Number 461 - 25th April 2009
Michael
Caine - Is Anybody There? Francine Stock talks to Sir Michael Caine
on The Film Programme at 4.30pm on Friday 1st May on BBC Radio
Four. Michael Caine looks back at his movie career and his role as an
old magician in Is Anybody There? See
TV Magic. Richard
Kaufman interviews Michael Caine, the film's magic consultant Scott
Penrose, and writer Peter Harness, in the current issue of
Genii.
Trailer:
www.isanybodytheremovie.com. Opens in cinemas across the UK from
Friday 1st May. "Caine conjures up new career"
Click Here. 25.4.09
The
Magic Circle Collectors' Day, Saturday 30th May. This year's varied
programme features presentations by Dean Arnold on 'Some Gems from My
Collection', Will Houstoun on 'Insights on 18th-Century Professional
Card Magic from a Contemporary Notebook', Richard Evans on a famous
18th-century magician with 'Isaac Fawkes: Myth and Legend', and from
Australia, Richard Stokes will relate some of his seminal researches on
Jasper Maskelyne's Second World War exploits with 'Jasper Maskelyne's
Wartime Scrapbook'. Finally Elizabeth Warlock will recall, and Mike
Gancia perform, some of the creations of her famous father in 'Peter
Warlock's Way'. Chairman of the Day is Eddie Dawes. There will also be
an Exhibition featuring Edinburgh artist Sharon Whyte's series of
screenprints relating to 'learned' or 'educated' animals - 'A Sage of
the Stage, not a Beast in a Cage', and a selection of magic programmes
from the collection of David Booth. Coffee will be served from 10am and
the programme begins at 10.45am. Tickets £35.00 (including lunch and
afternoon tea) are available from The Magic Circle, The Centre for the
Magic Arts, 12 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD. Tel: 020 7387 2222. Email
cma@themagiccircle.co.uk.
Payment may be made by cheque (payable to 'The Magic Circle') or by
Visa/MasterCard. The venue is the Centre for the Magic Arts, 12
Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD. Organised by Eddie Dawes and Peter Lane. 25.4.09
The
Magic and Laughter Show will be held at the Electric Theatre in
Guildford on Wednesday, April 29th, featuring legendary magician Wayne
Dobson and comics Geoff Whiting, Danny Buckler and Geoff Northcott.
"Laughs and tricks at the Electric Theatre"
Click Here. 25.4.09
Timo
Marc is a young magician hailing from Stuttgart who has quickly made
an impression on the magic scene. For a number of years he worked in
banking but like many others who follow their initial choice of a career
he found his ambitions unfulfilled. At school Timo, together with a
group of his classmates, had received a basic training in magic from a
teacher who had a passion for the art. This group bonded, exchanged
ideas, and organised evenings of stage and table magic, allowing Timo to
realise where his preferences and strengths lay. With the knowledge he
had acquired at school and becoming a member of the Stuttgart Circle
Timo decided to alter course and dreamt of earning his living as a
magician... Bob Hayden profiles Timo Marc and Brando & Silvana, upcoming
performers at the British Ring Convention in September;
Click Here. 25.4.09
The
Magical Evening of Odd, May 3rd, Bethnal Green Working Mens Club,
London. Unmissable comedy and magic - a rare chance to see some great
performers in an intimate space starring John Archer (current Magic
Circle Stage Magician of the Year), Max Somerset (The Sorcerer's
Apprentice, Max Magic, Undercover Magic), and Canada's Wes Zaharuk
(“Cirque du Soleil meets Twin Peaks”), with magical host Neil Henry. The
show starts at 7.30pm, the bar's open until midnight, and "yummy magic
curry" will be available! Bethnal Green Workingmen's Cub, 44-46 Pollard
Row, Bethnal Green, London E2 6NB (Map).
One night only. Tickets £10.00 on the door, or book online via
www.wegottickets.com. 25.4.09
The
Sunday Séance. "An evening of Dark Magick, with a glass of absinthe,
tarot reading and a line of the blackest, most evil, snuff. Featuring
the Bizarre Magick of Dr John and Fortune Telling from acclaimed Psychic
Susan Oldman." Entry is free and the evening starts at 7pm. Last Sunday
of every month, starting tomorrow on April 26th. Venue: CellarDoor, Zero
Aldwych, London WC2E 7DN (Map).
www.cellardoor.biz. 25.4.09
Smoke
& Mirrors - The Magic Radio Show. Matthew Duggan is joined by magic
consultant and illusion designer extraordinaire Paul Kieve this week:
"We'll be talking about Paul's career, who the first illusion designers
were and how he creates theatrical magic for stage and screen." You can
also listen again to the first episode via the Blog on the Smoke &
Mirrors Radio Show website:
www.smokeandmirrorsradioshow.com. 25.4.09
Magic
and Fine Dining comes to the Midlands. Take one of Royal Leamington
Spa’s finest restaurants, The Grand Union, and add one of the finest
local magicians and what results is a magical evening of gourmet dining.
"Grand Union is the perfect description for this stunning combination of
fantastic food, superb service and amazing ambience." Leamington
Courier. Prepare to be amazed as Magic Circle magician David Taylor
presents his unique blend of live magic and illusion on Thursday April
30th. A three-course meal will be accompanied by amazing close-up
sleight of hand magic; followed by an intimate magic cabaret to round
the night off. The entire evening costs just £28.00 per head. Tickets
are only available in advance - to book call 01962 421323 or email
enquiries@thegrandunion.co.uk. Visit:
www.thegrandunion.co.uk and
www.davidtaylormagic.co.uk. 25.4.09
Show
him your money! Jonathan Allen (aka the infamous parodic gospel
magician Tommy Angel) will be exhibiting his large and ever growing
collection of magician's bank notes in Vienna in a months time, in an
exhibition organised by Dr. Brigitte Felderer, curator of the recent
magic history retrospective exhibition
Zauberkunste. If you have magician's note of your own and don't mind
parting with one, Jonathan would very much appreciate it if you could
contact him (urgently!), whereupon he will happily swop a Tommy Angel
banknote for one of your own. The exhibition will take place in one of
Vienna's huge opera houses, so it will be a feather in the cap of any UK
magician to participate! Email: Jonathan Allen
mail@jonathanallen.info. 25.4.09
The
heats of the Young Magician of the Year Competition were held at the
Magic Circle Headquarters on Sunday 19th April. The acts of fifteen
competitors were considered and the following seven were selected to
proceed to the final on July 12th. Edward Hilsum (silent), David Johnson
(silent), Michael Jordan (patter), Megan Knowles-Bacon (silent), James
Milner (patter), Sanjivan Parhar (patter), Carl Scutt (patter).
Congratulations should be given to all the competitors for presenting a
very enjoyable day of magic with great variety. Tickets for the Final
will be available from The Magic Circle Box Office shortly. Watch this
space for further announcements. Dr. Michael Colley, Competition
Secretary. 25.4.09
High
Jinx in the world of Juggling. Michael and Siobhan (High Jinx) have
launched a brand new website for juggling supplies:
www.thejugglingshop.com "The UK's latest online juggling store, for
all your juggling needs. Shop here for Diabolos, Diabolo Sticks,
Juggling Balls, Juggling Clubs, Poi, Staffs, Devil Sticks, Unicycles,
Fire Equipment, Spinning Plates, Juggling Rings, Juggling Books, DVDs
and much more. Please check our huge range of Juggling Equipment... if
you can't find what you are looking for then don't hesitate to contact
us." Visit
www.thejugglingshop.com today! 25.4.09
Butterfly
Knights Productions are hosting a night in association with the MTV
'Staying Alive' campaign (Staying Alive is MTV's global HIV and AIDS
awareness and prevention campaign) at the Village Underground in
Shoreditch, London, on Saturday 25th April, Tickets are £13.00 in
advance -
www.butterflyknights.com. It is held in a collection of recycled
tube carriages and will be a night of live bands, DJs, live fashion
shows, interactive cocktail bars, magicians, graffiti artists, photo
exhibitions, live illustrations, professional choreography... all very
different! Darius Ziatabari, Chris Keward, Ben Williams, Paul Roffman,
Neil Henry and Lee Hathaway will be performing close-up magic as guests
sip on cocktails... 25.4.09
The Mentalist - Episodes
1, 2, 3, 4 + 5 are being repeated between 6pm and 11pm next Saturday
(2nd May) on Five USA - see
TV Magic for details.
(Not your thing? Try some classic
Partridge instead!) 25.4.09
Merlins
of Wakefield have just launched a new website. They aim to keep it
updated every week, and also to have a regular 'Blog' with details of
new releases and items of interest regarding the magic world. It also
has a Forum, which you are welcome to join and use as an area for
everything magic. Special offer for MagicWeek readers: All orders placed
until the end of May will receive a free magic trick - simply enter
MAGICWEEK (one word, all caps) into the coupon code box during checkout.
Visit
www.merlinswakefield.com today! 25.4.09
David
and Dania guest on Tonight's the Night, tonight at
6.55pm BBC 1. "John Barrowman hosts another night of celebrity surprises as he makes
the Nation's performing dreams come true. The cast of the smash hit
musical Jersey Boys make an inspirational youth worker's West End wish
come true. The Saturdays spring a spectacular surprise on a life-saving,
break-dancing Brownie and Simply Red serenade a Superfan for a heart
warming thank you."
TV
Magic.
25.4.09
The
Surrey Society of Magicians held their Annual Close Up Competition
in Leatherhead last week. Six performers battled for the coveted 'Cups
and Balls' Trophy, made by Frank Preston of The South Downs Magical
Society. The standard of magic this year was incredibly high, but the
eventual winner on the night was Stephen Baker, who now holds the
Society's "double crown" having won the recent Stage Competition. In a
close-run race the 2nd prize went to Theo Theodoris, and the 3rd to Ben
Williams. The magical judge for the evening was Fergus Anckorn MIMC.
Steve Beam lectures at the club on May 28th, email Secretary, John Field
john.field@surreymagic.co.uk for details. Photo: L to R: Theo
Theodoris, Stephen Baker and Ben Williams.
www.surreymagic.co.uk. 25.4.09
Former
Legal Director of Associated Newspapers and magician Ivor Cole is
just off on a three day engagement in Imperia, Italy, presenting his
magic show in Italian. This is just prior to preparing his programme for
the Edinburgh Festival 2009 having been invited to present The Mind
Magic of Cole at the world-famous annual celebration. This follows
successful performances of his show in London at The New Theatre,
Hampstead and The Kings Head, Islington where he was seen by the
Edinburgh Festival's producers. 25.4.09
Chris
Hare presents his ''Harebrain'' lecture at the Wessex Magical
Association on Tuesday 12th May at 8pm. He will be explaining items
that can be picked up quickly, together with more complex routines that
will require real work. Chris is probably best known as the creator of
the Birthday Detector and has put together a special bargain
package including this and his other currently advertised items,
exclusively for those attending this lecture. Chris has been a
professional entertainer for over 30 years and has performed both
Hypnotic and Mentalist type shows. One claim to fame is that he had the
highest possible viewing figures on Maltese Television, whilst
performing a Telepathy Act along with other mental effects! He also
correctly memorised the entire studio audience’s first names! Visiting
magicians welcome for a nominal sum.
www.mindboggler.co.uk
www.wmagic.co.uk.
Also see: Lecturers. 25.4.09
Johnny
Fantastica will be performing his award winning show "The Rose" at
the City of Cattolica Flower Festival, Rimini, Italy, from April 29th to
May 6th. Then on May 9th he can be seen performing his crazy comedy
"Doctor Deaf" act at the Cultural Centre, Ladysmith Road, Birmingham. 25.4.09
Two
Pros Talking. "Ever wanted to know what it's like to be a Pro
magician in the real world? Nathan Kranzo and Keith Fields reveal all!
Two Pros Talking, in a car, in a car park!"
www.kranzofields.googlepages.com. 25.4.09
Comedy
performer Wayne Slater (aka El Loco) and illusion designer Mark
Parker are working together on completely restructuring Wayne's 'The
Dentist's Chair' show. Wayne said “I am very excited about the new
direction the show will be taking. Working with Mark's unique ideas and
direction is a perfect combination to deliver a whole new 'El Loco' for
the world to see."
www.elloco.co.uk
www.illusion-designer.com. 25.4.09
Magician
and Illusionist Scott Pepper will be hitting the high seas again,
this time for 6 months. Scott boards the
Oceania Insignia on April 28th and will be cruising the Med until
October. Scott encourages any other magicians sailing the Med between
these times to get in touch, as it would be great to meet up. While
onboard Scott will also be launching his new book 'The Working Magician'
as a download, via his website. More details coming soon.
www.revillusion.co.uk. 25.4.09
Tricky
Ricky presents Talk 'N' Tricks, a fun and entertaining lecture on
Children’s and Family Entertainment at the
Glasgow
Magic Circle on Tuesday, April 28th, at 7.30pm at the Rutherglen
United Reformed Church, 69 Johnstone Drive, Rutherglen G73 2QA (Map).
Entry for non-members is £5.00 "Great lecture, pure entertainment, very
funny and practical routines" Ron Popple, UK Children’s Entertainer of
the year 2002. "Ricky's lecture was the highlight of the day at
Kidology" Malcolm Malan, Tactical Magic. Ricky McLeod has been
professionally entertaining Children and Family audiences for the past
18 years and currently performs at over 300 events a year. He is four
times winner of the Max Raskin Cup for Children’s Magic and twice winner
of the Murray Wand for Showmanship awarded by The Scottish Association
of Magical Societies. Ricky released his lecture booklet “Tricks Of My
Trade” at the Kidology convention in September 2005 where it was a
complete sell-out. In 2006 he lectured at the Blackpool Magicians' Club
and then in 2007 was invited to lecture at the Blackpool Magicians'
Convention. Other societies visited include Wolverhampton Association of
Magicians, Perth Magic Circle, Scottish Conjurers Association, British
Magical Society, West Lothian Magic Circle and the SAMS convention,
Greenock. 25.4.09
Good
news and bad news: Paul Gordon's 10th May Card Capers Day of Magic
in Worthing has sold out! That's good news for Paul and bad news for
you. But tickets are still available for Sunday 13th September in
Leamington Spa. For the day's itinerary and previous reviews visit
www.paulgordon.net/cardcapers.htm. It's a fun and informative day of
Paul's "doable" card magic! 25.4.09
The
brand new Anglo Poker Edition 09 deck of high quality playing cards
by Offason has just been released. The cards are made by magicians for
magicians and are fully described on the official website
www.anglocards.com.
A panel of 16 experienced card magicians (including a former Word
Champion and several Swedish and Nordic Champions) have tried and tested
the cards prior to their release and many changes have been implemented.
A Gaff Deck and a Rainbow Deck (same back design but 52 different
colours, looks like a rainbow when ribbon spread in new deck order) will
be released shortly. (Thanks to Gay Ljungberg
www.gycklaren.com
for the news). 25.4.09
A
free lecture on The Art of Presentation will be held at the South
Downs Magicians on Wednesday, May 6th. Actor, magician and entertainer
Bertie Pearce, a member of the Inner Magic Circle with gold star, will
be demonstrating how to make magic more dramatic. Bertie is one of the
most engaging, amusing and entertaining lecturers on the circuit and has
a wealth of experience in theatre, cruise ships and television. All
performers, no matter what their level of skill or experience, are
guaranteed to learn something from this lecture. 8pm at Handcross Parish
hall, High Street, Handcross, West Sussex RH17 6BJ (Map)
www.southdownsmagicians.co.uk
www.bertiepearce.com. 25.4.09
Mike
Smith lectures at The Merlin Magical Society on Thursday April 30th.
Doors open at 7.30pm, and the lecture starts at 8pm. Entrance is £5.00
for non-members. Venue: Little Heath Parish Hall, Thornton Road, Potters
Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1JJ (Map)
"Mike Smith's Hand Wash Utility Technique is the most unique and
versatile version of the hand wash to-date. With this technique you can
vanish items, produce them and hide almost any small object, whilst
showing your hands apparently empty. Cards, coins, notes, rings, balls
and keys are just some of the items that can be used.
HWUT is only limited by your imagination and will turn your effects
into something truly special. The lecture is split into two parts. The
first is on close-up and stand-up magic and the second on Handwash
routines from the DVD. The lecture has something for everyone."
www.merlinmagicalsociety.co.uk. 25.4.09
John Martin The Master Magical Mechanic A Genius at Work, by Granville Taylor (Faust the Magician) is still available directly from the author. The book has over 100 A4 pages, 100 colour photographs and 10 detailed workshop plans, featuring some of the Martin replicas made by Granville Taylor, with an introduction by Professor Edwin A Dawes and a preface by Peter Diamond. Price £60.00 plus delivery. For more information email taylormademagic@yahoo.co.uk. 25.4.09
Controversial Hypnotist, Magician and Mentalist Jonathan Royle has just set up a new Video Blog to share ideas and techniques at no charge with fellow mystery arts performers. There are 100's of free books and courses to download at www.magicalguru.wordpress.com. 25.4.09
MagicWeek/Club News - This new
section on MagicWeek is for Magic Club News and Updates and is in
addition to our regular 'News' and 'What's On' sections. I decided to go
for a soft launch on Tuesday, so that there would be content by the time
we reached Saturday. It will be updated throughout the week, in fact
more or less as soon as items come in. It is designed for fast, quick,
Magic Club related messages - say all you want in 60 words or less...
● Just updated your magic club's website?
● Added club night reports to your club's website?
● Last minute lecturer announced?
● Looking for new members?
● AGM results?
● Added a review to your club's website?
● Events Diary - Have you just published your schedule of upcoming
events?
● Want to remind MagicWeek readers about a visiting lecturer?
● Magic Sale night?
● Want to post a mini-report?
● Nearly sold out of tickets for an upcoming event?
● Want to remind MagicWeek readers of an upcoming event?
● Had a new website made?
● Change of venue?
● Change of event?
● Date change?
Use this section for quick news items, reminders and updates, relating
to your club: Club
News. 25.4.09
"Viva
Las Vegas as Keith Barry moves for good to magic city"
Click Here • "Mini Magician"
Click Here • "Head Case: Lance Burton has lost His Magic"
Click Here • Alan York reviews Derren Brown: Enigma this week,
Click Here • "Master of magic"
Click Here • "Mada's touch. Magician Adam Mada discusses the
psychology of illusion with Andrew P Street"
Click Here • "No business like magic business for Leamington
conjuror Woodward"
Click Here • "Blaine to turn himself into husband?"
Click Here • "Big names at Random go digital"
Click Here • "What is Va Va Voom?"
Click Here • That's it for another week, your UK magic news is
always welcomed, see you next week, Duncan.
25.4.09