Number 237 - 8th January 2005
The British Magical
Society Centenary Convention takes place in less than four weeks on
Saturday, 5th February. The convention will feature four lectures, a close-up gala, an
informal meal and a gala show. Booked to date: Max Maven, Daryl & Alison,
John Lenahan, Amethyst, Tino Navas, Sean Carpenter, Gavin Ross and Paul
Dabek. The venue is the recently refurbished
Sutton Coldfield Town Hall in Birmingham. More registration
information visit
www.britishmagicalsociety.co.uk. 8.1.05
Blackpool
Magicians Convention (February 25th-27th) is rapidly heading towards
being a totally sold out event! Seats in the 2,920 seat Opera House have
nearly all gone. The Stalls and Circle are sold out and the Upper Circle
has just 200 left. Tickets for the After Show Party are still available.
Names added to the incredible list of performers are: Les Arnold & Co and
Stan Allen from Las Vegas who will both be appearing on the Gala Show.
Stan Allen will also be in the Dealer's Fair taking subscriptions for
Magic Magazine. Bill Malone will be appearing in the Close-up on Sunday
and will be hosting a question and answer session on Saturday "A Session
with Bill Malone." The After Show Party Cabaret features Ferenc Galambos,
illusionist Andrew Green and the incredible All American Drifters. You are
advised to register in advance as new security precautions may cause
delays to magicians buying tickets on the day. The Street Entertainers
Competition will take place on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm, 2.20pm and
3.40pm. Entering so far: Mario Morris, Steve Faulkner, Owen Lean and James
James. Rick Thomas (photo) will be featuring his sensational Asrah
Levitation to close the show. It's going to be a great weekend.
www.blackpoolmagic.com. 8.1.05
Geoffrey
Durham flies out to the Arab Emirates with his 'Little Miracles' show
in February; 11th Intercontinental Hotel, Al Ain, Dubai (+ 971 3-7686686),
12th and 13th The Club, Abu Dhabi (+ 971 2-6731111), February 16th and
17th Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai (+ 971 4-3666546). Then
it's back to the UK for the final dates of the current tour (see
What's On). In September an all new
show Geoffrey Durham No Hat No Rabbit goes on tour. 8.1.05
VirtualSoundMan.com
are now advertising with MagicWeek: "Not everyone can afford to hire a
sound man full time to assist with their programs. If that's true for you,
then you need a 'virtual' sound man... one you don't have to pay for or
depend on for accurate queuing... Introducing 'the sound technician in a
box' - Virtual Soundman. The Virtual Soundman Remote Commander is a small
transmitter and receiver, designed to work with a common Sony CD or
mini-disk recorder or player. The Virtual Soundman is designed for
performing artists or anyone wanting to remotely control their music! Now
you can control your music's volume, pause, and cues (both forward and
backward) as well as fade out - all from a small wireless transmitter
clipped to your belt!" Inventor Kelly Duro has performed across the USA
for hundreds of thousands of people at every imaginable venue for over 25
years. His inventions have received excellent reviews and have featured in
Magic magazine, Genii magazine, The Nail Writer, Jeff
McBride's Magical Wisdom online, MagicWeek (Review),
Ken Webber's Maximum Entertainment, BalloonHQ.com and more.
Visit www.virtualsoundman.com
today! 8.1.05
The
Mental Magick of Basil Horwitz Vol 5, illustrated by David Britland
and edited by Martin Breese, is reviewed by Dominic Twose this week. "The
effects rely on subtlety rather than complex sleight of hand or expensive
props: the props required here are minimal - pencils, elastic bands,
playing cards, ESP cards, and envelopes. All are fully described, and it
is obvious from the detail provided that Basil used them all, there are no
pipedreams."
Click Here to read the full review. Available from
www.martinbreese.com. 8.1.05
Mark
Cairns and Philip Partridge certainly celebrated the arrival of 2005
in style. They were flown out to perform for New Year's Eve at the world's
tallest and finest hotel, the 7 star Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.
Highlights included Rolls Royce transportation, a personal butler and the
opportunity to entertain guests including Sven Goran Eriksson and members
of royalty. Nice!
www.markcairns.co.uk
www.philippartridge.co.uk. Philip will be performing close-up and
cabaret magic at Olympia, London, from Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th
January representing PC World Business at the Educational
Technology trade show
BETT 2005. 8.1.05
James
Brown will be performing sleight of hand magic and pick pocketing at
the Sandy Balls Holiday Park in Fordingbridge, Hampshire on Saturday 5th
February to help raise money for the Tsunami disaster. There will also be
discos, children's entertainment from Wyn Jones, juggling from Barney Bay,
face painting, stalls and more. The event starts at 10am, will run all
day, and everyone is invited. For more information telephone Bradley Pine
01425 474586. 8.1.05
Ian
Keable presents his lecture 'A Professional's Repertoire' at Bolton
Magicians' Club on Wednesday 12th January. Focusing on cabaret magic do's
and don'ts the lecture includes several performance pieces to illustrate
many varied points. Venue: the Cotton Tree, Prince Street, Bolton at 8.30
pm. Visiting magicians from other societies are welcome (entrance fee £3).
For further information visit
www.bolton-magic.co.uk or telephone Jim Hodgkiss 01204 522651
www.iankeable.co.uk. 8.1.05
Duvivier's
Magic DVD - From Old to New is now available from
www.elmagicshop.com
"Dominique Duvivier is already considered a legend by his peers. A
self-taught man, his magical background is out of the ordinary: he is an
amazing inventor (his original tricks and sleights number in the
thousands), he's the founder of Paris's Famous Magic Pub/Cabaret, 'The
Double Fond,' and the owner of the oldest magic shop in the world,
'Mayette Magie Moderne' established in 1808." 8.1.05
Martin
Cox, the hard man of magic, and newly elected Chairman of
Watford Association of
Magicians, intends to sort the club out! Martin was elected at the
recent EGM and his first job is to make sure the club's annual Fish & Chip
Supper on Saturday, January 15th, goes smoothly. "We're planning a great
evening with cabaret, close-up and lots of fun at Watford's North Orbital
Centre" says Martin. If you are interested in attending the dinner, or
becoming a member, telephone Secretary, Julie Carpenter on 01923 720040. 8.1.05
An Evening of Music and Magic. Haywards Heath Concert Brass and Haywards Heath Big Band and Local Magicians present An Evening of Music and Magic in aid of the Tsunami Appeal Fund on Sunday 16th January at 7pm (doors open 6.30pm) at Clair Hall, Haywards Heath. Tickets £7.00 from Clair Hall telephone 01444 455440. 8.1.05
Now in its 11th year, the next Magic Car Boot Sale organised by Alec Powell (www.albionmagiccompany.co.uk) takes place on Sunday 6th February at The Beechmen Circus Warehouse, 43 Union Street, West Bromwich. The doors open at 9.30 am and admission is £3. Stalls are pretty much fully booked but there may be last minute cancellations, to check telephone Alec on 0121 532 4509. Dealers include: Keith Bennett, Merlins, Alakazam, Practical Magic, Stephen Tucker and Albion Magic plus many second hand stalls (thirty in all). Hot breakfasts and refreshments are available, and the venue is less than 5 minutes from Junction1 of the M5. The next sale is on 4th September, the day before Kidology UK. 8.1.05
Martin Breese emails: My wife, Jilliana and I were in Thailand on holiday when the disaster struck. We were not close to the areas that were devastated but on our return received countless emails and telephone calls from magical friends and associates who were concerned about our fate. I would like to thank all those wonderful people who thought of us and who were worried that we might have been victims. The whole event and the concern that was expressed for us has deeply affected us and we are deeply moved to realise that we have so many kind and considerate friends. Thank you to everyone. Martin Breese. 8.1.05
"To become a magician, it helps to be obsessed" Click Here • Roger Crosthwaite's magic is featured in a cartoon by Andy Cartledge, Click Here • "Using magic to spread Mahatma's gospel" Click Here • "Old-fashioned amazement" Click Here • "Illusionist makes money appear for fund-raiser" Click Here • That's it for this week, your UK magic news is always welcomed, see you next week, Duncan. 8.1.05