David Copperfield, a noted American magician, received the cold shoulder in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province as only half the seats for his performance on July 18 were sold.
The world-renowned magician master began a second round of performances here on July 17 after his big success at the same time last year in the same 10,000-seat Guangzhou Stadium.
But he has not had full-houses this time despite the big promotion beforehand.
Sources from the sponsored organization said Copperfield planned to give five performances in the city. At his debut on July 17, 80 percent of the seats were filled but only 50 to 80 percent of tickets were sold for the other four performances.
A local resident who watched Copperfield's earlier performance said there was no doubt his performance was excellent but a stadium seems too big to him.
"Even sitting in the VIP seats, he still had to rely on screens beside the stage to enjoy his skills which made it no different to watching TV," he said.
Other local residents complained of overpriced tickets which ranged from 230 to 800 yuan.
Cultural markets in Guangzhou are booming nowadays. A variety of singing and dancing performances are regularly held. Therefore, residents become more selective in what tickets they buy.
Copperfield is expected to give 28 performances in four Chinese cities this time. His eight performances in Shenzhen, another economic hub in Guangdong, are reportedly sold out. After that his next two stops, in Shanghai an Beijing, also look to be reasonably booked as 80 percent of tickets have been sold so far.
(eastday.com July 19, 2002)
