Number
928 - 7th April 2018
Pete
Firman will feature in this Sunday’s episode of The Generation Game on
BBC1 at 8pm. Then in September he'll embark on a 27-date nationwide
theatre tour. Marvels, which will open at the
Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on 21st September 2018 and conclude at
Totton’s Hanger Farm Arts Centre on 10th November also includes
a run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018 and promises to be his most astonishing
show yet. Expect to be mesmerised by Pete's acclaimed blend of
laugh-out-loud comedy and jaw-dropping magic, as he presents a truly
unique live theatre experience. ‘The UK's leading comedy magician'
(Time Out) has numerous television appearances under his belt, including
ITV1's Tonight at the London Palladium, The Next Great
Magician, BBC One's Let’s Sing & Dance for Comic Relief,
The John Bishop Show, The Magicians and The Sarah Millican
Television Programme. He also presented Pete Firman’s World of
Magic for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Pete Firman said: “I’m thrilled to be hitting the road again with a
brand new bag of tricks! Performing magic on television is brilliant,
but it really should be experienced live and right in front of your eyes
in a theatre. I’ve spent the last year and a bit working on new ways to
drop jaws and tickle ribs. I can’t wait to get started!” (Photo: Karla
Gowlett). Tickets available via
www.petefirman.co.uk. Also see What's
On for listings, and TV Magic
for Sunday's show.
7.4.18
The
World’s Smallest Magic Theatre, ‘The Small Space’, has some of the
biggest names in magic lined up for its upcoming season. Based in Barry
near Cardiff, The Small Space is owned by Magic Circle Magicians',
Jasper Blakeley and Bryan Gunton, and with only 20 seats in the
auditorium, along with a licensed upstairs bar,
it’s one of the smallest commercial theatres in the world. This
converted Victorian one-up one-down shop has been rebuilt by magicians for
magicians; the theatre offers a unique magical experience for both
audience and performers alike. The incredible intimacy and format of the
evenings allows full ninety minute parlour-style shows where there is
literally nowhere to hide.
Despite only having been open for a couple of months, Jasper and Bryan’s Resident Magicians' shows have been consistently selling out due to rave reviews, but now it’s a raft of established UK and International Magicians who are about to appear there, including: Marc Paul, Paul Brook, Thom Peterson, Ian Rowland, Wayne Goodman and Luca Volpe. Kicking it all off on Saturday 14th April is Paul Gordon, followed on Monday 16th April by Mark James. Mark is presenting his 2 hour one-man show (currently touring the UK and enjoying great reviews) and Paul is in the unique position of being able to present his ninety minute ‘cards at the table’ parlour show. Paul (like all the other magicians except Mark James) will be lecturing on the Sunday morning following the Saturday show - it’s a great chance to see these top magicians lecturing in a performance space rather than in a club environment. Show tickets are £20 each (except Mark James who is only £15) and lecture tickets just £10. For details visit www.thesmallspace.co.uk or call 07973 731335. 7.4.18
Houdini’s
Magic Bar to open a second bar, in Canterbury, next weekend.
Houdini's write:
Houdini’s Magic Bar is the first of its kind in the South East of
England. First established in Broadstairs in 2016, Houdini’s Magic Bar
has been entertaining and wowing its guests with a mix of fine
refreshment and amazing magic ever since. We are now about to open in Canterbury!
Sam Watson and Claudette Cairns are excited and thrilled to be part of
the city. Houdini's is nestled on a corner of St Peters Street and
celebrates the city's unique charm and character. We will be home to 13
Resident Magicians all renowned in the magic community.
Next weekend, beginning on Friday 13th right through to Sunday 15th we
will be inviting all to come and join us for a weekend of magic as we
celebrate our Grand Opening. We also welcome a Special Star Guest on
Saturday and Sunday where you will see not one but four attempts at
breaking a Guinness World Record!
Twenty time world record breaking Escapologist and Stamina Strongman
Stuart Burrell will be attempting to break his own, hard won, verified
Guinness World Record as part of the celebrations at Houdini’s Magic
Bar. He will also be performing other interesting escapes during the
afternoon. "To be asked to perform at Houdini’s is an honour. To
perform in the wonderful city of Canterbury is amazing and to be able to
combine the two is simply a dream come true." said Stuart. Stuart will
be attempting the record twice a day, over the weekend of the 14th and
15th at 2pm and 4pm.
Houdini’s Magic Bar, 6 St Peters Street, Canterbury CT1 2AT (Map)
www.facebook.com/houdinismagicbar.
7.4.18
Eugene Burger Legacy Workshop, Bath, 17th April. This is the weekend to snap-up one of the very few Early Bird places at the exclusive Eugene Burger Legacy Workshop in Bath on Tuesday 17th April. Taught by Jeff McBride and Lawrence Hass, this 4 hour event is not to be missed. As of Monday any remaining tickets will be at the full price. For details and to book, visit www.jayfortune.co.uk/product/eblw and grab a bargain 4 hours of magical tuition with 2 magical masters in an event unlikely to ever be repeated. Only £35 while tickets remain. That’s less than £10 per hour to spend up-close and personal with Jeff and Larry! Incredible value and what an investment in your magic. Jay Fortune. 7.4.18
McBride British Isles & Belgium Tour 2018.
Here's a complete list of the tour dates. See What's On for more details (lots of clubs welcome visiting magicians).
April 11 Wolverhampton Circle of Magicians.
April 13 & 14 "Magic-The Secret Art", public show at the Astor Theatre,
Deal, Kent.
April 14 & 15 Master Class - Deal, Kent. Contact Paul Craven
paul@paulcraven.com
April 16 London. Celebrating Eugene Burger at The Magic Circle (members
only).
April 18 North Wales Magic Circle, Prestatyn.
April 20-22: Irish MagiCon Dublin.
April 24 Manchester Magic Circle.
April 25 York Society of Magicians.
April 26 Newcastle Magic Circle.
April 27-29 SAMS Convention, Renfrew, Scotland.
May 1-7 McBride Masterclass, Brussels, Belgium. contact Alexis Brouard
alexis.brouard@gmail.com.
7.4.18
The
Northern Close-Up Magic Championships are taking place this Friday, 13th
April, as part of the Northern Magic Summit, sponsored by Murphy's
Magic. This year, the competition takes on a 'table hopping' format,
with six competitors performing around six tables - and every diner
becomes a judge. The winner, to be crowned 'Northern Close-Up Magic
Champion 2018', will also receive a trophy and over £100 of magic DVDs.
For details of the Northern Magic Summit visit
www.northernmagicsummit.co.uk.
7.4.18
The
MagicWeek Video Archive. This week, Andy Leach on The Royal Variety
Performance from 6th December 1997. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To catch up with past weeks and the occasional
'bonus' video
Click Here.
7.4.18
Three
news items from Merlins of Wakefield: Andrew Hill is lecturing at
the shop on Wednesday 9th May. Andrew Hill has been involved in magic
for many years, and this one-off lecture will contain the best of what
he has learnt from his vast collection of magic books.
Click Here for details. Also, our Merlins Magic Festival Day is on
Sunday 13th May, for further details,
Click Here. Finally, we have our April/May ‘Preview’ out, containing
over 80 items, many of which are 50% off retail! To get a free postal
copy, email us your address:
merlins@btconnect.com. If you would prefer a PDF copy via email,
just email and ask, or call 01924 339933.
7.4.18
Impossible
Bottles Made Possible! 2 Day UK Workshop. Jez Rose writes:
My friend Jeff Scanlan is probably the most famous maker of impossible
bottles worldwide. I’ve asked if he would come to the UK and host a 2
day hands-on workshop at our farm near Peterborough to include: the
history of impossible bottles (and the story of the wonderful Harry
Eng); a teach-in session to reveal some of the closest guarded secrets
of constructing impossible bottles that have never been revealed outside
of serious makers of the most complex bottles; hands-on explanations to
actually make a bottle in real time and learn the skills (the main part
of the workshop); Q & A and then an interesting creativity open forum
about how we might push the impossible bottle genre forwards,
considering also the use of the bottles in magical routines.
It’s a remarkable opportunity for a limited number of people, who will
be required to sign confidentiality agreements to protect the secrets
shared. Due to the high cost of producing the workshop, international
travel and the closely guarded secrets shared, the cost of the workshop
is not going to be cheap; certainly not under £500 - I mention this to
give you fair warning. If you would be interested in this 2 day creative
workshop near Peterborough later in the year, likely October or
November, please do contact me: pa@jezrose.co.uk to allow me to gauge if
there is sufficient interest.
7.4.18
Family Festival of Magic. St. Georges
Theatre and Plaza, Great Yarmouth. From the organisers:
Following a highly successful first year, we will once again be
presenting the Family Festival of Magic in Great Yarmouth on Tuesday
21st August and Wednesday 22nd August from 11am to 6.30pm,
culminating in a spectacular stage show at 7.30pm on the Wednesday
evening.
We have a great line up of magical talent including top Illusionists
Amethyst (Danny Hunt and Stephanie Clarke), the Victorian Magic of
Chris North and Belinda, the Comedy Magic of Olly Day, the Award Winning
Oliver Tabor and many more. If you are a magician or involved in the
allied arts and would like to be involved, please email
thegathering@mail.com to
find out more.
Last year we attracted 5000+ people over the 2 days and this year hope
to improve on that figure. The events will be held in the theatre and
outside on the plaza stage. We also have circus workshops, close-up
magic, illusionists and a fantastic ventriloquist, our very own Paul
Henri with George the Monkey causing fun and mayhem over the two days.
Most of the events are free to the public and with this fast becoming an
annual event in Great Yarmouth, is well publicised on the Tourist Board
website as well as on local radio, festival and theatre websites.
Please call Kyle Sarocen on 07982 819737 for any further information -
www.magicfestival.co.uk.
7.4.18
Girio
wins London Society of Magicians's 'Bridger Lewis Stage Competition' and
becomes a multi-award winner! Girio dazzled the audience in London’s Charing Cross, not
only with his attire, but also with his incredible feats of mind reading
and intuition. He knew which words would be selected from randomly
chosen pages in a book, had a combination lock open on numbers chosen by
members of the audience and had two members of the audience mix up a
deck of cards, turn one card over without seeing it, for both cards then
to match!
Girio said "I’m extremely humbled. The fact that people in the audience
voted for me as the best performer on the night means a lot. Only two
years ago in 2016 I won The LSM’s Close-up Competition, where the same
thing happened and so much has happened since then." You can see Girio
on stage at the East Finchley Festival, on Sunday 24th June at Cherry Tree Wood in East
Finchley. More information can be found at
www.eastfinchleyfestival.org.
For further information call 07507 110437. Also see
www.facebook.com/Magicgirio.
7.4.18
AFC
Bournemouth Chairman promises magic on and off the pitch – just like
that! AFC Bournemouth Chairman Jeff Mostyn is the special guest at a
magic themed event at the Vitality Stadium to benefit local residents
and their families affected by cancer. Jeff is a Patron of Dorset Cancer
Care Foundation (DCCF) which gives financial help to Dorset people
facing cancer. The Red & Black Magic Dinner on April 13th will feature
world record breaking magician and Tommy Cooper impersonator Clive St
James Greenaway and all proceeds from the event will go to the charity.
Posing for photographs with magician Clive pitch-side, Jeff said: “I
love magic and I love Tommy Cooper so it was a thrill to meet Clive and
see some of his magic tricks which were actually owned by Tommy
himself.” The Red & Black Magic Dinner takes place on Friday April 13th
in the Champions Top Floor Restaurant at the Vitality Stadium. Tickets
are priced at £75 and include a welcome drink, a gourmet three-course
meal with half a bottle of wine and chocolates and are available by
phoning DCCF on 07593 890879 or emailing
admin@dccf.co.uk.
7.4.18
Simon
Lovell to become The Magic Triangle's President. The Magic Triangle
write: The Magic Triangle's Chairman, Keith Norman, and members, are
very pleased to announce that The Magic Triangle's invitation to Simon
Lovell to become the Club's President has been accepted. Simon will be
installed on Sunday, 8th April, at Straws, Osborne Street, Colchester
CO2 7DA (Map)
at 7.30pm, following which members will spend an evening with Simon
Lovell. Any magician who has seen Simon perform, lecture, read any of
his many published books or watched his DVDs will know that he is very
knowledgeable, but most of all entertaining. Visitor Admission £5.00.
7.4.18
Manchester
Circle of Magicians Jumbo Magical Auction. From the organisers:
Manchester Circle of Magicians present a Jumbo Magical Auction on Monday
9th April at Salford Masonic Hall, 41 The Crescent, Salford, Near
Manchester M5 4PE (Map).
Free for Members. Door charge of £3.00 for non-members. Doors open at
5.30pm. Viewing commences at 6pm. Auction commences at 6.30pm. Star
Auctioneers are Derek Lever and Quentin Reynolds. Hundreds of items
being sold in 9 lots. Many without reserve such as DVDs, books,
close-up, kids tricks, mentalism, etc. See you there!
www.manchestercircleofmagicians.co.uk.
7.4.18
Carl
Royle lecture, Order of The Magi, Manchester. Geoffrey Newton PRO
writes: On
Tuesday 10th April The Order of The Magi presents a brand new lecture by
Carl Royle, his second offering following on from where 'How I Feed My
Children' left off.
The lecture has an emphasis on practical, easy to perform effects, to be
used in real-world settings. All effects have been a part of Carl's
working repertoire for many years. There will be magic with cards,
coins, silks, dice and poker chips; a couple of secrets with hidden
props are also included.
Also on offer are the expected funny stories collected from being a
professional magician for over twenty years, all delivered in Carl's
unique style. New lecture notes include twelve effects and two essays on
Carl's system of attracting people to your magic at
corporate events.
Whether you are a full time professional or a keen amateur 'How I Feed My
Children - More' will be a fun lecture with content you will want to
perform.
Directions on www.orderofthemagi.co.uk. There is a door charge for
non-members of £5 by prior arrangement with the secretary.
7.4.18
Darren Wray - the Magic Interventionist,
ACES, East Sussex. Nicky Lewis writes: Darren Wray started the charity
'Streets of Growth' in a part of
London needing support and help. Gang culture is strong and Darren (who
sent himself to the Bronx as a young man to learn more) with his team,
work with gang kids using magic as a hook! Darren was recently
interviewed at length in Magicseen. This evening will be full of
stories, successes and laughs. Check out the website for all the
information: www.streetsofgrowth.org. An inspirational lecturer
on a tough subject. Wednesday 11th April, 7.30pm for 8pm. Members free, visitors £5. Any queries/questions
about the lecture or the club's location please call 07947 441145 or
07759 807953. Venue: ACES HQ, Thomas A Becket Church Hall, Cliffe High
Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2AH (Map).
www.magic-clubs-in-sussex.co.uk.
7.4.18
Champions
of Magic. We went to see
Champions of
Magic last Saturday at our local theatre at the start of their UK tour, playing to a
virtually sold-out audience (following an earlier matinee performance,
that was also full). The show has a real feel-good
factor throughout... it's great fun and offers audiences everything from
mind reading to close-up magic (on the big screen) to illusions...
Highlight for me? Young
& Strange's sword box routine which was just brilliant! Do see Champions of
Magic if you can. See What's On
for April and May tour dates. DT.
7.4.18
Ghost
Stories is playing your local cinema this weekend, go and see it! Ghost Stories
review: "The most unsettling British horror in decades"
Click Here • "This Iowan is the 'magician of his generation.' See for
yourself this weekend."
Click Here • "The Playwright and the Magician"
Click Here • "A magician’s imperial mission"
Click Here • "How Chicago magicians took tricks off the stage and into the
bar"
Click Here • "Meet Pritam Patra: Engineer by Qualification, Magician by
Passion"
Click Here • "Magician looks upbeat during power walk with wife Kelly"
Click Here • Steve Short's 'The Magic of Johnny Hart' lecture is reviewed by
Jon Marshall this week,
Click Here • "Grand illusionist with power to 'read minds' brings magic show
to Edinburgh"
Click Here • That's it for another week. Your UK magic news is always
welcomed. Have a good weekend, Duncan.
7.4.18