GOING MENTAL WITH HIS AUDIENCE-PARTICIPATION SHOW, MARC SALEM HAS FUN IN MIND.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer `What's in the middle of the back of a one dollar bill?'' Marc Salem asks the question conversationally. There's no patter pat·ter 1 v. pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. , no urgency. He's not about to guess the serial numbers on a specific bill, as he does in his live show ``Mind Games'' (coming to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts and administrative center located in Thousand Oaks, California. It was built in 1994 on the former site of "Jungleland" at a cost of $63.8 million. for a one night benefit performance Wednesday). He simply wants to ascertain whether I happen to know the answer. In fact, I don't. Uh, maybe some letters? ``It's the word `One,' he says. ``We don't pay attention to what we've handled a billion times. We look at film and TV and we're overwhelmed by the graphics We've stopped looking at the pictures around us, at the subtleties of what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. . We've become poor observers.'' Salem hasn't. The mentalist This article is about the performing artist. For other uses of the word, see mentalist (disambiguation). The term mentalist refers to entertainers whose performance appears to be based on "psychic" abilities, featuring the ability to read minds, project , whose ``Mind Games'' and its follow-up performances have entranced audiences around the world, has about the keenest eye you're likely to encounter. Either that, or the Philadelphia-born rabbi's son -- whose show involves predicting the thoughts, shapes and numbers that volunteer audience members envision -- is truly psychic. Salem says he isn't. ``I do have a sixth sense, and it's what I call my sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour ,'' says Salem. ``I'm living in a world where things are constantly being revealed to me. While I'm almost constantly surprised by the intuitive insights I get, I have found over a period of time that's it's easy not to act surprised by it.'' Salem developed a fascination with the workings of the human mind from childhood. Picking up on nonverbal cues, Salem could sense instinctively, for example, which sealed box contained a hat that his mother was trying to find. ``My dad was highly sensitive Adj. 1. highly sensitive - readily affected by various agents; "a highly sensitive explosive is easily exploded by a shock"; "a sensitive colloid is readily coagulated" to the people around him, too sensitive to their cues,'' says Salem, who has taught psychology but never considered counseling. ``I don't get personally involved in people's lives.'' Many of the skills on display in his live shows were honed in Salem's classrooms and during corporate speaking events. At one such engagement, some Broadway producers in attendance asked Salem whether he might consider turning his work into an entertainment act, and performing it eight times a week. Salem was game. ``Mind Games'' debuted off-Broadway in 1997, played Broadway's Lyceum Theatre Lyceum Theatre may refer to:
In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Salem routinely carves out time for benefit performances. ``A lot of this is payback time now,'' he says. ``The Jewish community always reached out to me when I was younger. I feel if I can make some return for that now, why not?'' Wednesday night's Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. program benefits the Chabad of the Conejo and the Friendship Circle, a Chabad-sponsored organization that pairs teen volunteers with special- needs children. When he was looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a headliner, the Chabad's Rabbi Moshe Bryski admitted he was leery when he learned of Salem's entertainment. < Then he spoke with a Florida friend who knew Salem's work and watched Salem on a recent segment of ``60 Minutes.'' ``It grabs you,'' says Bryski. ``The colleague who went to his show was one of the volunteers called up on stage, and he says it's real. I'm so intrigued by this.'' ``Skepticism doesn't bother me,'' returns Salem. ``I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm not out there saying I'm special or unique or gifted. I've demonstrated that I can read people. So could you.'' Perhaps, but most of us -- skilled mentalists or otherwise -- couldn't bring a head-shaking and clearly delighted Mike Wallace Mike Wallace may refer to:
The program featured a blindfolded blind·fold tr.v. blind·fold·ed, blind·fold·ing, blind·folds 1. To cover the eyes of with or as if with a bandage. 2. To prevent from seeing and especially from comprehending. n. 1. Salem guiding Wallace around Central Park, locating where Wallace's assistant was waiting and correctly guessing the picture Wallace had drawn inside a sealed envelope. ``I don't think I've ever seen Wallace laugh that much. He was having a ball,'' says Salem. ``People need to know that they're not coming to a lecture. They're coming to an evening of entertainment. By the end of it, their jaw will hurt from laughing and from hitting the floor.'' Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com MARC SALEM'S MIND GAMES Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. When: 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets: $25 to $180. (818) 991-0991 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.salemmindgames.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (Marc Salem) |
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