Impressing A New Generation - Darren Romeo

I have to begin by saying that I am a part of the younger generation that is hard to please when it comes to entertainment; I am a 17 year old male. Going to a “Branson Show” really isn’t how I planned to spend a Friday night. I am from Jacksonville, Florida, and my mother and I came to Harrison, Arkansas to spend time with my Grandma and my Aunt Melissa. My grandma was originally supposed to go to this show, but has been recovering from surgery, so my Aunt asked if I would like to go with her since she had an extra ticket. I figured, “What the heck?”

I really had no expectations for this show, although my Aunt raved about him the entire way to Branson. She also had me listen to his CD during the drive.

From the very beginning of the show, I must admit that I was captivated. This guy definitely has some extraordinary talent. When my aunt told me that he did magic AND he sang, it honestly sounded a little cheesy to me. Wow, was I ever wrong. Not only was he an amazing magician, but he had a fabulous voice as well. We were front row center, and no matter how hard I watched, you could not figure out how he did ANY of his illusions.

Most of the time during a magic show, you can somewhat figure out how they are doing their tricks, but certainly not with Darren. I was mesmerized throughout the entire show. My favorite illusion was the one with Jeff Gordon’s race car. HOW on earth he made that thing appear and disappear right before our eyes, I will never know. But it truly blew me away.

Another thing I liked is how he continuously interacted with the audience. I also got to see just what a down-to-earth and humble person he is. My Aunt took two white roses to the show, signifying that she was a member of his fan club. She explained to me that it was a tradition with fan club members, that they took a single white rose, one for Darren and one for Kristy, and that was their way of knowing that you were a member of their fan club. During the show, Darren noticed the roses lying on my Aunt’s lap. Twice during the show, he pointed at her and mouthed “Thank you.”

After the show, we waited in the lobby to have Darren sign our pictures and to get our picture taken with him. While we were standing in line, Melissa told me about an email that she sent to Darren after she seen him for the first time. She explained how a certain part of the show touched her. He had been talking about not taking anyone in your life for granted, because you will never know when they will be gone.

My grandfather passed away two years ago, and my Aunt has been struggling with it ever since. She was a different person after that. She used to be so vibrant and full of life, and now she was consumed with sadness, and pretty much isolated herself from everyone around her. In the email, she told him how seeing him put a spark back into her life, something that had been absent for a long period of time. She then told me about how he emailed her back. At first, I was a little reluctant to believe that. I figured he had one of his people reply back to her. Again, he proved me wrong.

When it was our turn to meet Darren, he seen Melissa’s roses and said “A fan club member!” Then he hopped off of the platform he had been standing on, and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a huge hug. She then told him who she was, and that she was the one that had sent the email to him. His eyes widened and he reached down, touching her face with his hand and asked her how she was doing. I knew right then that it was indeed him that had replied back to her, and he fully remembered who she was. The sincerity in his eyes was captivating.

I was already impressed by his show, but by this time, I had grown even more respect for this man. Melissa introduced me to Darren, and he shook my hand and began talking with me like we had been old friends for years. We told him that it was originally supposed to be my Grandma at the show, but that she was recovering from surgery. Darren quickly looked over at Melissa and began asking how she was and if she was alright.

You can easily see that this man TRULY cares about his fans, and that is what makes a fabulous entertainer-Someone who has a great talent, and someone who is very appreciative of their fans, and show just how much they mean to them.

I can honestly say that I cannot wait to come back to see his show.

Steve Beck

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