Number 510 - 3rd April 2010
Congratulations
to Bob Hamilton on being awarded the 2010 David Berglas Award,
presented to him by David Berglas, at the annual British Magical Society
Awards Dinner held in Birmingham on March 27th. For almost 30 years Bob
has been behind the video camera at all the major magic events in the
country. Bob will join such luminaries as Paul Daniels, John Fisher,
Geoffrey Durham, Eddie Dawes and Alan Shaxon to name just a few of the
recipients of this award. The award was instigated in 1988 with Peter
Warlock being the first to receive it.
www.britishmagicalsociety.co.uk. MagicWeek featured Bob in our
'Magic Profile' series back in 2001,
Click Here. 3.4.10
Max
Somerset, star of television's Max Magic, Undercover Magic
and Sorcerers Apprentice heads the magical line-up at Magic
Night at Madame JoJo’s on Friday, 16th April. Max, an undisputed
magical Einstein, walks a fine line between genius and madness with
devastating effect! Oliver Tabor, Matt Hennem, AJ The Escapologist,
James Pritchard and Neil Henry join Max for an evening that promises
many magical surprises. Doors open at 7pm, Show
starts at 7.45pm, Tickets £10 (or supper and show ticket £20.00) from
www.ticketweb.co.uk or
www.lastminute.com. Madame
JoJo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SP (Map)
020 7734 3040 www.magicnight.co.uk. 3.4.10
An
Audience with Paul Daniels, Devon. "Paul Daniels is without doubt
one of the most accomplished magicians in the World and certainly one of
the most exciting. Add to that a unique comedy style and you have a
complete entertainer and one of the funniest men in show business. In
the world of TV no-one has enjoyed more success and from the moment he
burst onto television, his magic shows topped
the ratings. A recent book on TV facts calls him 'the most successful TV
magician of the 20th century'. His creative genius enabled him to
produce consistently stunning shows, never rivaled in spectacle,
covering the full range of the world of entertainment magic from small
'close-up' effects to enormous outside broadcast illusions..." Join Paul
Daniels for an evening full of magic, comedy and entertainment. Friday 16th April at 8pm. Tickets £16/£15/£14 Box Office: 01805
624624. The Plough Arts Centre, 9-11 Fore Street, Great Torrington,
Devon EX38 8HQ (Map).
www.plough-arts.org. For more tour dates
Click Here. 3.4.10
Master
Pickpocket
James Freedman has recently been working on a short film due to be shown
on Channel 4 this summer.
‘Dip’ written by Simon Lewis and directed by Lisa Gornick, is a short
film about a street pickpocket called Jason played by Robert Sheehan,
star of Channel 4’s Misfits, and his interaction with Asad, one of his
victims played by Said Mohamed.
James choreographed all the pickpocket sequences and taught Robert the
necessary skills for his role as a street thief. “Simon had captured some of the psychology that street pickpockets use
to confuse and distract their victims. Lisa was brilliant at explaining
her vision and really wanted to convey the pickpocket’s incredible skill
in these key scenes.” said James. James Freedman can be seen on the
other side of the screen in July, as one of the speakers at
The
Essential Magic Conference, the world’s first web conference for
magicians featuring 33 speakers over 3 days. James Freedman runs
www.magicians.co.uk
the UK's largest specialist magic agency. 3.4.10
50th
Bristol Day of Magic - May 9th. The Bristol Society of Magic celebrates its 50th Bristol
Day of Magic on Sunday May 9th with a gala
show will starring Belgium illusionist Rafael and FISM first prize winner
Pilou from France (photo).
The close-up shows will see first time visits from Michael Vincent and
Etienne Pradier, together with the welcome return of David Stone. Graham
Jolley will be appearing on the gala show together
with John Kimmons and Roy Davenport. Geoffrey Durham provides the main
lecture of the day with Ian Keable featured in the special one man show.
A 50th anniversary night before get together is also planned for
those in the vicinity with further details to be announced. With no
increase in the £30 registration price it will be a bargain day featuring
close-up shows, lectures, a gala show, a special one man show and of
course over 25 dealers! Registration forms will be mailed to past
registrants over the next few weeks and will also be available for
download via
www.bristolmagic.co.uk over the next week or from the
registration officer Andy Mac, telephone 0117 942 2449. 3.4.10
Charlie
Frye & Company - Eastbourne British Ring Convention, September. News
from Bob Hayden: We are delighted that Charlie Frye & Company will be
returning to our Convention in September. For many they were the
highlight of the 2006 Convention with their unique original eccentric
comedy act of juggling, sleight of hand, physical comedy and much more.
Charlie Frye plays the rubber-faced put upon juggler/magician while
Sherry Frye, his wife, is the elaborately bored beautiful assistant.
Charlie amazes; Sherry yawns. They are the very personification of
America’s rich vaudeville tradition who synthesize skills and a
passionate love of their art into something classical yet undeniably
fresh – something that astounds even as it entertains. Charlie has the
accolade of often being compared to classic comedians such as Charlie
Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel and Dick van Dykey. For more info
Click Here or visit
www.britishring.org.uk. 3.4.10
Innovention
2010 - update. News from Paul Stone:
Update on The Innovation taking place at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in
Las Vegas from 4th-7th October 2010. I've just returned from Las Vegas
where I met up with Jeff Hobson, Johnny & Pam Thompson, Kevin James,
Joseph Gabriel, Bob Kohler, Shep Hyken and Joanie Spina, and they are
all excited about being involved in the innovative shows and workshops
we are planning for The Innovention.
This will be unlike any other Magic Convention. The Innovation will
definitely not be an Annual Convention and there are no immediate plans
for producing another one. I just felt that although there are many
Magic Conventions to choose from, there was still room for a high
quality event in Las Vegas featuring world class talent produced
professionally at a great venue offering excellent facilities, and with
the numbers carefully limited to ensure that everyone attending was
treated like a VIP!
We are currently on the verge of making a couple of major additions to
the already impressive line-up of talent and will
announce this news shortly. 3.4.10
The
Essential Magic Conference, the world’s first web conference for
magicians, will feature lectures and demonstrations by some of the most
important thinkers in magic, including Anton Lopez (Spain), Apollo Robbins
(United States), Barry Jones (United Kingdom), Cyril Takayama (Japan),
Dani DaOrtiz (Spain), David Britland (United Kingdom), De'Vo Vom
Schattenreich (Germany), Eric Mead (United States,) Gaetan Bloom
(France), Gazzo (United Kingdom), Gene Matsuura (United States), Guy
Hollingworth (United Kingdom), Helder Guimarães (Portugal), James
Freedman (United Kingdom), Jason England (United States), Lennart Green
(Sweden), Luis de Matos (Portugal), Marco Tempest (United States), Max
Maven (United States), Miguel Angel Gea (Spain), Mike Caveney (United
States), Paul Kieve (United Kingdom), Paulino Gil (Spain), Ponta The
Smith (Japan), Richard McDougall (United Kingdom), Richard Wiseman
(United Kingdom), Stan Allen (United States), Stuart Macleod (United
Kingdom), Ton Onosaka (Japan), Topas (Germany), William Kalush (United
States). You'll be able to watch the lectures live on your computer, or
'on-demand' immediately following their
broadcast. There will be opportunities for you to interact with and
question the conference speakers. And, as an additional bonus, every
subscriber will receive a set of DVDs containing all the lectures. The EMC is being organised by Luis de Matos,
Marco Tempest and David Britland. Visit
www.essentialmagicconference.com for more information and to
register. 3.4.10
The
Official Sponsorship Pack for Magic Moments 2010 is now available
here on MagicWeek.co.uk. This downloadable pack gives you all the info
you will need to successfully stage your own magic moment on our annual
Magic Moments Day this coming October.
Click Here to download your free pack. Thanks for your support! Jay
Fortune. 3.4.10
The Ulster Society of Magicians meeting on
Monday April 12th will take place at The Stormont Hotel in
Belfast. This is in preparation of their hosting of the
IBM Irish Ring 85 convention from April 30th - May 2nd 2010, to show off
the facilities on offer. The 'Press Launch' commences at 7.30pm for 8pm
and is open to all. Sneak previews of the weekend's performers will be on
offer, together with live performances and one (un)lucky guest will be
sawn in half!
www.online-usm.com. 3.4.10
Leamington
Day of Magic, Wednesday 23rd June. This all day midweek event,
staged by The Leamington & Warwick Magic Society, always attracts busy
working professionals and amateurs alike, and this year features
something for everyone with lectures from Mark James, Dave Allen, Andrew
Normansell, David Taylor, Graham Lee and Smudgy, a selection of dealers,
and a competition for the Midlands Champion of Champions Close-Up
Magician of the Year. Tickets cost just £20 each and include parking, a
full English breakfast, lunch and afternoon barbecue (last year they
sold out quickly!). Tickets are available from Mick on 07747 052 878.
Time: 10am - 9.30pm. Venue: Cubbington Sports & Social Club, Windmill
Hill, Cubbington, Leamington Spa CV32 7LN (Map)
www.dayofmagic.co.uk. 3.4.10
Ian Adair, author of over 250 books on
magic and originator of over 1,000 marketed tricks, has been writing
his autobiography for the past year and a half. "You would think writing
this would come easy to me, but it's not as easy as writing a text book.
I have struggled at times, but it has been worth it in the end" Ian
admitted. Amongst many things, his book deals with his 36 years at The
Supreme Magic Company, and discusses, at length, the rise and fall of
the firm, which became the largest of its kind in the world. Ian also
reveals his methods for originating magical effects. "Dealing" with
Magic - The Rise & Fall of The Supreme Magic Company, is scheduled
to be published in November 2010. 3.4.10
Travis
Perkins Assembly - Ferrybridge Day of Magic. Travis Perkins is
pleased to announce the date for the 18th Ferrybridge Day of Magic,
Sunday 4th July 2010: "With two lecturettes, dealers and traders, the 27
minute workshop, the showette and contracts permitting another Question
and Answer session, the day looks promising, and all for £3.50." Venue:
The Community Centre, The Square, Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire WF11 8PQ (Map).
Doors open 9.45am. Further details will be announced in the coming
weeks. Further information can be obtained from Travis Perkins
travisperkinsuk@aol.com or
telephone Michael Shepherd on 01904 709500. 3.4.10
Magicseen
- Free 'taster' issues! Every two months the publishers of
Magicseen will be posting a link on the Magicseen website to enable
anyone to download a taster issue PDF of the UK's highly popular
bi-monthly independent magazine completely free! Each taster issue will
contain extracts from the current issue plus articles and features from
earlier issues of the magazine and will be about half the number of
pages of a regular issue. The taster issues will be made available
about a month after a new edition of the magazine is released, giving
anyone who is interested a quick and easy way to dip into some of the
current issue's contents and also enjoy extra articles from the previous 5
years' worth of magazines. Your free taster issue of the magazine is just
one click away! Visit
www.magicseen.co.uk. 3.4.10
Bigblindmedia
presents
Cameron’s Francis’ Exchange Rate Inc. "Cameron Francis’ Exchange Rate gimmick allows you to make an eye popping
change between a coin and a folded note.
You borrow a coin from your spectator. He signs one side, you sign the
other. You then offer to blow their mind. And if you can’t, you say,
you’ll give them the note in your pocket (can be any currency!).
Holding their signed coin at your very fingertips (sleeves rolled up),
you give one tiny shake and you are now holding the note! No cover, and
almost no sleight of hand.
You then reach into your pocket (or have the spectator do it if you’re
feeling brave), and retrieve the signed coin." And that's just for
starters... find out more, visit
www.bigblindmedia.com/exchangerateinc.htm. 3.4.10
Labco
launch MindBuster Mini. Two years after the original MindBuster was
released LabcoMagic's new release MindBuster Mini is mini is a reality.
Experience gained from producing the original MindBuster, feedback from
their customers and
many hours in the workshop developing and testing this latest version
have resulted in this state-of-the-art prop that features everything the
original had, but smaller! Email Soren Harbo for details
sorenharbo@gmail.com or visit
www.labcomagic.com. 3.4.10
The
Associated Wizards of the South Centenary Convention.
The AWS are
celebrating their 100th year by staging a Centenary Convention on Sunday
11th April 2010 in Romsey, near Southampton. Artistes booked
include Kostya Kimlat, Paul Gordon, Mike Stokes, James Brown, Mel
Mellers, Mark Worgan and Tensai. Advance registrations are £20.00. For
more information visit
www.awsmagic.co.uk. 3.4.10
Award
Winning Illusionist Chris De Rosa returns to Flamingo Land Resort
and Theme Park in North Yorkshire for a second season with a brand new
illusion production show called Afterdark. Following on from the
success of last year's show, Fantasy, Chris was asked to create
illusions for a new show. Afterdark features 8 dancers, 5
acrobats and 2 singers, along with some mind blowing stage illusions. As
well as the performances, Chris also built and designed all of the
illusions and effects for the show. Afterdark runs every Saturday
evening until October 30th. 2010.
www.derosamagic.com. 3.4.10
International
Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring President's Dinner.
2009/2010
IBM President, Shirley Ray and Dave welcome you to the president's
dinner and an Evening of Magic in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales at
The Coniston
Hall Hotel - Dinner & Cabaret, on Saturday 17th April 2010,
featuring John Archer, John Kimmons and Amethyst. Tickets available from
Dave Cass, Sadler Hall Lodge, Church Lane, Adel, Leeds LS16 8BU
(Telephone 0113 225 4816) Price £45.00. Venue: Coniston Hall Hotel,
Coniston Fold, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 4EA (Map)
Telephone 01756 748080. 3.4.10
All
the Fun of the Fair - a new musical.
The Twins are creating magical special effects in the new
West End
production of
All
the Fun of the Fair starring David Essex. "A roller coaster ride
of a musical, underscored by a helter skelter of David Essex hits and
album favourites. This moving and contemporary story with a
heartbreaking twist, reaches out to every parent and anyone who has ever
been torn in love. Dodgems and motorbikes, crafty cons and candy floss,
fairground horses and fights, along with romance and rock and roll bring
out the carnival atmosphere, but beware… all is not always fun...
" The show previews from April 20th, opening on the 28th at the Garrick
Theatre. 3.4.10
The
Surrey Society of Magicians held their Annual Close Up Competition
in Leatherhead on Thursday March 25th. Both audience and judges agreed
that the standard of magic was exceptionally high this year. Steve
McShane was the eventual winner (centre), with Steve Lobley being placed
2nd (left) and Stephen Baker 3rd... all three winners are bizarrely
called 'Steve' so you know what to do if you want to get placed next
year! The magical judge for the evening was David Weeks MIMC, ably
assisted by two lay judges; Pauline Colley and Peter Bassett of The
Kingston Rotary Club. For more information on The Surrey Society of
Magicians contact Club Secretary, John Field.
www.surreymagic.co.uk. 3.4.10
Vizage
are performing their Quick Change / Illusion act in the Variety show
"Hooked on Laughter" at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne
throughout the summer. See
What's On for
dates. Box Office 01323 412000 Credit Card Hotline 01323 411555. All
seats bookable; Stalls and Dress Circle £16, Seniors and Children under
16 £15, £1 off all prices for the Grand Circle.
www.vizagemagic.com
www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk. 3.4.10
Potter
& Potter Auctions, Inc. Rarities from the Collection of Jay
Marshall. Including Houdiniana, posters, apparatus, photographs, books
and choice ephemera. At Auction May 16th, 2010. Visit
www.potterauctions.com for details including the location of the
gallery, exhibition schedule, information and to make enquiries.
Catalogues available for purchase and download the week of April 15th.
Visit the Chicago gallery to preview items in person. 3.4.10
"Tricky
debut for Firman"
Click Here • "Magic! Bedford performer wins The Magic Circle's Close
Up Magician of the Year competition"
Click Here • "Warner Bros. Option Carter Beats the Devil. Yessss!"
Click Here • "Warner Brothers Options ‘Carter Beats the Devil’"
Click Here • "Will Smith 'may leave Men In Black 3'"
Click Here • "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
Click Here • "Clash of the Titans director Louis
Leterrier wants Y: The Last Man"
Click
Here • "Trickster Colin bags top magician award for third year
running"
Click Here • The next issue of MagicWeek (Number 511) will appear much later
than usual due to the Easter holiday period. Your UK magic news is always
welcome, see you next week! Duncan. 3.4.10