Actually, Jon, in the show, Mary says that she the Fakir charm a snake out of a basket.
Basically, the line is there so that as Mary says it we can see the Fakir do it, so that we might be able to figure out just who the hell that Indian guy is...
"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music
"Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70
"Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba