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Leslie Melville's Magictales... The Lecture
Reviewed by Allen Tipton
In 1947 Leslie (known then as Leslini) and I were 14 year old schoolboy
magicians in the Staffs Magic Society. Our ways parted in 1949 and we next met
up in February 2007 when he came to present Magictales... The Lecture (based on
his best selling recent book) at our Nottingham Guild of Magicians.
What a fascinating, enjoyable evening given by a charismatic lecturer it was.
Everything was there that I’d advocated in my own lectures and writings: ‘Magic
& Mystery with Entertainment and Entertainment with Magic & Mystery.’ Around a
dozen commercial effects , worked with articles you have, mostly to hand: Rope,
Cord, Silks, Cards, Paper Bags, Balls, a Bottle, Bills, Linking Pins, Cardboard
Boomerangs and even Rubber Mats and Palms that turn red! Other items in his book
include Eggs, a Mirror, Egyptian Signs and even teeth; either faked or bought
from a dentist.
So what is different about these effects. They are professionally scripted
routines bound together with intriguing, exciting, dramatic, funny and above all
entertaining stories. Leslie is ‘A Teller Of Tales’.
They are all in the 170 page book, with templates so you can make up the simple
extra props needed and advice on storytelling which is more than useful for ANY
performance of Magic. He sells it at little more than many lecture notes.
Amongst the effects he wowed the Nottingham magicians with were:
A Witch, A Pill & A Bottle. Frying Knots (great c & r rope), The Blushing Palms
of Samoa, Your Hair Will be Your Fortune, Cagliostro Lives, The Strange Tale Of
Mr. Tall & Mr. Small, and The Friendly Witch & Her Linking Pins. Then came the
whammy; The Kismet Principle. Based on a close-up trick by Gerald Kosky and a
manuscript by David Hemingway, it is capable of being adapted to Close-up, Stand
Up and Children’s work and performed small or stage filling, in a variety of
presentations only governed by your own creativeness and style.
We saw it as Barry Porter and The Slimy Swamp Of Sludge with Freddie Wilkinson,
our President and a senior member being chained up waiting to see if Barry
Porter (a junior member) could free them in time. Tremendous fun for adults and
children. Other Kismet ideas included Pirates, Merlin, a Game Of Chance and An
Egyptian Night of Rapture (Oo)
Also we were treated to a cheeky version of The Chinese Sticks, a Frog Puppet
using just your hands (or a pair of green gloves) and Leslie’s rescripted
version of Roy Scott’s Repeat Note production. This rocked his audience and if
it had been mine I’d never have given it away to other magicians. As
entertainment it’s that good. I just had to have it.
Nearly 60 year gap between our meeting, it had been more than worthwhile waiting
for. Leslie still retained the magnetic, theatrical, personality, with the
inborn sense of humour he always had, when I first knew him.
Book The Lecture. Buy The Book
Remember: Storytelling Magic has a big and as yet, untapped market for
magicians.
Not Once Upon A Time but NOW!
© Allen Tipton, March 2007