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The Richard Griffin Lecture - Cruise Ship Magic!
Anglian Magic Society, Norwich
Tuesday 16th February 2016
Reviewed by Steve Majes
Richard shot to fame in the magic community at the age of 17 when he won
'The Magic Circle Young Magician of the Year Competition' with his stylish dove
and manipulation act. He went on to win the 'International Brotherhood of
Magicians Silver Shield' and 'The British Magical Championships' at the world's
largest magic convention in Blackpool. So what has Richard been up to since
those magic competition days? Everything!!!
From performing in the longest running theatre illusion show 'Mystique' to many
cabaret tours and corporate appearances it was in 1998 that Richard took his act
to the seas. He has now been all around the world several times as a showman on
some of the world's largest cruise ships, and it’s here that Richard has focused
his lecture. The demand for new shows and new material on board the ships to get
those contracts has given Richard a very creative mindset and 18 years later you
can only start to imagine the material Richard has to share that we have never
seen before.
The lecture started with a visual opening routine to music involving some
high-jinx with a magically produced bottle of water and bottle top, culminating
in a multiple production of lids and a funny applause cue of an ending. This
routine really showed how Richard, with a simple premise, could create a full
and magical routine. Much of Richard's magic packs small and plays big; this is
one of the golden rules working the cruise liners as it cuts down a lot of
excess baggage, especially when flying out to a port. Richard is now a solo
performer, having started a family he is off working while his lovely wife
Hayley keeps everything behind the scenes in order. This has not always been the
case as Richard recalled many stories form his big illusion show days that he
and his wife Hayley had experienced.
It’s not just stage style material that was shared during this lecture, close-up
magic (with a bit of a flare) has also been a mainstay of Richard's journeys.
'The Impossible Card Through Scarf' was Richard’s interpretation of the classic
card through handkerchief plot. In his version a selected and signed card was
returned to the centre of the pack and then put back into the card box, the box
was cleanly placed in the middle of a chiffon scarf and then held by the corners
suspending it, empty hand shown the selected card was pulled through the pack,
the box, and the scarf!
Many helpful tips, advice and practical effects followed including some of
Richard's now marketed effects like 'The Matrix Pad': dots drawn on the corners
of a small post-it note pad were moved magical to one corner and then handed out
for examination, this was very good and had a fast reset. 'Nosey Volunteers', a
great stage prediction effect with different coloured clown noses. This effect
alone was well worth the lecture price as it used simple props that looked and
played so well on stage with a lot of comedy involving audience members along
the way.
Other effects included a lovely visual torn and restored newspaper with a
playful and unexpected ending. I could see this going into my family shows
straight away. 'A Gift For You' was a great looking and stylish plot for a
freely selected prize in bag routine where the magician wins the big value
prize. It was great to hear the creative process and the evolution of this
effect as many years ago, in Richard's early years, he did the routine with baby
socks being selected. There was also a very commercial movie prediction routine
that had many of the experienced magicians in the audience guessing the
solution, only to be surprised by the actual method.
This was just a selection from the lecture as there were many more fun routines
along with Richard’s marketed items up for grabs, with some really great value
lecture packages. Richard has such a passion, along with a cheeky fun side, for
performing and creating magic and this came across in abundance as he happily
chatted about ideas through the interval and even after his lecture had
finished. If you are interested in working on the cruise ships, or just love
visual and well constructed magic routines, then catch Richard's lecture before
he sets sail for sunnier destinations.
© Steve Majes, February 2016