Under the Big Top

The Florentine Circus hosts the revamped musical ‘The Magician’s Apprentice.’

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
FLORENTINE CIRCUS presents ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ (photo credit: SIMAN TOV STUDIO)
FLORENTINE CIRCUS presents ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’
(photo credit: SIMAN TOV STUDIO)
Any magician will tell you that the trick to keeping the audience on its toes is to never give away the secrets of the act. However, for the Florentine Circus, the trick is a little different and has a lot to do with exuding great amounts of energy and positivity into the crowd. This holiday season, the Florentine Circus will host the long running and newly revamped musical The Magician’s Apprentice in the Big Magic Show.
The shows will take place in the Florentine Circus’ big-top tent at Hakfar Hayarok.
“We’ve been doing this show for a very long time,” said star actor Oded Menster in a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post.
“It’s like a good wine, it only gets better with time. For this run, we have added a bunch of new magical sections, which make the show even more fun for the audience.”
Menster is a member of a cast that includes actor/magicians such as Adi Cohen, Sophie Zedaka, Lior Shemesh and others. Together, this team puts together a spectacle that is suited to the entire family. The Magician’s Apprentice was written by Oded Palut and was directed by Uri Omanuti with an original score by Roni Weiss.
The Magician’s Apprentice tells the tale of a far-away kingdom: a beautiful princess arrives, beseeching the great magician to heal a magical flower. The magician succeeds thanks to his sorcerer’s stone and the two fall in love. Just then, the princess’ evil sister arrives and freezes the two lovers. The magician’s apprentice, played by Menster, is left alone to save the kingdom from evil.
Menster’s connection with The Magician’s Apprentice is clearly strong. He reminisced about past performances with great joy, noting a special show in which a bit of magic got out of hand.
“We do a magic trick with fire in the show. I open a book, well I won’t give away the magic but I didn’t pay attention and the flame went up and started to catch on my clothes. Usually I don’t actually feel the heat but this one time I did feel like my sleeves were burning. My clothes actually did go up in flames.”
Menster reassured us that the injury was nothing a little aloe vera couldn’t cure.
“The story is truly great,” said Menster. “I think the combination of the great story and magic makes this show stand out. My character is the underdog, who isn’t sure if he can handle this big task that’s upon him. In the end, somehow, he manages to save the sorcerer’s stone and bring back the princess. It’s all very upbeat and fun, with an important message. I think the kids see that even unlikely characters can succeed if they put their minds to it. That’s something that goes with them way after they leave the tent.”
The Magician’s Apprentice in the Big Magic Show will take place at the Florentine Circus’ tent in Hakfar Hayarok on April 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11. For more information, visit www.florentinecircus.co.il.