Afternoon show’s safe but fun for families

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 | 7:46 a.m.

What: "Keep It Funny" starring Tim Gabrielson

When: 3 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays

Where: House of Blues

Tickets: $19.95; 632-7600

Tim Gabrielson is a self-admitted dork from Minnesota.

"When I first started in this business I was very arrogant," the 34-year-old magician of "Keep It Funny" says. "I didn't know who I was. I was insecure and so was arrogant to cover up the insecurity. I'm a dork now. I'm just having a bunch of fun and people accept it."

His humor is natural, spontaneous and unforced as he performs his sleight of hand to the amusement and the amazement of an audience of men, women and children.

Within minutes of taking the stage, the laid-back entertainer has the audience in his power. Even though some of his jokes are corny, no one seems to notice.

Gabrielson creates an origami figure out of rice paper, burns the paper, and out of the flames produces a pingpong ball. Then he seems to turn the ball into an egg.

He makes effective use of an old bit, taking a volunteer's $100 bill, seemingly destroying it and then waiting until near the end of the show to produce it from an unexpected source.

The show is only an hour and is packed with fun.

Gabrielson's been amusing audiences for 18 years, the last 12 full time. He's been working in Las Vegas for five years.

Gabrielson admires illusionists such as Lance Burton, but for himself he prefers the smaller bits over the grand illusions, which allow him to be closer to the fans.

"I love this because my act fits in that trunk that's onstage," he says. "I don't have to have a truck.

"I wouldn't mind doing a bigger room with bigger screens, but no matter how good a big illusion is, it puts some distance between you and the audience."