Nothing brings us more joy than seeing a fellow Houstonian making it big doing something they love. Ben Jackson is one of those inspiring Houstonians, and I got to go check out his show. It had me laughing, wondering and picking my jaw off the floor. He has his shows pretty frequently in town, and he travels too. If you ever get a chance to see a show — take it! Here’s where he lists his upcoming shows.
I went to Ben’s late show — it was at 9. We went early, as recommended, to grab a drink at the bar at La Colombe D’or in Montrose. Side note: How have I never heard of that place? It’s a small, historic hotel that was built for French royals (casual) in the 1700s. Looks like a developer wants to do away with the historic building (how very Houston of him).
ANYWAYS, back to magic. So, we got to the venue at around 8:30, grabbed a round of French 75s and a bottle of champagne to take in (hey, it’s a 90 minute show!) This ran us about $110 for 4 people, which isn’t the worst for a few drinks per person. At around 9:15, we check in and were seated (no assigned seats, btw, so aim to be in line early if you want a specific spot). The room is an art gallery with a stage. There are four rows with an aisle down the middle. It’s definitely small, so there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.
The show started with a funny intro and then Ben took it from there. He did a plethora of card tricks that befuddled all of us. Nothing really groundbreaking at first, but it escalated quickly. I don’t want to giveaway anything just in case you get to go to a show, but there are drinks appearing from thin air, insane number tricks that make me doubt my little math knowledge and a trick about the Mona Lisa that is educational and UNEXPLAINABLE. Well, the explanation is that Ben has some mind control skills that make him a devil of sorts.
Anyways, thanks to Ben and his lovely wife for having us! It’s seriously a show I’ll never forget!
So not all is lost with the Colombe d’Or. It was the ballroom in the back that got demolished, but from what I can tell the hotel itself is staying. The developer is working with the hotel as he builds a highrise behind it. So that’s… good news? This makes it a little more clear: http://swamplot.com/crews-now-leveling-colombe-dors-backyard-ballroom-making-room-for-a-hines-apartment-tower-and-15-new-hotel-rooms/2018-03-02/
Ah thanks for this info! I googled but didn’t see anything about that! (Also this is the most Houston thing I’ve ever heard still.)
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Well, that’s super neat! Wish I was there to go to a show.
Seems like a wonderful show indeed, would love to get to know it too!