Pala Casino performance to launch Clairvoyants' return to North America

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

A magician and mentalist duo known as the Clairvoyants has a residency at the Luxor in Las Vegas but is from Austria and has been touring in Europe. The Clairvoyants, who consist of Thommy Ten and Amelie van Tass, will return to North American performances May 6 at Pala Casino before resuming their Luxor entertainment.

"We can't wait for that," Ten said.

"We're just looking forward to being able to perform live again," van Tass said. "I think it's going to be a unique night."

The Clairvoyants' residency at the Luxor began in September, and they will be performing 500 shows in one year. They normally perform Wednesday through Sunday at the Luxor and will return there May 25.

"We had a break for our tour in Europe and also in North America," van Tass said. "We have some time off from Vegas, so that's going to be our touring vacation."

The May 6 Pala show will be followed by May 14 and May 16 performances in western Canada and a May 21-22 show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "We're going all over," Ten said.

Not all of their time will be spent performing or preparing. "We love the San Diego area, so we'll probably stay a couple of extra nights in the area. We'll probably check it out before we go to Canada," Ten said.

The Canadian and Pittsburgh shows will also be at casinos, so the environment enticed them to perform at Pala. "They have a casino in Pala. It's really nice," Ten said.

Over Pala's history, the performers have included singers and comedians, but magician shows are rare. "We'll bring some new kind of entertainment to Pala," Ten said.

The mindreading aspect enhances the prestidigitation component. "I'm more the magician. Amelie's more the mind reader. Our show is just a big combination," Ten said.

Viewers of magician performances may try to figure out how the tricks are performed, although it may be preferable not to think about such techniques and focus on enjoying the show. "To our audience we just first want to have fun, that it's a magical experience and they don't need to think how things are done," van Tass said.

The mindreading will involve members of the audience. "The audience has such a big part," van Tass said.

That makes the mindreading more complex. "Their minds are different," van Tass said.

The mindreading often includes identifying objects the audience member has. "You never know what's going to happen, especially with the dog on stage," van Tass said.

The dog is a five-year-old Maltese poodle mix whose name is Koni. Adding the dog to the mindreading is new for the Clairvoyants. "It's all a brand new show," Ten said.

"That's going to be exciting," van Tass said.

"There's always going to be something new," Ten said.