Review: Hilarious “El Mago Loco” at Hollywood Fringe Festival
- Anthony Gutierrez
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
At the end of a recent performance of “El Mago Loco,” directed by Natasha Mercado, the frazzled and exuberant magician El Mago Loco stood at center stage trying to end the show for the third time.
Previous attempts had been thwarted by technical difficulties, but El Mago was determined to get it right. This wasn’t the first hiccup in a brief show either. There had been wardrobe malfunctions, missed cues and less-than-perfect audience participation.
By some standards the show could be described as a disaster. Yet, no matter how off-course we found ourselves, the core of Linzy Beltran’s absurdly funny and deeply profound show remained unscathed.
Beltran performs as El Mago, a magician trying to catch their big break in Hollywood. In order to stand out, El Mago sets out to make a Latino magic show that is for all Latinos to enjoy. The only problem is that the audience isn’t even half Latino. Now El Mago has to pivot and make a magic show that is still Latino but made to be enjoyed by all.
In an interactive and hilarious performance, El Mago attempts the impossible task of being the voice that represents every single Latino experience in the world, while being palatable for a non-Latino, specifically majority white, audience.
El Mago often goes into the crowd with a microphone and even enlists a few theater goers to play bit parts in the show. A testament to Beltran’s success is her ability to gain full trust from the audience.
That's because Beltran’s stage presence is absolutely magnetic, her performance full of singing, dancing and a bit of comedic injury. Her joyful and cartoonish demeanor completely disarms the audience as she confronts the very real struggle of being an artist and Latino in America.
Despite the turbulence of the recent performance, the energy of the crowd was fully behind El Mago. Though it was a solo show, there was a feeling that we were all performing together, as if the success of the show was partially in our hands and everyone was eager to do their part.
And after 45 minutes of full body laughter, we were left wanting more. Do not miss your chance to experience Beltran’s magic in “El Mago Loco.”
“El Mago Loco” continues at The Cat’s Crawl, 660 Heliotrope Dr., Los Angeles, with performances on Sunday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 26 at 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 28 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased through HollywoodFringe.org.
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