Number
976 - 9th March 2019
Britain's
Chris Cox: The Illusionists, Eldorado, Nevada. The producers of 'The
Illusionists' have just announced its latest experience is heading to
Reno after record-breaking, simultaneous runs in New York, London,
Australia and Asia. Having shattered box office records around the
world, 'The Illusionists Experience' will feature spectacular showcases
from five of the most incredible illusionists on earth: The Showman,
Valentin; The Trickster, David Williamson; The Mentalist, Chris Cox; The
Manipulator, Hyun Joon Kim and The Escapist, Krendl. Full of
death-defying stunts, acts of breathtaking wonder and hilarious magic,
'The Illusionists Experience' will dazzle audiences of all ages. From
creative producer Simon Painter and The Works Entertainment, this
mind-blowing production opens April 17th in the
Eldorado Showroom at The Row, Nevada.
9.3.19
South
Tyneside International Magic Festival, 10th-13th October 2019. From
the organisers:
Ventriloquism, close-up magic and illusion are just some of the talents
that will be on display at the 16th Annual South Tyneside International
Magic Festival, from 10th-13th October.
The popular event will take place in the autumn this year rather
than the usual spring date. Plans are already underway for the festival, which will include a
family show, two gala events and a three-day convention featuring
lectures and demonstrations to help budding magicians hone their skills
and get expert advice from some of the industry greats.
This year’s line-up includes the winner of the tenth series of Britain’s
Got Talent, magician and mind reader Richard Jones, as well as Mario
"the Maker Magician" Marchese from New York, who specialises in
children’s magic and has opened for David Blaine.
Festival-goers will also enjoy performances from comedian, ventriloquist
and Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Steve Hewlett, and multi-award
winning magician Mark Shortland, who has performed for audiences around
the world – with more magicians still to be announced.
The South Tyneside International Magic Festival is organised by South
Tyneside Council and magician, Steve Gore, in partnership with The
Customs House and Magicbox.
"I am delighted to be back on board with the South Tyneside
International Magic Festival and it is already shaping up to be a
brilliant year," said Steve, who returns as booker for the third year in
a row.
Convention tickets are currently on sale for £65. For more information
visit
www.southtyneside.gov.uk/magicfestival.
To book tickets for the public shows, visit
www.customshouse.co.uk or
call the box office on 0191 454 1234.
9.3.19
Dominic
Wood on
The Magicians’ Podcast. Half of the famous double act Dick & Dom
and the 1995 Young Magician of the Year, Dominic Wood takes to the
podcast hot seat and discusses his obsessive approach when entering
competitions as a youngster, his dove act, his break into television and
how that led to his expulsion from The Magic Circle and why he
eventually fell out of love with magic. He also talks about the double
act that made him a household name with Dick and their huge hit show 'In
Da Bungalow'. Plus 'What's Going On' with magic man Alan Hudson.
The Magicians' Podcast, listen now, via
iTunes,
Podbean
or
Spotify.
9.3.19
The
Magic Circle Young Magician of the Year Competition 2019. From the
organisers: Following the heats six young men have been selected to proceed to the Final. They are:
Adam Black Dunblane (Perthshire),
Ryan Jackson Stock (Essex),
Theo Mellor (London),
Robbie Stevens (Suffolk), Zach Weaver (Leicestershire) and
Amos Wollen (Kent).
There will be two shows on Sunday April 7th. The preview is at 2.30pm
and tickets for this are £8. The actual Final with judging is at 6pm and tickets for that are £15. Tickets via
The Magic
Circle.
This is the thirtieth Young Magician of the Year Competition. The first in
1961 was won by Johnny Hart, who sadly passed away in December. Other
notable winners include Russ Stevens, Andrew O'Connor, Dominic Wood,
Richard Cadell, Ben Hart and Michael Jordan.
9.3.19
Wessex
Magical Association Convention 2019. Steve Bowring writes: We are pleased to announce that we have a fantastic line-up for
Wessex Magical Association's 2019 One Day Magic Convention on Sunday 7th
April 2019. With Dealers, Lectures and Gala Show which include: Marc
Spelmann, Caroline Ravn, Martin Cox, Zooka & Suzie Q, Max Fulham, Steve
Rowe, Paul Gordon, Wayne Fox, Alakazam, Card Shark, Wayne Dobson,
Discount Magic, Mike Danata Magic and Partytime Balloons.
Book today, tickets are now on sale for the full convention including
the Gala Show. Early Bird prices are just £30 Adult and £15 Junior (18
and under) and can be purchased from our website. Sunday 7th April 2019. Venue: The Hub,
Verwood, Dorset BH31 7QE
(Map).
www.wmagic.uk.
9.3.19
Floating
suitcases, flying canes and 'frissons of magic' – illusions that thrill
West End audiences. "Whether propelling a cane across the stage or
teaching Mark Rylance the three-card monte, magic consultants add
spectacle to stage and screen productions. As The Twilight Zone opens in
the West End, two magicians who worked on its effects tell Nick
Smurthwaite why old-school tricks hold their own in an age of digital
wizardry..." To read the complete article, visit
www.thestage.co.uk. To book seats, visit
www.almeida.co.uk.
9.3.19
Graham Jolley Lecture
-
Medway Magical Society, Chatham, Kent. Tim Decker writes: The Medway Magical Society are pleased to be hosting the
first ever lecture from the world famous Graham Jolley.
Magicians are welcome. Tuesday, 19th March at 8pm. £10 entry. £5 for members.
Medway Magical Society, St George Hotel, 7-8 New Road Avenue, Chatham,
Kent ME4 6BB (Map).
www.medwaymagicalsociety.org.uk.
9.3.19
British
Magical Society Annual Dinner & Cabaret. From the organisers:
Special guest cabaret by Scott Penrose MIMC President of The Magic
Circle and Alan Hudson MIMC from ITV’s The Next Great Magician and Penn
& Teller: Fool Us. Compered by Paul Zenon. March 30th. Tickets £37. The Westmead
Hotel, Redditch Road, Hopwood, Birmingham, B48 7AL. Reception 7pm for a
7.30pm start. Close-Up Magic at your table as well as a star raffle and
prizes. Contact Chris Newson on 0121 353 5948
chris@newson.org.uk to book.
Also see
www.britishmagicalsociety.co.uk.
9.3.19
Marc
Paul Lecture - London Society of Magicians. From the organisers:
Marc will be performing and then explaining his recent 'Penguin Live
Act', a full 45 minute show of mentalism that packs very small and plays
huge. You’ll learn some amazing mentalism and more importantly how to
put a show together so that it has structure and escalates in
impossibility. Effects will include: Challenge Mind-Reading -
This is Marc's go-to opener. It's a Word Test performed with a skeptic,
a 'test conditions' piece that (tongue in cheek) turns him into a
believer! Decisions, Decisions, Decisions - Marc has kept this to
himself for over 15 years. This is very strong piece. It's essentially a
chair prediction with no chairs, involves six people from the audience
(five men and one lady) and consists of four amazing effects blended
together into a feature routine. Time to get to know you - This
is very clean and direct-mindreading. Thought Reader - Returns to
the plot Marc loves most, revealing personal information about his
audience. This is more than an envelope test, it's a mini Q&A that
is extremely flexible. Only two envelopes are used. The audience members
themselves seal their information inside and Marc never touches those
envelopes, yet he can reveal the contents of both and more! An evening
not to be missed! Tuesday March 26th at 7pm (doors 6.30pm) at Davenports
Magic Studio, London (see
www.davenports.co.uk for directions). Price: £12 (or free for LSM
members).
9.3.19
Magic
Goes Wrong, Vaudeville Theatre, London. Created with magicians Penn
& Teller, Mischief Theatre conjure up an evening of grand illusion. In
the next 'Goes Wrong' comedy to hit the West End, the original Mischief
company play a hapless gang of magicians presenting a charity event. As
the accidents spiral out of control, so does their fundraising target...
Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, London WC2 from 14th December 2019 to 15th
March 2010. For more information and to book visit
www.mischieftheatre.co.uk.
9.3.19
Looking
for Erdnase. A docudrama about the lost author of the most legendary
book on the art of sleight of hand. "S W Erdnase… the pseudonym of
the man thought to be the most notorious card shark of the 19th century.
His book 'The Expert at the Card Table' is now considered the card
conjurer's bible, making it compulsory reading for any magician. It took
more than 30 years after its publication for the true value of the book
to be appreciated – too late for the author to witness the success of
his work and too late for all the magicians who would have enjoyed
meeting him. His true identity is still uncertain and remains a great
mystery, leaving even the best illusionists in the dark..." Find out
more about this film project and sponsorship at
www.kickstarter.com. Also see
www.erdnase-film.com.
9.3.19
The
MagicWeek Video Archive. This week, Sweden's Lennart Green in a
guest appearance on The Paul Daniels Magic Show from 30th January 1993. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To catch up with past weeks and the occasional
bonus video
Click Here.
9.3.19
The Craft - Performance Craft and
Business Craft Workshops, Brussels, Belgium, 25th-26th May.
For the first time, Ken Dyne is peeling back the curtain on character,
stagecraft, routine selection and show structure, based on his
professional training as an actor and now more than 16 years of
experience as a full time performer.
This day will immediately be followed by a day working on your
business, marketing, and branding strategies, and how to get more of the gigs you want.
Book either day, or grab a 2-day pass. Full details here:
www.kendynemasterclass.com.
Tickets are limited to just 35 spaces and are, understandably, selling
fast.
9.3.19
Leeds
Magic Circle, Celebrating 100 Years of Magic in Leeds. From the
organisers: Plans
are now well underway for one of the most exciting events in this year’s
calendar for the Leeds Magic Circle. With just a month to go, on
Saturday 6th April between the hours of 11am and 4pm the Leeds
Magic Circle will be celebrating its Centenary with a Day of Magic, with
the event taking place at the superb entertainment arena of the Leeds
Kirkgate Market, Vicar Lane, Leeds.
This will be a completely free day of magical entertainment for the
general public. Some of the highlights of the day will be Michael
Diamond attempting an extremely dangerous escape from a straitjacket
whilst suspended high up from a crane in the open air. This will be a
recreation of the stunt performed by Houdini when he visited the City of
Leeds. In another demonstration Franklin, the Mind Magician, will be
attempting to play the death-defying game of Russian Roulette. Plus, for children, live in person, Alice in Wonderland’s The
Mad Hatter.
Thrills, danger and excitement can be expected for all those in
attendance with stage shows, roaming entertainment and close-up magic
demonstrations all provided by members of the Leeds Magic Circle. This promises to
be a mammoth event both for the Circle and the City of Leeds, with
everyone invited. Although it will be a completely free day of
entertainment, the beneficiary for the Leeds Magic Circle will be the
R.N.I.B. and they will be in attendance for anyone who wishes to
contribute to this very worthy cause.
9.3.19
Ben Hanlin's Tricked is currently being repeated on Virgin Media Three. "Magician Ben Hanlin goes undercover to trick the unwary, before astonishing them with amazing magic." See TV Magic for listings. 9.3.19
Chris
Stickland lecture at The Order of The Magi, Manchester.
Geoffrey Newton PRO writes: The
Order of The Magi presents a lecture by Chris Stickland on Tuesday 12th
March. He has been a full time professional close-up magician for over 25
years. During his lecture he will explain effects with cards, coins
and more! Our last lecture of the syllabus year and definitely one you
won’t want to miss!
Guests are welcome by prior arrangement with the President or Secretary
for £5 entry.
Further details on
www.orderofthemagi.co.uk.
9.3.19
Professor
Alchemist at the Liverpool Mahatma Magic Circle. Rick Tynan writes:
President Matteo Borrini and Members of Liverpool Mahatma Magic Circle
are delighted to welcome Professor Alchemist (aka Prof. Luigi
Garlaschelli) to lecture at their society on Thursday 14th March,
commencing 8pm at The Packet Steamer, Northern Perimeter Road,
Netherton L30 7PT. Professor Alchemist is a scientist of Central
European origin who devotes himself to bizarre and surprising
experiments, based upon real scientific principles. His lecture is
guaranteed to surprise and entertain. Visiting magicians welcome.
Entrance £10.
9.3.19
The
Mark Leveridge March Podcast. "The latest instalment of the Mark
Leveridge Podcast awaits your attention and this month covers the
following topics. Blackpool is over for another year and Mark gives
some observations, including comments on those gold wrist bands! Morgan
and West show the way to look at classics and create something better.
Ian Brennan reveals a singular way to get your name remembered by
spectators. Judging Arrival Times - an audio advice track extracted from
a recent Mark's Monthly Message. Is getting to the magic 'moment' as
quickly as possible, always the right way to go? The variety of dealers
at Blackpool is even more diverse than ever. All you need is half an
hour of your time and you can enjoy all of the above by either listening
completely for free online, or downloading the audio file to any mp3
player. The Podcast is available from
www.markleveridge.co.uk/podcast.php, where you will also find access
to all of the 74 previous issues, or from
www.markleveridge.podbean.com where you can also sign up to be a
follower and receive each new Podcast automatically on the 1st of each
month."
9.3.19
Talking
Tricks podcast with Kane & Abel. From the producers: From growing up in
The Magic Castle to headlining the Adelaide Fringe. The daughter of
Magic Castle legend Chuck Fayne, Maggie Fayne was always destined to be
a performer. FML is a circus and physical theatre show about ugly
truths, sharing a little too much, and owning parts of ourselves we
tried to get rid of long ago. The show tackles everything from drug
addiction and the death of a parent to paralysing accidents, becoming a
single parent and devastating betrayals. Writer, Producer and Performer
Maggie Fayne joins us to discuss the show, its origins, the unique cast
that make up FML, the incredible hard times she had to go through to
influence the show and its run at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. She also
talks about growing up with a magician for a father and studying at the
National Institute for Circus Arts and takes part in the return of a
popular feature game on Talking Tricks. Listen via
Podbean,
iTunes and
Acast.
9.3.19
Steve
Short's Johnny Hart Lecture - Peterborough Society of Magicians.
Keith Downs writes: On Tuesday 19th March The Peterborough Society of Magicians will
be welcoming Steve Short who will be presenting his lecture about Johnny
Hart.
Visitors are most welcome. Admission £10. Peterborough Society of
Magicians, The Millfield Community Centre, New England Complex, Lincoln
Road, Peterborough PE1 2PE (Map).
www.psmagicians.org.uk.
9.3.19
Congratulations
to Mel Harvey, winner of the Northamptonshire Magician's Club Best
Stage Act 2019 competition held last week. Five acts competed. Mel's act
included comedy, magic and audience participation, and his latest
feature for cruising, 'Cyril the Syberian Serpent' who eventually found
a selected card with the help of a volunteer from the audience! Mel will
be touring shortly in Lee Tuffin's show 'Unquestionably Magic' and then
heading back out to sea.
9.3.19
The Simpsons with guests Penn and Teller. "After a rotten day, Homer bowls a perfect 300 game, and becomes a local hero. But his fame soon fades, and to keep himself from gloom, Homer decides to focus his attention on baby Maggie. Guest Starring Penn and Teller, Ron Howard, Nancy O'Dell and Pat O'Brien as themselves." Saturday 9th March on Sky1 (repeat). See TV Magic. 9.3.19
"Romany
from Brighton is Prince Charles' favourite magician"
Click Here • "Illusionist
Shin Lim Proves There Is No End To His Talents"
Click Here • "This Famous Female Illusionist Is Feisty, Funny and
Pretty Normal"
Click Here • "Magician Ben Hart unhappy after comedian Sam Simmons
bombs live TV"
Click Here • "Blindfolded magician performs unbelievable card trick
at SA restaurant"
Click Here • "Award-winning Kent magician Michael
McIntyre to keen to bring a spark to Maidstone"
Click Here •
"Tribute to magician"
Click Here • "Shock over death of well-liked magician and children's
entertainer in Snowdonia crash"
Click Here • "Working as a magician in the digital age"
Click Here • "The Magic and Mysticism of Magician Jeff Evans"
Click Here •
"Magic convention shows the new illusions for magicians"
Click Here •
And finally, not magic but, if you live in New York and like cinema, my
second cousin Sarah Pirozek is making her directorial debut today with
her film #Like at the Cinequest Festival:
www.cinequest.org • Thanks as always for your news submissions - see you next week, Duncan.
9.3.19