Number 1012 - 16th November 2019

 

Close-up Magic Stars at Blackpool 2020! From the organisers: It's time to announce some of the incredible world class close-up magic that we've booked for Blackpool 2020. Michael Ammar, Jay Sankey, Takumi Takahashi, Henry Evans, Sergio Starman, Patrick Kun, Ryan Schlutz and Kyle Littleton are just some of the names already booked and confirmed to perform and lecture. Numbers are already up on last year (which was a record), so come and join over 4,500 other like-minded people for a weekend of mind-blowing magic and fun! Book now to get the best seats currently available and join our headliners Lance Burton, Arturo Brachetti, Mac King and Uri Geller for the world's biggest and best magic convention. Believe it or not, we still have some amazing names and events still to announce! www.blackpoolmagicconvention.com. 16.11.19

 

Wayne Dobson Lecture - The Northamptonshire Magicians Club, Tuesday 19th November. Mark Paul MMC, Secretary, The Northamptonshire Magicians Club writes: Wayne needs no introduction. What a great way to end the year. We were very lucky to book Wayne. A night not to be missed! Visiting magicians welcome, £10 charge. The lecture starts at 8pm at 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. 16.11.19

 

Ringmaster David Williamson in 'Circus 1903' at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for Christmas, from 19th December to 5th January. The new acts joining the Circus 1903 family adventure include a daring duo aerial act ‘The Flying Fredonis’ performed by Russian artists Dasha Shelest and Vadym Pankevych, Cuban hand balancer ‘The Great Rokardy’ (Rokardy Rodriguez) and the furious flexible feats of Russian Rolling Ball Hula Hoopist ‘Mademoiselle Natalia’ (Natalia Leontieva). The Southbank Centre will also host The Wheel of Death, a ginormous rotating apparatus featuring large metal hoops at each end in and on which performers Carlos Mayorga Macias, Jerson Alexander Valencia Garcia and Ray Freddy Valencia Bocanegra will carry out eye-popping acrobatic skills whilst the wheel is rotating.

 

Transporting audiences back to the wonders of the Golden Age of Circus, new acts will join the previous and much-loved mind-bending juggler, ‘The Great Gaston’ (François Borie), the legendary balancing act Rola Bola by ‘The Sensational Sozonov’ (Russian Mikhail Sozonov and Ukrainian Ievgeniia Fetkulova), unrivalled Ethiopian contortionist, ‘The Elastic Dislocationist’ (Senayet Asefa Amare) and the stomach churning heights of ‘The Daring Desafios’ (trio of Brazilian teeterboard daredevils João Guilherme de Lima Siqueira, Luan de Souza Vieira and Leonardo Louzada de Freitas). Dizzying Mongolian duo Ganbayar Munkhbat and Andryei Batbold will bring their Icarian Games act and the Russian Cradle will feature breathtaking performances from ‘Les Incredibles’ (Ivan Fomichev and Maria Boldyreva). See www.circus1903.com or What's On for all  tour dates. 16.11.19

 

Paul Kieve has joined Jim Steinmeyer on the creative team of Mary Poppins which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End on 13th November, some fourteen years after the original production played the same theatre. The illusions are now a combination of Jim’s original work together with supplementary material for this updated production, including a brand new ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ scene. It is the first time Jim and Paul have directly collaborated.

Critics have singled out the magic for praise including Michael Billington in The Guardian describing one of the scenes as one of three highlights of ‘ecstasy’ in the show: "In A Spoonful of Sugar, thanks to the illusions of Paul Kieve and Jim Steinmeyer, a partially destroyed kitchen is restored to pristine order". The Evening Standard described their joint illusion work as "Terrific" and The Sun raved about the "Incredible staging" of the illusions. More reviews here: www.broadwayworld.com.

'Mary Poppins' based on the stories of P L Travers and the Walt Disney film. Producers: Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh. Prince Edward Theatre, London, booking to 7th June 2020. www.marypoppinsonstage.co.uk. "How Mary Poppins has changed for the stage" www.bbc.co.uk/news.
16.11.19

 

An Evening with Andy Nyman - Hosted by Jay Rayner. Monday 2nd December, London. Tickets are £29. Join us for a special fundraising evening with Andy Nyman, discussing his career on stage, in movies, as a writer and in magic. Hosted by Jay Rayner. See www.eventbrite.co.uk for details and to book. 16.11.19

 

A Magic Wednesday with Buddies, Brighton. Join us for a Preview Night of amazing magic and mind reading at Brighton's favourite Diner. A Magic Wednesday with Buddies is a chance to see magicians and mind readers performing new material and tricks. It's a fun and cheap midweek night out hosted by Buddies 24 hour diner on Brighton seafront. With a fully licensed bar and special food offers, we ask for a £2.50 donation on the door. Spaces are limited so we strongly advise you to book your free tickets in advance. Wednesday, November 27th, arrive for 7.30pm with a show start time of 8pm. So why not bring your friends and family for some low-cost midweek fun. Buddies 24 Hour Diner, 46-48 Kings Road, Brighton BN1 1NA (Map). For more info and to book visit www.eventbrite.com. 16.11.19

 

The Amazing Johnathan Documentary - opens nationwide this week. Benjamin Berman’s acclaimed feature directorial debut starts as the story of The Amazing Johnathan, an extraordinary magician who built a career out of shock and deception in the 1980s, which transforms into a bizarre story about the unravelling of the documentarian.

After Johnathan is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition and given one year to live, he’s forced to retire his act. Cut to three years later: Johnathan is not dead, much to everyone’s amazement, and documentarian Ben Berman films the illusionist on an epic comeback tour. But as their mutual journey kicks off, Johnathan drops a bombshell that sends the film spiraling into uncertainty. Embracing this unforeseen obstacle, Ben delves deeper to determine what is truth and what is illusion. Built into the heart of this quick-witted and highly meta story is an indelible commentary on the process and ethics of making a documentary today. Issues of negotiation and access become the central threads that reveal, and further cloud, our understanding of this elusive protagonist. The Amazing Johnathan Documentary.
16.11.19

 

Magic at The Grand Hotel Brighton, November 29th and Magic at The Hilton, Southampton, December 28th. From the organisers: Two special, magical, black-tie events featuring Etienne Pradier, Ryan Hayashi, Brendan Rodrigues, Paul Martin, Edward Askham-Spencer, Steel Johnson, Josh King, Ole Gold and the stunning vocals of Ashya Roberts. Plus a special secret Britain's Got Talent performer! People can expect a red carpet reception, three courses of fine dining, close-up magic and smooth songs from our vocalist throughout the night, culminating in a stage show. This has been set up with fundraising in aid of 'Help for Heroes' and 'Rock 2 Recovery', two veteran charities that do incredible work to support struggling veterans. Our last event at the Grand Café can be seen here: YouTube. Tickets £65.00 - visit www.askham-magic.com for more details and to book. 16.11.19

 

Richard Jones: Escape. Extra tour dates just announced. From the promoters: "Richard Jones was the winner of Britain's Got Talent and is a British Army soldier as well as one of the world’s greatest magicians in The Magic Circle. Having recently had audiences on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions completely captivated, Richard is extending his sell-out tour of the UK earlier this year. Therefore due to popularity, new dates in 2020 have been announced where the mesmerising Lance Corporal will confirm exactly what made him the stand out act to win Britain’s top talent show in 2016... And still the only magician to have won the show. After gasps of emotion shown on the ITV1 programme, much of the audience this month were reduced to tears when Richard paid tribute to his veteran mentor, Fergus Anckorn – a fellow magician who died last year before his 100th birthday. On his extended tour of Escape, Richard endeavours to break the boundaries of the mind with his ‘magic with meaning’, debuting a further twist on some of his newest, awe-inspiring magic. In heart-warming memory of Fergus, he will be recreating some of his dear friend’s most incredible tricks too - some of which the legendary soldier only ever taught Richard himself." See What's On for tour dates or visit www.richardjonesmagic.co.uk. 16.11.19

 

Marc Paul lecture - Bexley Magic Society. Roy Marsh MIMC writes: This Wednesday, 20th November, Bexley Magic Society is delighted to welcome back to their club the highly successful and very popular Marc Paul to give his latest lecture. Marc has been a full time professional mentalist for over 25 years. He performs all over the world working at corporate events, trade shows and on cruises. In this lecture, Marc will perform and teach a full 35/40 minute show that packs small, plays big and delivers a powerful dose of amazement. Even if you don’t normally perform mentalism this is a lecture that will get you thinking and creating. Visiting magicians welcome. Fee on the door £10.00. Bexley Magic Society, Barton Hall, Barton Close, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 8JP (Map). www.bexleymagic.org.uk. 16.11.19

 

The Mark Leveridge November Podcast. Now that the nights have drawn in it's the ideal time to sit down and delve into the latest magic podcast from Mark Leveridge. For November: The dilemma that mentalists face when seeking to make their shows entertaining to the lay public. Organising your performance workspace can be key to putting on a good show. The brand new E-Club Pro Live lecture for 2020/21 is ready to book. It’s surprising how hackneyed the responses can be to magic and magicians. David Regal claims that there is a need to fail in order to achieve great things, but is this universally true? A New Release is announced of a classic effect for stand up or for a close-up show. Your magic bookshelf can reveal a lot about your magic pathway. The 30 minute audio podcast is free from either www.markleveridge.co.uk/podcast-archive or www.markleveridge.podbean.com from where you can also sign up to be a follower and receive each new monthly release as soon as it is ready. 16.11.19

 

Victoriana comes to North Norfolk. Chris and Belinda North are bringing their critically acclaimed Victorian show Amazing Mysteries to Sheringham Little Theatre. The show, which features Belinda as The Victorian Enchantress with her own brand of sorcery and illusion, plus Chris, will be taking a light-hearted and amusing look at some of the bizarre superstitions and unusual phenomena that were so prevalent in the Victorian era. Sheringham Little Theatre, Sheringham NR26 8RE (Map) – Thursday 21st November at 7.30pm. Tickets available via www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com or call the box office on 01263 822347. 16.11.19

 

Manchester Circle of Magicians - Master Magician Competition. William Booth writes: Monday 16th November M.C.M. presents the Master Magician Competition. A competition which consists of stage and close-up magic. Definitely a night not to be missed. If you are in the area why not pop along? Visitors are welcome with prior approval from the President and a charge of £10.00 on the night. For more information and details visit our website www.manchestercircleofmagicians.co.uk or email contact@manchestercircleofmagicians.co.uk. 16.11.19

 

Thom Peterson lecture - Harrogate Society of Magicians. Gary Craswell writes: On Tuesday 19th November, the Harrogate Society of Magicians will be hosting a lecture from Thom Peterson. Thom teaches routines that are easy for all abilities, yet professional in their method and routining. All visiting magicians welcome, for the usual fee of £5. Lecture starts at 8pm in the back room of The Alexandra Pub, Prospect Place, Harrogate HG1 1LB (Map). For more information contact gary_craswell@yahoo.co.uk. 16.11.19

 

South London Magic Society Stage Magician of the Year. Simon Rosselli writes: Congratulations to Liam Ball who successfully defended his title 'South London Magic Society Stage Magician of the Year'. In a closely fought battle with seven other magicians, he won over the judges (many thanks Barrie Westwell from the Illusioneer and to St. Christopher’s Ambassadors Dawn & Sally) with his Torn and Restored Newspaper and Wordsmyth. Congratulations also to Mr. Quinn who won the Best Newcomer award and to James Buchanan Cowan who won Most Original Act award, and best non-member of The Magic Circle award. 16.11.19

 

Sam Fitton - Edinburgh Magic Circle Lecture, Monday, 18th November. From the organisers: Let’s be honest, if you’ve heard of Sam Fitton it’s probably because he said something incredibly blunt on a Facebook magic group or you’ve seen him perform at the Blackpool Magic Convention or heard his name in relation to his book, ‘The Golden Rules of Wedding Magic.’ Well... For the very first time Sam is lecturing on the business of wedding magic. No fluff, no BS, just 100% real world, practical, straight-to-the-point advice direct from the trenches. Sam’s refreshing, upbeat, customer focused approach has led him to both win and train national award winners as well as be regarded as one of the top wedding performers in the country. He’s performed at over 600 weddings and if you think that’s tough you should try writing this in 3rd person! Hold on! It won’t all be business as Sam will also be teaching some of his favourite effects that are not yet commercially available as well as share some surprising upgrades to classics that we all know and love. If you want to up your game, get inspired, blitz the wedding industry or just fancy seeing how someone else runs their business then this is the lecture for you.  Monday, 18th November at 8pm. Visiting magicians welcome (small charge). The Mercat Bar & Kitchen, 28 West Maitland Street, Edinburgh EH12 5DX (Map). 16.11.19

 

Olmac 2020 lecture - two dates remain. Tony Junior, Secretary of the Newcastle Magic Circle writes: I am organising "An Evening with Olmac" in February 2020. We only have two dates left: Wednesday 5th or Sunday 9th. If this lecture is of interest to your club please email me tony-junior@outlook.com for full details. Following Olmac's recent appearance at the South Tyneside International Magic Festival, I am looking at putting out a 2020 Olmac UK lecture tour next year, in either February or March. Olmac was simply sensational at the South Tyneside International Magic Convention. Since 2000 he has participated in numerous competitions and magic championships and has won several titles. Particularly known for his impressive card manipulations, Olmac created many DVDs for wizards around the world. In 2007, Olmac began the TV series ‘Al Camera Assahira Magic Olmac’ consisting of 250 episodes of 6 minutes each, which aired on the Moroccan channel 2M. Olmac shot his own one-man show in Washington DC in 2013 and is currently the President of the Magic Club of Nice, The Magic Star. He made a TV show on CCTV in China with his Black Light act in 2015. That same year he represented France at the 2015 Magic World Championships in Rimini. 16.11.19

 

Reach thousands of potential customers with Magicseen Lite. From the publishers: Containing some of the content from the November 2019 full edition of Magicseen, the download only taster edition will be released on the 1st December and will be distributed free by Magicseen as well as a number of other prominent dealers. Do you have a message that you want magicians the world over to see? Then submit an advert at quarter, half or full page size right now and give yourself the chance to make sales and create new customers to visit your website. Rates are extremely competitive but you need to be quick as the deadline for issue 4 is the 20th November. Contact Mark Leveridge now on markleveridge@magicseen.co.uk to get full details and prices. 16.11.19

 

Tony Griffith is now booking his P.E.C. Lecture (Practical - Entertaining - Commercial) for 2020: "This lecture has well scripted presentations and clever and easy to do methods that allow you to focus on interacting with your audience and express your personality. In an age where so much 'new' material is devised more with a view to just fooling the purchasing magician than being suitable for the lay public Tony's magic bucks the trend. The material presented covers a wide range of the magic art. There is something for everyone, regardless of whether you perform close up magic, stand up magic or children's magic. The magic has been designed so that it can be performed in a whole variety of situations. Tony Griffith has been all the way around the magic roundabout. He is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle and has lectured there on numerous occasions as well as at The Magic Castle, Hollywood. He has also lectured throughout the USA, New Zealand, Europe and the UK. The most frequently heard comment from those who have seen Tony's lecture is that it is choc full of practical entertaining commercial magic for anyone who wishes to go out and entertain the public. What more could you wish for? tony@tonygriffith.co.uk 01275 835463 www.tonygriffith.co.uk." 16.11.19

 

Andy Clockwise, Chris North, Ian Keable, Jez Rose, Mark Leveridge, Martin Duffy, Mike Stoner, Noel Qualter, Oliver Tabor, Paul Gordon, Steve Dimmer, Steve Gore and Tony Griffith... book a magic lecturer for your club today! Visit the MagicWeek Lecturers page. 16.11.19

 

Magician Amy Windsor is seen here performing some magic at Everest Base Camp at 5,364 metres. Is this a magic land altitude record? Amy took her magic and mind-reading stuff along to keep her fellow trekkers amused over the weeks - but once the gloves came off at EBC it turned out to be harder than she'd anticipated! 16.11.19

 

Hawaii Five-0 "Chin Ho and Jerry attend a high-school reunion, where one of their old classmates winds up dead. The finger of suspicion soon points at a struggling illusionist, but has he really got blood on his hands? Meanwhile, McGarrett and Danny head to the secret burial site in search of clues." Friday 22nd November on Sky One. See TV Magic. 16.11.19

 

David Lait. Steve and Trica Blake emailed to say that sadly former Young Magician of the Year winner (1969) David Lait had died. David spent his life working and performing in the cruise industry as a cruise director. A close friend and cruise director Joyce Gleeson-Adamidis, wrote: "David's career was vast and exciting. He thrilled crew and passengers alike as a magician and comic. Decades of his delight and charm and the way he helped friends will be missed in ways words can never express. David passed at the end of May 2019 much to the shock of all who knew him." Tricia wrote: "David was the most kind and fun person who spent his life on ships. He was such a wonderful guy. For my birthday whilst in Caribbean he hired a Catamaran and threw a fabulous party." 16.11.19

 

"Piff the Magic Dragon fires up the stage" Click Here • "Meet Zach King, the digital magician – Mashable Originals" Click Here • "The Amazing Johnathan Documentary — tricksy account of a dying magician’s final flourish" Click Here • "Following complaints, magician changes Berkeley stage show title to remove racial slur" Click Here • "Magician Mat Franco celebrates pet supply drive at Animal Foundation" Click Here • "MagicStars Weekend 2020 Young Magicians Convention, Columbus, Ohio" Click Here • "Britain's Got Talent illusionist Darcy Oake will bring intimate show to Edinburgh" Click Here • "'America's Got Talent' Winner Shin Lim Eyeing $7.5 Million Mansion After Signing Huge Vegas Deal" Click Here • "Illusionist and mentalist Derren Brown reveals the secrets of his creative process" Click Here • "Blindfolded artist throws knives" Click Here • "Prankster Michael Carbonaro shares mind-blowing trick with Hoda and Andy" Click Here • Your UK magic news, big and small, always welcomed - please submit by Thursday if possible, absolute deadline 12 noon Friday. See you next week, Duncan. 16.11.19

 

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