Number 255 - 14th May 2005
Jay
Marshall, the dean of the Society of American Magicians, died on
Tuesday May 10th. He was 85. Well known to magicians around the world for
his delightful performances with sidekick Lefty, and something of an
institution in the States, he will be greatly missed by the worldwide magic
community. "Magician-ventriloquist Jay Marshall dies at 85"
Click Here. 14.5.05
The
Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung
Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" by Jim Steinmeyer can now
be pre-ordered from
www.amazon.co.uk. Jim Steinmeyer unveils the secrets behind the most
enigmatic performer in the history of stage magic, Chung Ling Soo, the
'Marvelous Chinese Conjurer'. Soo's infamous and suspicious onstage death
in London in 1918 mystified his fellow magicians: he was shot during a
performance of 'Defying the Bullets,' in which he attempted to catch
marked bullets on a porcelain plate. When Soo died, his deceptions began
to unravel. It was discovered that he was not Chinese but a
fifty-eight-year-old American named William Ellsworth Robinson, a former
magicians' assistant and the husband of Olive Robinson. But even William
Robinson was not who he appeared to be, for he had kept a second family
with a mistress in a fashionable home near London. Written by the foremost
chronicler of magic's history and culture. Due to the scandals surrounding
Robinson's death, this is the first time his full story has been
told. Hardback, 336 pages, with photos. To order from Amazon.co.uk with a
10% discount
Click Here. 14.5.05
The
Mystic Ring Celebrates Fifty Years of Magic. Tickets are now on sale
for their 50th anniversary show which will be suitable for the whole
family, featuring club members, David Tomkins, Rex Cooper, Paul Spencer,
Alan Martell, Geoff Sutton, S-T-R-E-A-K-Y (Reg Allen), Grant Brummer, Jim
Bannan, Hearty The Clown and Steve Milroy. The show is produced and
compered by Derek Hilton. Close-up magicians and clowns will entertain
before the show starts and during the interval. The evening will also see
the a brand new act from 14-year-old Steven Rowley
and Charlotte (photo). The show takes place at the Little Theatre, High
Street South, Dunstable LU6 3SF (Map)
on Saturday 21st May. Doors open at 7pm, show starts 7.30pm. Prices: £7
adults, £5 children and OAPs. Box Office 07790 599531. Further information
from
steven.wizard@ntlworld.com
www.mysticring.co.uk. 14.5.05
Scott
Creasey, inventor of the BIP Book, presents his lecture on magic,
mentalism and escapology at the
Medway Magical
Society on Tuesday May 17th and Jay Scott Berry lectures on June 21st.
Non members £10, associate club members £5. 8pm start at the
Gordon
House Hotel, 91 High Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1LX (Map).
Two top lectures. For more information email David Lang
davidlang@blueyonder.co.uk. 14.5.05
TV
Magic Limited is delighted to announce that the star of Sky's
Undercover Magic and multi-award winning comedy magician John Archer
has joined the list of British television magicians whose products are now
available exclusively from TVMagic.co.uk. John's new book The Handy
Lecture, his Comedy Workshop Guide, and tricks DoDeckaDeal and Chinese
Choice, are all available from the 'magicians only' section. Visit:
www.tvmagic.co.uk. 14.5.05
The
North Western Society of Magicians, based in Barrow in Furness,
Cumbria, held their annual close-up competition on 4th May. Nine members
competed for three trophies in this popular 'open to the public' event.
There were two magic judges and one lay judge, who had a difficult job in
marking as the competitors were all of a high standard. The winner was
local street entertainer, juggler and coin magician Jay Rollins. The
society is celebrating ninety years of magic in the Furness area this
year and members have been out and about in an effort to raise the
profile of the society, and magic in general. The annual dinner and
cabaret on 5th November promises to be a special occasion this year, with
a few surprises in store. For information email the Hon. Secretary Jacqui
Little nwsm@btinternet.com (in
the photo: John Little 3rd place, Jay Rollins 1st place, Dave Simpson 2nd
place.). Website:
www.geocities.com/nwsm2003. 14.5.05
Award
winning magician Peter
Roberts presents his 'Everything I use is nicked' (great title!) lecture at Bolton
Magicians' Club at 8.30pm on Wednesday 18th May at the Cotton Tree, Prince
Street, Bolton.
Peter's Ring and Elastic Band routine and Cannon ball production are just
two of the items that he'll be
showing. Visiting magicians welcome; entrance fee £3.00. Further
information: www.bolton-magic.co.uk or telephone Jim Hodgkiss 01204
522651. 14.5.05
Magicians
lined up to appear at the Magic Cavern, London, over the next few
months include: Jonathan B, David Crofts, Paolo Ferrari, Chris Nicholson,
Jon Allen (photo), Gary Scott, David Bodycombe and Paul Martin. Tickets
via the 24 hours hotline 08700 600 100, or Barons Court Theatre Box Office
on 020 8932 4747, or on the door (subject to availability). For more
information visit:
www.falseimpressions.com. The Magic Cavern is now booking acts from
August to December 2005 Email
richard@falseimpressions.com
for details. 14.5.05
International
News: Billboards, posters, newspaper advertisements, brochures and a
television commercial all feature Malta's Vanni Pule` working his magic
for HSBC. Vanni is a household name on the island, having appeared as a
magician regularly for the past 35 years.
www.vannipule.com. 14.5.05
Ingmar
Bergman's The Magician, from 1958, can be seen late night Saturday
21st May on Film Four. "Max Von Sydow plays Albert Vogler, a 19th century
mental magician plying his trade in Sweden whose powers are called into
question by rationalist Dr Vergus, who accuses him of blasphemy. Director
Ingmar Bergman veers between light comedy and black horror in this
award-winning psychological drama." See
TV
Magic for details. 14.5.05
Andy
Nyman can be seen in 'Dead
Babies' at 2am on Saturday 21st May, on Channel 4, as you've never seen
him before. "William Marsh's film, based on Martin Amis's book, is set in
a country house where a group of graduate friends gather for a hedonistic
weekend of sex and drugs only to find an anarchist gang has infiltrated
their fun with murderous intent." 14.5.05
Alakazam.co.uk
are now taking pre-orders for the new Bob Ostin book due out at the end of
this month. "The name Bob Ostin has long been synonymous with creative
close-up magic, but until now the true depth and breadth of his
original effects and methods has remained hidden. No longer! This landmark
volume, The Magic of Bob Ostin, will ensure the author his deserved place
in history as one of the preeminent creators of the 20th Century." For
more information visit
www.alakazam.co.uk. 14.5.05
Black
Artefacts are up and running again following their recent move and
have just released Psycho Deck, a 78 card Tarot deck that allows
the reader to gain very useful information from the sitter. This
information can be used in a variety of ways to give the impression of
genuine psychic powers. "It is a great deck for anyone doing psychic
readings or for those interested in presentations that are a bit
different," said company boss Keith Hart. For more information visit:
www.blackhart.co.uk. 14.5.05
Teardrop
Relief is a charity established by a team of volunteers committed to
helping Tsunami victims. All donations will be utilized on projects
related to orphanages, and all the trustees are volunteers. "The main
project on our wish list is to provide Sri Lanka with its very first
Teardrop Fun Bus! An old London Route Master bus converted into a
double-decker mobile play centre, staffed with a team of children's
entertainers, will travel the island visiting different orphanages
throughout the year. This unique interaction would provide a delightful,
exciting and stimulating day for the children and their guardians. For the
launch of our appeal, we will be taking one of the Buses that we have
acquired to a unique event in the UK Sri Lankan Community, the festival of
Cricket 2005, which will take place on Saturday 18th June 2005, in
Chiswick. At this launch event we would really like to have some
children's entertainers, face painters, balloon modellers, or any fun
children's activities." If you think that you can help email Manisha
Abayawardana
m.abayawardana@goldshieldplc.com for more information or visit
www.teardroprelief.com. 14.5.05
Jason
Steele and Joanne can be seen performing nightly onboard Brittany
Ferries new flagship, the Pont-Aven, sailing from Plymouth until May 22nd.
www.pont-aven.info. 14.5.05
Jay
Fortune is seen here coaching a local grammar school pupil who had
been having difficulties at school, until he started to develop an
interest in magic. "...the outcome is that he is very, very keen to have
further magic lessons with me, but in return he must continue to work in
and out of school. So through magic, this young chap who was on the brink
of expulsion, is now on the way to being a magical chappy with high
hopes!" emails Jay. Magic! 14.5.05
Jeff
Burns, of Aberdeen based Fifth Dimension, proved he really could work
magic when he won the coveted 'Ulster Cup' at the Aberdeen Magic Society's
close-up magic competition on Tuesday, 11th May. Jeff competed with six
others to win the award, and now holds two of the three annual Aberdeen
Magical Society awards for 2005. "Winning this award has special meaning
for me," said Jeff. "I gave up my secure job in the oil industry last year
to pursue my dream of working full time as a magician and entertainer with
Fifth Dimension, a company I set up with two fellow magicians."
www.fifthdimension.biz. 14.5.05
Children's party planners Les Petits Pois are expanding and would like to hear from children's entertainers who would be interested in work. In the first instance email mail@lespetitspois.co.uk for more information www.lespetitspois.co.uk. 14.5.05
Hounds Head Magic Pub is a new magic forum aiming to be a relaxed, civilized place to discuss magic... a virtual magic pub where you can enjoy the atmosphere of 'sessioning' with friends, without having to get your round in! As well as the forum there is also an arcade and a magic video clips section www.houndsheadmagicpub.com. 14.5.05
Deeper
and Deeper - Secrets of Stage Hypnosis by Jonathan Chase is reviewed
by Grant Boddington this week,
Click Here • Mark Elsdon lectures at the
Down Town Magic Club, on Monday, May 16th. Venue: DownTown Diner, Park
Street, Ashford, Kent • Many congratulations to Nick and Jo Einhorn on the
birth of baby Emily Natasha Einhorn on Thursday 12th May, now that's
magic! • A new-look version of Paul Gordon's Diary Trick has just been
produced, including simplified handling,
Click Here • New Magic Society in Buckinghamshire,
update: Sam 'X' emails to say that the a club (mentioned in MagicWeek a
few weeks ago) is
now being formed so for information, and to make it to the inaugural meeting,
email: sam@magicsamx.co.uk •
Insurance cover for hypnotists may shortly be available. For details join
the Yahoo Newsgroup Hypnotorious,
Click
Here, and then visit the 'Files' section • Peter Lamont's The Rise
of the Indian Rope Trick: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History is now
available in paperback,
Click Here • "Experiment goes hunting for haunting under the Royal
Mile"
Click Here • Thanks for your news, see you next week, Duncan. 14.5.05