As Lovin’ Spoonful once asked, do you believe in magic?
First grader Andrew Raney said he did after watching Mike Bliss perform Friday afternoon at Mark Twain Accelerated Elementary School.
Mark Twain alumnus Bliss and his two sons, Zachary, 8, and Stephen, 7, had the kids and faculty laughing and watching with wide eyes as they performed. The entertaining family is known in Branson for the Brett Family Morning Show at Legends Theater, and performing the past two years in Silver Dollar City. Bliss said entertaining never gets old.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of performance I’m watching. If the performers aren’t having fun, the audience knows it - they’re not stupid. I mean, what’s the point of being in entertainment if you’re not having fun?” Bliss said.
For Mark Twain principal Laurel Rosenthal, this visit was something special and close to the heart.
“I feel really proud because he was a kindergartner of mine,” she said. “He was always doing some cute little magic tricks when he was in my class. He would make the kids laugh … It makes me especially proud to have him here.”
Not only did Rosenthal have Mike, she had his older brother, Brandon, and his twin brother Kevin, and then a few years later, their little sister Andrea.
Bliss started off the show with some juggling, then had Zachary join him. Bliss described this to be “13 years of his life in two minutes.” However, Zachary and Stephen’s talent shined during the mind-reading portion of the show. The two told the audience what was in pockets and wallets down to the detail. Bliss had a faculty member choose a president, a state, a capital and population, and the boys guessed it perfectly. Later, Bliss said his sons knew every bit of information by heart.
“Every kid needs should learn something to train their memory,” Bliss said.
Another portion of the show that had the students’ jaws drop was the levitating table. This was fifth grader Trevor Shores and kindergartner Keegan Watson’s favorite part.
“I don’t know how he did that,” Watson said after the show.
Watson had a second row seat on the floor, which wasn’t the place to be in one part of the show. Bliss introduced a fake raccoon to the audience, and “accidentally” let it jump out of his hands into the audience.
“They parted like the Red Sea,” Bliss said with a laugh. “That wakes them up.”
