Number 56 - 21st July 2001
This summer Simon
Gillis (President of the Cambridge University Magic Society -
Abracamdabra) is producing a new play which will be a part of the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival Amy Evans' Strike for independent
Cambridge University drama company Activated Image
www.activated.co.uk.
Amy is 12. Midway through Maths, she stops working and refuses to start
again. She knows what she wants to do with her life, she explains, and
GCSEs just aren’t part of it. Her teachers can’t snap her out of it. Soon
others join her strike. The school begins to spiral out of control. The
press, then the Government, get involved. Amy’s simple stand has become a
national scandal. But what does she really want? Without giving too much
away here let's simply say that there is a magical twist that many a
magician will be able to relate to! From August 6th to the 27th at 5.40pm,
Venue 241 - Rocket @ Royal College of Surgeons, Nicolson Street,
Edinburgh. Box Office Telephone: 0131 667 1940. Any magic companies who
may want to capitalise on the plot by advertising in the programme should
email: sjg63@cam.ac.uk To book
tickets
Click Here 21.7.01
Mrs. Justina Flanagan
of Oswaldtwistle took her five year old daughter to an afternoon showing
of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Mystique Show last Sunday July 15th and
was very unhappy with what she saw "I couldn't believe what I was seeing,
my little girl said she was frightened and kept cowering into me. It's
supposed to be magical but what we saw was disgusting. There was lots of
children in the audience and nobody clapped - I want to tell other parents
that it's not suitable for children." said Mrs. Flanagan. At one point in
the show according to Mrs. Flanagan the magician (Richard De Vere) was
tied to a bed with a sheet covering the stage briefly. Then a chainsaw
came down aiming at the magician's head. To her disbelief it connected and
splattered blood everywhere. It was only after the initial shock that
mother and daughter realised a fake had been used. A Pleasure Beach
spokesman said "It has been running for years and has always been for
families. I haven't had any complaints about this matter before." Mystique
runs through to November 4th and the show offers reductions for children
under 12 and a cheaper family ticket.
21.7.01
On Monday July 23rd top compere and
magician Keith Fields introduces John Archer (comedian and magician -
photo), Andy
Nyman (Mental Magic - once seen never forgotten) and Paul Zerdin
(brilliant ventriloquist). The show is being produced in association with
the London Comedy Festival and looks like being a 'Sold Out' event so you
are advised to call the box office early, telephone: 0870 787 0707 - Upstairs at
the Gatehouse (Junction of North Road and Hampstead Lane), Highgate
Village, London N6. Tickets are £8.
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Colin Rose MIMC
presents a combined dealer dem and lecture 'On Tour With Richiardi' at the
Northamptonshire Magicians' Club on Tuesday July 24th. There is a small
charge for guests - visit the website for more information
Click Here 21.7.01
The Best In Magic are advertising with MagicWeek again. Their site
TheBestinMagic.co.uk,
run by Paul Gordon, features useable top quality commercial magic, their
latest products, product reviews, lecture details, and news, with great
prices and secure online ordering. Paul Gordon is an associate to The
Inner Magic Circle and President of The Sussex Magic Circle. Pay them a
visit today! 21.7.01
Some international news: Lance Burton is
the special live guest on the KJMagic Board this month answering your questions until
Tuesday July 24th
Click Here
21.7.01
The second MagiCD featuring Billy McComb - The Professional Touch Vol 2 is about to be released by Martin Breese International featuring a rare McComb material, and the David Berglas MagiCD is due for release in the next few weeks. Featuring an interview recorded back in 1976 on a second-hand cassette recorder the sound track is currently being re-mastered in a recording studio. Also on its way The Digital Pentagram a CDRom containing the entire (1,351 pages) Pentagram Magazine. The index has been hyper-linked to the actual effect in the magazine, so that one click takes you instantly to the trick that you are searching for. And finally The Piddington MagiCD an amazing audio CD which tells the story of the husband and wife team who fooled the world in the late 1940's with their amazing two way mind reading act. More details on the Martin Breese Magic website soon. 21.7.01
Carlton Television filmed Paul Gordon, Keith Bennett, Hocus Pocus Magic and others during the recent Nottingham Guild of Magicians one-day convention. The news aired last Monday on Carlton. And Paul Gordon will be presenting an impromptu card magic workshop at The Magic Circle on Monday 6th August at their London headquarters. 21.7.01
You can now book tickets online for Marc Salem Mind Games at The Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh from August 3rd to the 27th at 10.45pm nightly Click Here 21.7.01
The Society of
American Magicians Convention in New Orleans last week was very enjoyable.
For me the highlights being the late night Franz Harary talk and seeing
the high standard of acts in the Friday night competition. All the acts
had been screened via video submission first to ensure that there were no
duds. Eight performers took part. If the same criteria was applied to the
British Ring Shield Competition we'd see far fewer acts, or in other words
a less drawn-out evening, and have a superior competition. Last year's
event was dismal - which wasn't fair on the audience or indeed the acts
themselves • The highly collectable and scare Albo Classical Magic Series volumes I
- VIII are being offered in the For Sale section this week
- it's always worth keeping your eyes on both the For Sale
and Wanted page • The
Contact Page continues as a good way of linking up with others who share similar
magic interests • That's about it for this week, news always welcomed, see you next week,
Duncan
21.7.01