Number
953 - 29th September 2018
Derren
Brown Sacrifice, his first brand-new special for a number of years,
will be released on Netflix on Friday 19th October. Derren said that "making
it was an extraordinary journey, and for the unwitting subject of the
project, it was life-changing." "Derren Brown discusses making the
switch from Channel 4 to Netflix"
Click Here.
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Jamie
Allan's iMagician heads off to the USA in December, playing the 1,525 seater
Harris Theater in Chicago on Millennium Park from December 22nd - January 6th. 35
performances are booked, with more being added. Pre-sale begins on October 2nd with
general sale on October 5th with over 50,000 seats in the first wave. Jamie
writes: "We are so excited to bring the show to Chicago - it’s going to be the
biggest version yet! We can’t wait for people to see what we have planned!" See
www.iMagicianlive.com
to register for pre-sale
#imagicianchicago. Jamie appeared on Penn and Teller's Fool Us last week in the
episode titled “Never trust a Magician”, see
YouTube.
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Chris
Cox’s Mind Boggling Magic. Chris Cox is currently in the middle of a US tour
with The Illusionists but
in just a few days his CBBC series will go live on BBC iPlayer. It’s called Chris
Cox’s Mind Boggling Magic and each episode is just one trick. 10 long
editions will
drop on iPlayer on October 1st, with 6 short editions going out on Buzz, one a
day, from the 1st as well. "Chris Cox takes his offbeat brand of magic to the
Dumping Ground cast, as well as to kids across the UK, to blow their minds with
some mindboggling mind-reading challenges."
www.bbc.co.uk.
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Nick Einhorn lectures for Northamptonshire Magicians' Club on Tuesday 2nd
October.
Visiting magicians welcome; £10 charge.
The lecture starts at 8pm.
Northamptonshire Magicians' Club, Brafield on the
Green Working Men's Club, 35 Bedford Road, Brafield on the Green, Northampton
NN7 1BD (Map).
www.northamptonshiremagicians.uk. Mark Paul MMC,
Secretary, The Northamptonshire Magicians' Club.
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The
MagicWeek Video Archive. This week, Japan's Princess Tenko, in a guest appearance on
John Fisher's 'The Best of Magic' from 13th September 1989. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To catch up with past weeks and the occasional
'bonus' video
Click Here.
29.9.18
Hand
Cut Stripper Decks - Custom made in the UK. From the makers: The ‘Stripper
deck’ or ‘Tapered deck’ is one of the most versatile and easiest to use
gimmicked decks available. Apparent miracles can be performed that credit the
performer with amazing sleight of hand skills. The gimmicked deck allows the
performer to locate any required card(s) with ease, even after being shuffled by
a spectator.
The problem with commercially produced Stripper decks are the cuts! The tapers
on these decks are very deep. Spectators cannot get close to, or handle, the deck,
without instantly detecting its gimmicking! The answer to this problem started
life as an underground secret, used by professional card cheats: Hand Cut
Stripper Decks! Visit
www.handcut-stripperdecks.co.uk for more information and to order.
29.9.18
Celebrity
Troublemaking, 8pm on Friday 5th October on London Live. From the
makers: Paul Daniels' nephew, James Phelan, stuns celebrities with his
world class magic and stirs things up by delving into their secrets and
finding out their gossip. See TV Magic.
www.phelanmagician.com.
29.9.18
European
Close-Up Magic Symposium. From the organisers: ECUMS is the "Original
Close-Up Magic Convention" and the most prestigious gathering of close-up
magicians in Europe. This year's event stars: Bébel, Giacomo Bertini, Alex
Conradi, Raul Cremona, Pepe Fernández, Miguel Angel Gea, Flip Hallema, Hide
Kimoto, Eric Jones, Paolo Lepore, Angelo Mirra, Yumi Nakajima, Remo Pannain,
Gianfranco Preverino, Mario Raso, Tom Rose, Sergio Starman, Shane Cobalt, Jamy
Ian Swiss, Francis Tabary, Michele Trabona, Trabuk, Iacopo Fratini, and Hyde.
Sunflower Hotel, Piazzale Lugano 10, 20158 Milano, Italy. Saturday 17th and
Sunday 18th November 2018. See
www.closeupmagicsymposium.com.
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Doug
Henning's Magical World. Director/Writer Neil McNally has launched an online
Indiegogo funding campaign for his feature length documentary on the life and
work of Doug Henning called "Doug Henning's Magical World." The film itself
features interviews with Lance Burton, Penn and Teller, Max Maven, Jim
Steinmeyer, John Gaughan, Johnny Thompson, Milt Larsen, and more! To donate or
view the trailer
Click Here.
29.9.18
Darren
Mac Lecture at The Mercian Mystics Magic Society, Stoke-on-Trent. Andrew
Sherratt writes: Darren Mac will be lecturing at The Mercian Mystics in
Stoke-on-Trent on Tuesday 2nd of October at 8pm. All visiting magicians welcome;
£5.00 door fee. The Venue is: Smallthorne Victory Club, 300 Hanley Road,
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST6 1RE (Map).
Website.
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The David Berglas Digital Scrapbooks.
In Episode 21 David describes how he
created headlines when touring the variety theatres. For instance, he
displayed a cheque for £100 (a lot of money in those days) in a glass case
outside the theatre, offering it to anyone if he could not tell them their first
or last name. In Episode 22 (that went live on Friday 28th), he explains how he was able to hold
two press conferences, in two different parts of the world, at the same time!
Next week, Friday, 6th October (Episode 23), he'll recount various blindfold drives,
which he performed in different international cities. Probably the most memorable was
driving through heavy traffic in Piccadilly, with petrified world champion
racing driver Graham Hill in the passenger seat! The adventures continue...
visit
YouTube.
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Carl
Royle lectures at The Edinburgh Magic Circle on Monday 15th October.
Gary James writes: After making a living from performing magic for the last
fifteen years Carl will share his approach to many of his highly commercial
routines, straight from his working repertoire. The lecture includes Carl's now
famous Micro Cup and Ball Routine (The Gold Cup Con), magic with cards, coins,
elastic bands, business cards, and fun mental magic, including his thoughts and
work on using indexes. All delivered with the good humour you would expect from
a working professional magician. In the lecture, Carl will also discuss his
approach to adding humour to your magic routines, making effects more magical
and
much, much more. A proud member of the world famous Magic Circle in London, Carl
Royle has also acted as president of one of the largest magical societies in the
world, The Manchester Circle of Magicians. Paid up members are free and visiting
magicians are welcome for a £10 entrance fee, on the night, or you can pay by
PayPal (email for PayPal link). The lecture takes place at 8pm at The Mercat Bar, 28
West Maitland Street, Edinburgh EH12 5DX (Map),
just over from Haymarket Train Station. For full details please contact EMC Sec.
Gordon Munro: argyllind@btinternet.com.
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Oliver
Tabor lecture, Merlin Magical Society, Hertfordshire.
John Clayton writes:
On Thursday 4th October the Merlin Magical Society are having a lecture by
Oliver Tabor.
The Lecture is from 8pm to 10pm, doors open at 7.30pm.
Entry is £10 for non members.
Oliver is a full-time stage and close-up magician, he specialises in visual
manipulation stage magic and regularly performs his stage/cabaret acts in
theatre shows and cabaret venues such as the Leicester Square Theatre and the
Hippodrome Casino in London.
During his lecture he offers effects for close-up, comedy, stage and children's
magic.
Throughout the explanations he illustrates how to make performances more
powerful by applying the rules of stagecraft, how to deconstruct a routine or
act whilst eliminating any unnecessary movements and actions; his evolution of
ideas and inspiration behind a working routine and how to give your magic more
of an impact in general.
He also covers his thoughts on stage magic with an introduction into how the
techniques, psychology and rules followed by stage manipulators can easily be
applied to all performance situations: from cabaret to close-up and from parlour
to children's shows, plus he explains the thoughts and workings of a dove steal
and how this method can be easily adapted to produce a range of different
objects.
Lecture notes and products are on offer to purchase afterwards.
www.merlinmagicalsociety.co.uk.
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Jonathan Ross Presents Fool Us is being repeated on Virgin Media Three. "Hosted by the hilarious Jonathan Ross, this series of the peak time entertainment extravaganza is an original and daring TV magic show - starring the world famous magic double act - Penn and Teller. The spectacular show throws down the gauntlet to every magician in the US and from around the world to perform their most mystifying tricks to fool Penn and Teller. This series features 4 magicians per episode ranging from the most skillful to the most hilarious, who test the magical insight of the world famous duo." Sunday 30th September on Virgin Media Three. See TV Magic. 29.9.18
Spellbound Exhibition -
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Do you believe in magic? Even if you
don’t, you probably ‘think magically’ sometimes. We touch wood to stop
bad things happening, or take a lucky object to a job interview or exam
in an irrational attempt to influence the outcome.
This is the first exhibition to examine how magical thinking has been
practised over the centuries. With exquisitely engraved rings to bind a
lover, enchanted animal hearts pierced with nails, mummified cats
concealed in walls and many other intriguing objects, this exhibition
shows that the need to use magic is driven by our strongest emotions:
the need to be loved, our fear of evil and the desire to protect our
homes. While belief in magic and rituals can be comforting, it has also
led to the persecution of women as witches. This exhibition examines
both the idea of the witch and the reality of how women were accused of
witchcraft.
Even today, our tendency to think magically has not changed as much as
we might think. To illuminate the links between past and present,
contemporary artists have created new works inspired by the exhibition’s
themes. To 6th January 2019. Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont
Street, Oxford OX1 2PH (Map).
www.ashmolean.org.
29.9.18
Fritz
Alkemade lecture, The Medway Magical Society, Kent. Gary Bowes-Read writes: Join us at The Medway Magical Society for a lecture by Dutch
magician Fritz Alkemade. "Fritz with a Z," as he likes to be known, has
performed in many different countries and has released a number of DVDs, one of
which has 10 routines straight from his Magic Castle act. A versatile performer
who does kids shows, stand-up and table magic, Fritz has performed at corporate
events for clients including Mercedes Benz, Tommy Hilfiger and Peugeot. This event
costs just £10. Bring a magic friend along too. Tuesday, October 2nd 8pm-10.15pm
Medway Magical Society, St George Hotel, 7-8 New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent ME4 6BB (Map).
www.medwaymagicalsociety.org.uk.
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Jamie Raven's
'Making Magic' is reviewed by Brian Lead this week,
Click Here • "Uplifting experience with illusionist Jamie Raven"
Click Here • "Shin Lim -
Rehearsing The Future, December 2009"
YouTube • "North Devon magician honoured for his magical 50-year
career"
Click Here • "Illusionist said he could predict Republic headlines.
Here's how he did"
Click Here • "Glasgow magician returns to stage with new
one-man-show"
Click Here • "Who is Shin Lim and when did the America’s Got Talent
2018 winner and magician beat Courtney Hadwin?"
Click Here • "Yunke Magician at Trui Teatre, Palma de Mallorca"
Click Here • "Watch Gets Into Magic With ‘Troy The Magician’ From ‘I
Wanna Marry Harry’ Producer Zig Zag"
Click Here • "Bobby And Sharna Had Their Minds Blown By An
Illusionist"
Click Here •
That's it for this week. Your UK magic news is always welcomed, see you
next week, Duncan.
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