Spencer Hangs Himself
Spencer Horsman hanged himself fifty feet outside his new bar and escaped two straight jackets. All told it was probably good he hanged himself, because the restless mob was about ready to lynch someone when at 9:45 the promised 9:00 feat had yet to begin.
Spencer put on a great show once suspended. He squirmed with dramatic showmanship, as if desperate to get out of what he’d gotten himself into, although I can’t quite figure out how a second straight jacket is more than just a wrap, if your arms are already tied into a first.
Tiny details are where the show, like Horsman’s magic bar Illusions, falls short of its lofty goals. In the large rear room of the expensively decorated bar one can spot uncovered light sockets. The PA system for the hanging spectacle couldn’t compete with the street blocking crowd. Drinks in Illusions are expensive. The staff should be as crisp as a new deck of cards, but only my bartender, Jason, seemed to know where to find the glasses.
After the public hanging the crowd stampeded towards the Cross Street bars. If Horsman and his co-owner father put into Illusions the attention Spencer must put into his training with the straight jacket, the place may take off. Otherwise, people will come for the novelty and, like the crowd on Friday, leave once the magic is over.
