|
|
New Headquarters for Blackpool Magicians' Club
Reported by Peter Eldin
On 13th November several hundred people attended the official opening
of the new, impressive headquarters of the Blackpool Magician’s Club. The
opening ceremony, the obligatory cutting of the ribbon, was performed by
well-loved comedian and Honorary Life President of the club, Ken Dodd O.B.E.
The opening ceremony was followed by a show in the headquarters’ theatre. First
on was the ageless Mark Raffles with his wonderful Linking Rings routine in
which the rings take on a life of their own and link to everything in sight -
including Mark’s big toe!
Next was veteran ventriloquist Neville King who was hilarious with his drunk old
man dummy and a very funny routine involving three members of the audience.
Arthur Casson, who compered the show, and who was later to be presented with
honorary life membership of the club, then introduced the manic Clive Webb and
his equally manic son, Danny Adams. It was a crazy act, with lots of sight gags
and mad magic, that defies description. Danny works hard and gets the laughs and
I feel he has a great future in the business.
After a short interval there was a change from magic with superb guitar playing
and excellent singing from multi-talented Paul Dobie.
The final act was Amethyst with a mixture of illusions and smaller magic. They
opened with the baffling production of Annette from an empty cardboard box. That
got me scratching my head and there came even more scratching for solutions when
Danny walked through a thick metal plate.
Smaller magic included colour changing records, a silk vanish and reappearance
and the drink in newspaper. Each time Annette went off stage she came back
wearing a different costume, culminating in a black two piece outfit for the
final illusion. For this Annette entered a two tier box and a large tube was
pushed through the lower part before the top half was dismantled. The effect is
very baffling for there seemed to be no place for Annette to be but when the box
was reassembled and the tube removed she stepped out completely unfazed by the
experience - great stuff and a great finish to the show.
Then came a break for the free buffet (there was also a free bar!) and a chance
to chat with old friends and make a few new ones in a friendly and relaxed
atmosphere before the great man himself, Ken Dodd took to the floor. This man is
an irrepressible comic genius and a great national treasure who, in addition to
being Britain’s best loved comedian, is a great fan of magic.
At odd times during the evening I managed to take time to take a look around the
new headquarters which is hidden behind a building in Sherbourne Road - the
actual address being Rear of No.1, Sherbourne Road, North Shore, Blackpool FY1
2PW.
The building was formerly the Claremont Theatre Club which was founded by
entrepreneur David Hall when he bought an old warehouse in 1988. For the next
twenty years it was a popular venue but in February this year David, with whom I
had along chat, decided to close due to increased running costs, government
regulations and the nationwide ban on smoking in public buildings.
Within hours of the announced closure the indefatigable Derek Lever contacted
David Hall with the idea that Blackpool Magicians’ Club could be interested in
converting the property into a tailor-made headquarters.
David told me that both parties got on well together and the property changed
hands quickly. Members and associates of the club then began refurbishing the
premises. It is now a neat self contained headquarters adorned with magic
posters, photographs and other items. There are display cabinets housing a wide
variety of magic props, a library section, a magic shop, a close-up room, a bar
and a theatre. The bar area even houses an indoor waterfall!
The whole is certainly astounding and the membership and associates should be
proud of their achievement. In addition to being a meeting place for magicians
the potential for lectures, shows, group visits and other events is extremely
exciting and it will be interesting to see how it all develops. The opening of
this new headquarters was a great day for the Blackpool Magicians’ Club and a
great day for magic as a whole. Long may it prosper.
©
Peter Eldin, November 2008