of-show reveal that you know is coming, but Cloud manages to establish suspense there, too. Plus, he could start his own line of Victorian-style fashions.
Las Vegas magic icon Mac King, who has performed longer than any current headliner on the Strip, was in Cloud’s premiere audience. King performed for about two decades at Harrah’s starting at the cabaret room and moving to the showroom.
And King’s longtime producer, Bill Voelkner, is also Cloud’s producer. I’m not a mentalist, never have read a mind or predicted a playing card. But I envision a long future for Cloud on the Strip.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.