Black Magic Live: Stripped
(Eurika Pratts, Jordan Woods-Morris, Terell Arnold, Jimmy Sigman, Allen Hayward, et al / DVD / NR / 2021 / Lightyear Entertainment)
Overview: Through the eyes of its owners, Eurika Pratts and Jean Claude LaMarre, we are taken on a fantastical journey through Black Magic Live, Las Vegas’s only all-black male revue show.
DVD Verdict: Simply put, this documentary expertly explores the challenges the Black Magic Live show and its core group of dancers have experienced during their 4 years on the Las Vegas Strip.
While trying to establish their presence in sin city, the all-black show and its dancers and staff are met with racial prejudice, fierce competition and a series of emotional pitfalls as they struggle in the city.
We meet Allen LoverBoy Hayward, 46 years old, the most senior dancer in Black Magic Live, the OG who struggles with the reality that his time may be coming to an end, as he has aged out of the dance scene and must make room for the younger guys who will soon replace him.
We also meet Jetorious King Morris, 26, years old, a former NFL prospect, who saw his dream vanish after experiencing a career-ending injury and discovering stripping as a fallback career.
There is also Jimmy Lockz Sigmond, a Vegas transplant from neighboring Los Angeles, who has served 7 years in prison before becoming a Black Magic Live Dancer.
In closing, Black Magic Live: Stripped showcases the dancers and staff who are met with racial prejudice and a series of emotional pitfalls, all just whilst trying to earn a living.
Thus, this documentary is an entertaining and emotionally resonate journey that is told here through a cohesive, and ultimately enthralling storyline, thread expertly together, primarily, by their fearless leader and chief campaigner Eurika Pratts.
Oh, and by-the-by, up until the 60s, Black entertainers weren’t let into the casinos where they performed and had to enter from the service entrance. Nor were they allowed to stay in the hotels where they were appearing. When Frank Sinatra famously declared that he and his group would not patronize any casino that did not allow Sammy Davis Jr. to enter, then they wouldn’t either.
This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of Commentary by Eurika Pratts (The Boss).
www.lightyear.com
www.MVDvisual.com