Number 530 - 21st August 2010
LADs,
October 3rd, Birmingham. On October 3rd World Magic Store will be
hosting the 'LADs' (Lectures and Dealers) convention in Birmingham. The
star lecturer will be Axel Hecklau, who has been a professional
entertainer for over 30 years and is a well known working magician in
Germany. He has competed in numerous magic competitions and received
many top prizes including 2nd place at FISM for Grand Illusion. This is
a rare chance to see Axel lecture in the UK. Also lecturing at LADs,
Nicholas Einhorn and David Jay, who will be launching his ‘SleeveStar’
gimmick. As well as the lectures there will be structured sessions,
giving you the chance to jam with some of the top names in British magic
including Lee Smith, James Brown and Ollie Mealing. Dealers include:
World Magic Store, Albion Magic, Vanishing Inc, Practical Magic, Dave
Charles' Hocus Pocus, Axel Hecklau, Marc Oberon and Nicholas Einhorn.
Registration in advance is just £10. Register and find our more at
www.worldmagicstore.com.
21.8.10
First
ever FISM European Championships of Magic. Blackpool Magicians'
Convention (18th, 19th and 20th February 2011) is incorporating the
first ever FISM European Championships of Magic at the convention in
2011. Artistes Application Forms and copies of the rules can be
downloaded by visiting
www.blackpoolmagic.com and clicking on "Competition 2011". Nearly
1,000 registrations have already been processed for the 2011 Convention.
Contact Arthur Casson
arthurcasson@aol.com or download a Registration Form from the
Blackpool Magician's Club website to register.
21.8.10
As
of last Sunday 80,000 people will have seen Ghost Stories. The
production has had sensational reviews and is consequently playing to
packed houses every night. The show is currently running until November
7th. Trailers, tickets and info at
www.ghoststoriestheshow.co.uk. The Duke of York's Theatre, London
WC2 - don't miss it!!
www.andynyman.com and
http://twitter.com/andynyman (Photo: Andy Nyman at the Duke of
York's).
21.8.10
Ali
Cook's 2010 Edinburgh show 'Pieces Of Strange' is a sell-out show at
this year's Edinburgh Fringe, and earnt a five star review from
www.hairline.org.uk, together with a string of four star reviews
from
www.chortle.co.uk,
www.broadwaybaby.com, and
www.thenationalstudent.co.uk. Ali is the first performer ever to
recreate (with a twist) Houdini's water tank escape live every night at
the festival. The press night lead to TV interviews on The One
Show and The Hour Show STV:
www.stv.tv. For tickets visit
www.alicook.com.
"Interview: Ali Cook, magician, comedian"
Click Here. Water Tank YouTube rehearsals
Click Here.
21.8.10
Gregory
Wilson Lectures - three dates: Tuesday 31st
August: South Staffordshire Society of Magicians (3SM). New never-before
seen material! Limited space available - book now to avoid
disappointment! South Staffordshire Society of Magicians (3SM), The
Longford House, Watling Street, Cannock, Staffordshie WS12 1SJ.
www.3sm.org.uk
Contact: President Ian McGarva 07738 913293 7.30pm, lecture starts 8pm
(Non-members welcome £10).
Wednesday September 1st: 7pm - 9pm at the House of Magic, 80 Brook Street, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 3XB www.thehouseofmagic.co.uk. Phone 01384 373209 for details.
Thursday September 2nd: British Magical Society at a special meeting to be held at the Selly Oak Ex-Servicemen’s Club, 8 Selly Hill Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 7DL. Visitors are welcome and the lecture will start at 7:45pm. There will be an admission charge of £10 for non members www.britishmagicalsociety.co.uk. 21.8.10
Laura
London and Monkey Business are hosting an evening of award winning
comedy and magic on Wednesday 8th September. The line-up features the
amazing Barry and Stuart and the very funny Ian Cognito. It's at Proud
Cabaret on Wednesday 8th September, 8.30pm-11pm. £10 on the door or you
can take advantage of their 25% off Wednesday supper club deal where you
can get a fantastic three course meal for £36.50 including the show.
Proud Cabaret, 1 Mark Lane, London EC3R 7AH (Map)
www.proudcabaret.com.
21.8.10
Will
Houstoun, Brand New Lecture for 2010: “Will's lecture provided an
immensely satisfying evening. Like no other lecture I've ever seen, it
was an original mix of eye popping sleight of hand, witty tales of
literary sleuthing and amusing historical anecdotes worthy of Ricky
Jay." - Ernest Earick. "This was a wonderful evening that illustrated to
everybody in attendance the rich heritage of magic's history." - The
Magic Circular. Following its launch at The Magic Circle and a tour of
America, Will Houstoun is now taking bookings for his brand new lecture.
For contact details and more information visit
www.willhoustoun.co.uk/lecturestechnical.html.
21.8.10
Mind
Pad. News from
www.magictricks.co.uk: "MagicTricks.co.uk is extremely excited and
proud to finally announce that we have the much talked about Mind Pad by
Hugo Shelley back in stock and ready for same day shipping after the
first batch sold out before its official release date. After the initial
launch of the prototype version at this year's Blackpool Magic
Convention, the Mind Pad has seen some incredible changes and
developments in recent months. Not only is it the smallest, lightest,
most powerful device of its kind on the market, we are proud to announce
a brand new secret function as well..." Find out! Visit
www.magictricks.co.uk.
21.8.10
Chris
Cox: Mind Over Patter at the Redgrave Theatre, Clifton, Bristol.
Saturday 9th October at 8pm. "One night only – the first local show for
the Bristolian mind-reader in 3 years. The UK’s most exciting
mind-reader who can’t read minds, Chris Cox is renowned for his
incredible ability to predict the unpredictable. Fresh from sell out
runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, New Zealand International Comedy Festival
and a UK tour Chris returns home with his award-winning show for one
night only, featuring a selection of previously unseen feats to frazzle
your brains and astound your minds. Venue: Redgrave Theatre, Percival
Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3LE (Map)
9th October 8pm - 9.15pm. Tickets: £10. Box Office 0117 922 3686
www.colstonhall.org/boxoffice
www.magiccox.com.
21.8.10
David
Berglas card footage wanted. Richard Kaufman is seeking any
privately shot footage of David Berglas performing any card tricks for
possible inclusion on DVDs that will be included with an upcoming book
on his card work. If you can help please email Richard Kaufman
moobooks@verizon.net with
details.
21.8.10
ColaCap:
The visual penetration of a bottle cap into a
bottle. "A factory-sealed glass Coca-Cola bottle is opened
(including the real 'hiss') and the bottle cap is examined by a spectator. The
contents is poured out. Seconds later the bottle cap penetrates the
solid glass bottle! The spectator can immediately examine everything. He will
notice that the cap is undamaged in the bottle and there is no non-violent
possibility of freeing the bottle cap again.
Other routines end here. For ColaCap this is the starting point..." Incredibly
powerful magic from Axel Hecklau (see our
review from last year) - visit
www.axelhecklau.com
for details of this routine and more.
21.8.10
The
World’s Most Expensive Magical Apparatus. Derek Lever will be
presenting an unusual lecture on Thursday 26th August about The World’s
Most Expensive Magical Apparatus. This will include $15,000 worth of
Collector’s Workshop props and is a special ‘one off’ lecture never to
be repeated and one not to missed. The meeting will be held in the
Blackpool Magicians’ Club headquarters in Sherbourne Road, North Shore,
Blackpool. Doors open at 6.30pm (lecture at 8pm) and, as always, there
is a fully licensed bar and cafe serving hot food and drink and library
and magic shop. Members and associate members only.
21.8.10
Mac
King, The Amazing Jonathon and Johnny Thompson - The Innovention, Las
Vegas. From Paul Stone: The Innovention which is taking place at the
excellent Suncoast Hotel & Casino in Summerlin, Las Vegas and is now
only just over 6 weeks away, really has a stellar line-up of talent!
Quite apart from two of Magic's Superstars Teller and Criss Angel, who
rarely, if ever, appear at any Magic Convention, The Innovention also
has a terrific line-up of several of the top Stars in Magic.
Johnny Thompson, as well as being a magical treasure, is arguably the
best all round magician in the world. Johnny is a great Stage performer,
a terrific Close-up worker, a successful Tradeshow worker and is
probably the world's most sought after Magic Consultant and has played a
major role for Lance Burton, Criss Angel and more recently Penn &
Teller. Johnny will be presenting the 'Johnny Thompson Hour' which
promises to be a fantastic session. Johnny will also be appearing with
Pam in their multi- Award Winning Act, The Great Tomsoni & Company,
which is a true classic.
Gaetan Bloom is another world Star who is flying in from France
specially to appear at The Innovention. Gaetan will be presenting his
fantastic Lecture and will also perform his Stage Act, direct from 'The
Crazy Horse' in Paris. Another wonderful performer. Add to that Lennart
Green, Joanie Spina, Richard McDougall, Joseph Gabriel (photo), Shep
Hyken, Seth Kramer, Bob Kohler, Magic Al and many more surprises, and
you'll realise just what an outstanding Convention this will be.
Hot News! We have just added another fantastic session to The
Innovention! As part of the Night Before Reception will be a 'Comedy
Classic' event featuring three of best Comedy Magicians in the world,
Mac King, The Amazing Jonathon and Johnny Thompson! Remember that
numbers are limited, and the last remaining spaces are now filling up
fast. So, if you don't want to miss this one-off and unique magical
event, go to
www.innovention2010.com now for full details, You might even be able
to take advantage of the 'Special Offer' if you hurry by going to
www.innovention2010.com/specialoffer. This offer ends on 31st
August..
21.8.10
Ian
Souch is performing his final week of his Mentalism show 'Reality
Vaccine' this week at the Edinburgh Fringe. "Ian Souch clearly has a
facility for carrying out interesting tricks. Over the course of the
show he performs feats so impressive they make him appear psychic."
Three Weeks. The show starts at 6.15pm at The Newsroom Venue 93, and
it's part of the free festival, and the final night is August 23rd - so
hurry!
www.facebook.com/realityvaccine.
www.mentalmagicman.co.uk.
21.8.10
The
Famous Five go adventuring! Within 3 miles of Faringdon in
Oxfordshire is Faringdon Folly – the last folly to be built in England.
It was built in 1935 by Lord Berners, the then owner of Faringdon House
and is a perpendicular building in the classic style, topped with gothic
flourishes and mock battlements. 152 steps lead you to the top where
there is the most wonderful view of five counties: Oxfordshire,
Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. Scanning the
horizon you can see the Cotswold Hills, Didcot Power Station, the
Uffington White Horse, the Iron Age Barbury Castle and even the huge
Honda factory in Swindon. Plus 1001 other well known local sights.
What has all this to do with magic? Friends of the Folly are a local
group who support the Folly Trust, and active in this group is well
known comedy magician and Max Milller impersonator Peter Wentworth. On a
glorious August morning he led a group of fellow magicians on a private
tour of this unique site. And not a pack of cards or a sponge ball was
in sight! It was like something out of an Enid Blyton Famous Five novel!
Enjoying the stunning views from the top of the folly are magicians Jack
Stephens, Peter Wentworth, Ray Del Nevo and Peter Stedman. Missing from
the group is fellow magician John Simonett – he of course was taking the
photograph! Reported by Jack Stephens.
21.8.10
The
Extractor. "The Extractor is one of the most incredible devices that
I have ever seen in card magic." David Blaine. "Now used by many top
professionals the world over the Extractor is now back and better than
ever before. In addition to the routines previously on the Extractor DVD
the Gold Edition also has the following bonus footage: How to Re-box
your Extractor with your own chosen brand of Playing Cards (poker size)
and How to ensure your Extractor is in top condition at all times. New
routine ideas Including Peter Nardi's Intact routine. The much talked
about signed card in sealed deck!! Don't miss out on your chance to own
one of the effects of the year and one that has baffled some of the top
magicians in the world." Alakazam UK -
www.alakazam.co.uk Alakazam USA -
www.alakazam-usa.com (cheaper and faster shipping direct from USA -
all the favourite features from UK site and run by the same Alakazam
team!).
21.8.10
Explosive
Card Magic by Jamie Adams. "This is my first ebook and in it I offer
a collection of 15 fantastic card effects that have developed through a)
a passion for card magic b) experience and c) the need for powerful
effects to be used in the real word. These effects are strong workable
effects that you will immediately want to add to your performing
arsenal." Available from
www.magicbox.uk.com.
21.8.10
TV
opportunity. TalkbackThames email: "Want to be on TV? Are you a
single guy? 'Take Me Out' is back and wants you! Take Me Out, ITV1’s big
Saturday night dating show is back and looking for single guys to take
part. Host Paddy McGuinness is ready once again to play cupid and guide
single ladies and a whole host of single men to find their perfect
partner, but remember, no likey no lighty! To apply to appear on the
show or find out more email:
frankie.mensah@talkbackthames.tv. [The show includes an opportunity
to perform some magic]"
21.8.10
Daleks
and Cybermen to tour in Doctor Who live. Taking in nine cities and
25 dates, Doctor Who Live kicks off in London at Wembley Arena on 8th
October, and will visit Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester,
Nottingham, Cardiff and Liverpool, culminating in Belfast on the 7th
November. Developed in association with Doctor Who’s Executive Producer
and show runner, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Live promises the same
excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from
the TV programme and will feature specially filmed new video scenes. The
Twins, are magic consultants for the production: "It's a fantastic show
and has some ground-breaking special effects." said Gary. For more info
and tour dates visit
www.doctorwholive.com
www.theillusionists.com.
21.8.10
Sideshow
Illusions at Margate and Sheffield. You can view Jon Marshall’s
restored, original Sideshow Illusions, back by popular demand this
weekend at Margate’s Dippers and Dunkers Festival, Saturday 21st &
Sunday 22nd August, 11am to 6pm at The Market Place, Margate, Kent. Next
week, Sunday and Monday, 29th and 30th August they are being presented
at Sheffield Fayre, Norfolk Heritage Park, Sheffield. Admission is free.
This year the shows will include the newly restored Monster Show which
features a new version of Robert Harbin’s Invisible Man or Out of this
World. The other attractions include Yvette, the Headless Lady - can
medical science keep her alive? Visitors can also marvel at Cleo, The
Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, a living, tiny, five inch girl and wonder at
the statically charged Electra – she’s electrifying!
Many of the shows were debuted at Margate’s Dreamland between 1961 and
1965, they were first exhibited by showman Jon Gresham and they have
been restored to full working order by Jon Marshall of Sideshow
Illusions working with Pat Gresham, Jon Gresham’s widow expert restored
Dave Whatt and a multi-talented team.
This unique collection of original shows, the only working shows from
the 50s and 60s in the UK, returns to Margate, from Showzam at Blackpool
where Jon Marshall worked with the Professor Vanessa Toulmin of the
National Fairground Archive of Sheffield University, to enthral
thousands of visitors earlier this year. “This will be a glorious
celebration of the Sideshow”, said Jon, “There are so many people who
have never seen one, it will be a pleasure to re-introduce them to a new
generation. For those older visitors, I know it will evoke many happy
memories of a different era and of course they are great fun”.
Also captivating audiences will be Professor Jon's Flea Circus in an
amusing recreation of the Victorian and Edwardian Flea shows that were
seen in Margate’s Dreamland and many other amusement parks and fairs
throughout the UK.
www.dippersanddunkers.org.uk
www.sideshowillusions.com.
21.8.10
Paul
Gordon will be presenting his all-new lecture in Chester on Monday
13th September and in Birmingham on Tuesday 14th September. "Fun,
fast-paced and jam-packed with powerful doable card magic" and Paul will
be offering great discounts on his products at each event. Visit
www.paulgordon.net/lectures.html for more info.
21.8.10
Craig
Petty lectures for the Scottish Conjurers Association at 7.30pm on
Wednesday 1st September. Non-members welcome £10 admission charge.
Venue: SMPC, 8-10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, Glasgow, G12 0QF (Map).
www.scottishconjurersassociation.org.uk.
21.8.10
Psycrets
welcomes Scott Grossberg to Treadwells Bookshop on Tavistock Street
near Covent Garden today, Saturday 21st August, from 1pm to 5pm. Join
Scott Grossberg (IBM Order of Merlin) for an afternoon of applied
mentalism using his 'Masks of Tarot', 'Deck of Shadows', and 'Seven
Keys' systems for readings. Scott is based in California and has
developed his 'Thinking Magically' approach to a wide range of mentalism
routines that combine mind reading demonstrations with character
readings in ways that are devastatingly accurate. Lecture notes and
products will be on sale. Tickets are £15 (£10 for Psycrets members).
For more information visit the Psycrets events page:
www.psycrets.org.uk or contact Dr Todd Landman
drtodd@metaphysical-magician.com.
21.8.10
The
Magic Circle Dealers' Day takes place on Saturday 30th October from
10am until 4.30pm at The Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1H
0DG (Map).
Entrance is free for Magic Circle members (with card). £5 for
non-members and £3 for under 16s. Contact Dr Altman for further
information or to book a stand, email
peter.altman@ntlworld.com
or phone 01923 404918.
21.8.10
Steve
Cook's highly acclaimed book 'Legend: An anecdotal tribute to Ken
Brooke', is now available exclusively from
Magic Books
by Post, here in England. Each copy is signed and numbered by the
author. Limited Edition. "I believe your work has resulted in a unique
masterpiece" Bob Ostin, "The best magic book I've ever read with no
tricks in it!" Gaetan Bloom, "Fabulous and moving... the great, dear man
comes to life" John Fisher.
21.8.10
Ultimate
Reflections. "When Tony Griffith started writing his Reflections
series of books a couple of years ago he had in mind a trilogy of books.
However, he decided to write a fourth and final volume 'Ultimate
Reflections' which he has just published. Like the three previous
volumes, Reflections, Further Reflections and Final
Reflections it has been produced in both Comb Bound and Channel
Hardbound formats. Ultimate Reflections follows the pattern of
the three previous books and contains some of Tony's commercial
routines, items from his school Magic of Science shows, anecdotes and
articles. Visit
www.tonygriffith.co.uk / 'Publications' for ordering details. A
special 10% discount on prices shown is in operation until the 30th
September 2010.
21.8.10
Plot
Twists by Oliver Meech. The long-awaited follow-up to Oliver’s
critical and commercial hit ‘The Plot Thickens’. This time it’s all
about taking plots you know and twisting them until they become new
again. 23 twisted items using cards, coins, flashlights, dog tags and
more. "Oliver Meech has realised what most magicians instinctively know:
there are far too many tricks out there. So better to play around with
existing effects and methods and try and come up with some new plots.
And in this book he certainly delivers the goods. The book is divided
into four sections, Card Twists, Coin Twists, Mind Twists and Other
Twists. It is hard to generalise about the direction that Oliver takes a
particular trick – because he scatterguns in all directions, mostly to
productive effect. For instance in Card Twists, he combines a D’Lite
with a miniature card appearing inside a torch, a way of getting a
spectator to genuinely separate colours in an ‘Out of This World’
variation and combining a folded prediction with a signed card to
pocket..." To read the full review from Ian Keable,
Click Here.
21.8.10
Magic
TV. The Merchant of Magic
www.magicshop.co.uk
have just launched their new Magic TV service. They now offer a huge
range of instant streaming magic videos from the best magicians,
creators and performers worldwide from just £3.95 each. There are over
90 titles for you can collect and watch 24/7 from anywhere, worldwide.
Best of all, your collection is backed up, secure, available instantly,
and you will never run out of storage space! Visit
www.magicshop.co.uk
today!
21.8.10
An
Evening of Hypnosis and Magic. Starring Anthony Jacquin (Stage
Hypnotist) and two magical supporting acts, Adam Evans and Rob Chapman.
At The Regency Suite, Lord Hill Hotel, Shrewsbury SY2 6AX (Map)
at 7pm on 17th September. Tickets £10 – in support of the Salopfibro
Support Group. To book contact Adam Evans on 01743 232601 or 0845
3455941 or buy in person at the Lord Hill Hotel
www.thelordhill.co.uk.
21.8.10
Joe
Swing 'The singer with the magic touch' is currently appearing in
summer season in a variety show called Stardust at The Winter Gardens
Theatre in Margate which runs until September 10th. Joe combines singing
Rat Pack songs with magic. Here's a picture of Joe with Harry Hill at a
recent VIP event in London where he was booked to sing.
www.joeswing.co.uk.
21.8.10
When
was the last time that you saw 50 magicians perform at the same time in
a shopping mall? A week ago it happened in the Renanim Mall,
Ra'anana Israel. It was the first ever Magic LipDub clip for YouTube:
Click Here. "A LipDub clip is a one-shot video. It is done by one
camera man who switches from performer to performer every few seconds.
Each performer sings a line from a song which is playing in the
background. The end result is a fun and unique clip performed by the
general public. Roy Zaltsman is a professional mentalist and the
organizer of the annual Magic At the Red Sea convention. He also
released 'The Roy DVD' this year. When he saw the LipDub concept he
decided to make one of his own… Making the clip was far from easy. It
turned out to be far more complicated than could have been expected. If
one of the participants made a mistake, you have to start filming all
over again. Add to that the fact that there are hundreds of customers in
the shopping mall and you get literally pure mayhem… The participants in
his LipDub clip are all professional and amateur magicians. This fun
clip was created as a non-profitable art form for your enjoyment. The
making of the LipDub was taken up by the Israeli national news (Channel
2) and was aired on the 8th of August.".
21.8.10
Michael
White (of White Magic - Magic, Illusion & Contortion) will be
performing in the 'Extravaganza On Ice' show touring UK theatres from
the September 7th - 14th. Extravaganza On Ice is a dazzling ice skating
show suitable for all the family, presenting breathtaking international
ice skaters on the theatre stage. For dates and box office numbers see
What's On.
21.8.10
New
demo videos for
Instant Radio Version 2 and
Electro-Magic Squeeker are now online. Shahid Malik emails: "Several
MagicWeek readers have been asking if there are any demo videos
available for these products; so we now have a video online, for each
product."
Click Here and
Click
Here.
21.8.10
Chris
Philpott from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, has just returned from
performing in Nova Scotia, Canada, for the second year running. In 2009,
Chris and Canadian magician Tim Vallillee (aka The Great Tim Beanie)
performed for Kids Camps around Kings County, Nova Scotia. This year two
(both members of ‘The Canadian Association of Magicians’) performed a
brand new act for one of Canada’s largest chain stores promoting a new
brand of ice cream. The two magical friends hosted afternoons of magic
for both children and adults to enjoy. Chris can be seen in the UK next
month, when he'll be entering the Shield Competition at the
British Ring
Eastbourne Convention in Eastbourne.
www.chrisillusions.com.
21.8.10
News from 'Made to Measure Magic' "Terry Herbert’s Wishing Box is a great routine for younger children but has been unavailable for many years. Paul Stone (who owns the manufacturing and marketing rights having purchased them from Ken Brooke) has kindly agreed that Made to Measure Magic can start to produce the item again. It is hoped to have the first batch ready for Kidology in September www.madetomeasuremagic.co.uk." 21.8.10
A
Routine for the Traditional Set of 8 Linking Rings by Peter Stedman
is reviewed by Jack Stephens this week,
Click Here • "Magic Mandy is a tricky character. Mandy Muden
talks about all things magic and performs some fantastic tricks."
Click Here • "It’s a kind of magic"
Click Here • "Fringe Review – Paul Zenon – Lounge Wizard"
Click Here • "David Copperfield discovers fountain of youth"
Click Here • "Cage casts a spell"
Click Here • "Criss Blaine at the Comedy Inn" (Video, contains
strong language)
Click Here • Camden Fringe Review: Nathan Penlington @ Etcetera
Theatre"
Click Here • "Carex Marx, Scoundrel, The Stand"
Click Here • "Five Reasons to See … Magicians! Behind the Magic!!"
Click Here • "Pete Firman's magic comedy"
Click Here • Your UK magic news is always welcomed - see you
nexct week, Duncan.
21.8.10