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May 11, 2006, Taconic Weekend - Capturing The Art of Good Living

“Mind Power”

Stephen Shedd previews a “meeting of the minds” at Rhinebeck, by Stephen Shedd

Alain Nu, world-renowned magician and mentalist, will be making a special three-day appearance at The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, with shows on May 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. and May 14 at 3 p.m. Physical laws never apply to his wondrous, mysterious stage performance. Complete strangers to Nu, from his captivated audience, will also be participating in this spectacular “Circus of the Mind” one-man show.

During my interview with Alain Nu, he described “Circus of the Mind” to be more an experience HE would he having ... watching people in the act of being fascinated – a crowd of total strangers seeing the wonders of the world; the impossible made possible/

When I asked him about giant mechanical props, water-filled tanks, video trickery and such, he said that magician nowadays are more caught up in fooling people and being outrageous.

“I want a show all about simple. Interesting things and just how simply wonderful the mind is,” said Nu. He likes a spare, minimal set that takes advantage of a theater stage, although he promised, “Spoons will be bent and there will be a 12-foot ladder!”

In any performance, Nu gives the audience his disclaimer: “What you are about to witness is a clever combination of psychology, probability and good-timing.”

He spoke of his childhood, as a young Chinese/ Vietnamese kid growing up submerged in a white San Francisco culture. The Asian side associated almost everything with lick in some superstitious way. Nu said it was more important to be prepared for opportunity that to obsess on luck. As a child, he built a UFO out of paper plates, threw it into the air and then took pictures of it. Little Alain Nu was more thrilled by seeing people’s fascination with his hoax, caring little for the actual hoax itself.

Magician Alain Nu considers the television set as today’s crystal ball. I guess we sit dazzled in front of the TV waiting for it to tell us what to do(although the crystal ball has no commercials.) I asked Nu if he had any contact with predecessors like Uri Geller or the Amazing Kreskin, and did they belong to any secret society. Nu only said that being in the same profession, they were aware of each other’s work.

The mentalist has been contacted by a French scientist who is studying his brain. Nu feels that the study of ESP is of the utmost importance. Even though the use of modern equipment, like FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), PETscans (Positron Emission Tomography) and 3D imaging of the brain are costly, it is really worth studying the mind. In his opinion, it is worth any amount of money to answer the question, “Is ther extra-sensory perception?” with a “yes” or “no.”

“Please don’t dismiss it or bury the thought of nonverbal communication completely,” he pleaded. Nu recommended anyone interested should read “Mind Wide Open” by Steven Johnson, and Dean Radin’s book, “The Conscious Universe,” to get a scientific perspective on ESP and paranormal phenomenon.

Nu has performed for the President (at his inauguration) as well as former First Lady Brabara Bush, and has also done a show for former Vice President Al Gore. In Spring 2005, Nu premiered “The Mysterious World of Alain Nu” on The Learning Channel (TLC). The four hour-long TV episodes feature stunts, such as driving blindfolded down the most crooked street in the world. It came as a total suprise to Nu when they just handed him a camera for production. He wasn’t even expecting to get his own show when they first called him, but now he is in the process of filming more shows.

For ticket information and reservations for the Rhinebeck performances, call (845) 876-3080. The show is not advisable for children under 8.

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