Number 752 - 22nd November 2014
Gotcha! The (levitating) tables were turned on David Berglas last weekend
during The David Berglas International Magic Award 2014 presentation at
the International Magic Convention in London, in an elaborate setup that
involved
theatre riggers, video operators, cup engravers!, convention organisers, and the
man that David thought the award was actually going to, Dynamo.
All had conspired behind the scenes to present this year's International Magic Award to David Berglas himself, in recognition of a lifetime's contribution to Magic. Dynamo had great fun in 'receiving' the award one moment and then presenting it to David seconds later, complete with a change of name on the engraved name plaque, and can now add 'The man that fooled David Berglas' to his CV. David was clearly overwhelmed by the surprise of it all, as was the audience who responded with a standing ovation. Andy Nyman then talked to David, looking back at some of his career highlights, before taking questions from the packed theatre audience. It was a great tribute. Photo: James Freedman, Dynamo, David Berglas, Andy Nyman and Noel Britten. Click Here to enlarge.
The London Festival of Magic 2014, which runs in the week leading up to the main convention, is reviewed by Roberto Forzoni Click Here, and don't forget to make a note in your diaries for next year's International Magic Convention, which will run from Friday 20th November to Sunday 22nd, preceded by the London Festival of Magic. DT. 22.11.14
Thursday
27th November, Torn Apart: Beyond Magic with DMC. Two years ago DMC
attempted an escape stunt in Scotland that nearly killed him...
Click Here. This Thursday (27th November) he'll be attempting it again, in
the largest episode in the current series of Beyond Magic with DMC, but
this time he's decided to crank things up a little, making it even more
dangerous. Don't miss it! Here's a link the latest teaser for the series:
YouTube. Thursday 27th November at 8pm, also see
TV Magic. "Magician DMC: Sky
News interview"
Click Here.
22.11.14
Conjuring
up a Magic Dozen. Organisers of one of the UK’s leading magic conventions
have conjured up a ‘magician’s dozen’ to celebrate its twelfth year. The South
Tyneside International Magic Festival Convention, renowned as one of the
friendliest of its kind, will return for three days of lectures, dealers,
close-up sessions and gala shows from Friday March 13th 2015. This year’s
line-up will feature 13 performers from around the world, including multi
award-winners Michael Finney and mentalist Satori. They’ll be joined by mind
readers Atlas and Looch and Luke Jermay, card experts John Carey and Gordon
Bruce, family magicians Russ Brown and Dave Andrews, theatrical performer Kieron
Lefever and illusionists The Great Nardini, High Jinx and Diamond and Jade.
Former Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year, John Archer (photo), will also
make an appearance and is working alongside organisers, South Tyneside Council,
to help make this year’s event the best yet. He said: “I’ve been involved
with the South Tyneside International Magic Festival Convention for many years
now and I’m delighted to be taking an even greater role in 2015. This year’s
line-up features an eclectic mix of performers from around the world and I’m
looking forward to welcoming back many regular attendees, as well as some new
faces.” Tickets for the convention, which runs from Friday March 13th to
Sunday March 15th, are available now priced at £65 per person. For more
information, or to book, call 0191 4247986 or email
events@southtyneside.gov.uk.
22.11.14
Tom
Mullica presents Viktor Renner with the first prize trophy and £1,000 cash,
for winning the 31st International Close-up Competition at the International
Magic Convention last weekend. Congratulations Viktor!
22.11.14
Vladimir
Dimitri Kockov is a heavy-accented, tight leather-trousered, mullet-hairdoed
master magician. With a highly polished mental-magic cabaret show, Kockov
progressively reveals more and more of people’s inner thoughts. From card
predictions and psychological influencing, to mind-reading, Kockov always adds
his own comic spin. Kockov keeps them laughing right up to the last insane stunt
– real live Russian Roulette! 7.30pm - 10pm Friday November 28th. Smoke &
Mirrors, 8 Denmark Street, Bristol BS1 5DQ (Map).
Tickets:
www.brownpapertickets.com
www.smokeandmirrorsbar.co.uk.
22.11.14
Christmas
Magic at the Barn - Rochford, Saturday 6th, and Sunday 7th December. A
unique evening of magic to start the festive season offering close-up wizardry
presented at tables followed by a stage show featuring magic, mystery and
comedy. The main show features the dove magic of Brian and Audrey Miller, the
multi-award winning Oliver Tabor, international gentleman juggler Mat Ricardo on
Saturday and the deadly and hilarious Card Ninja on Sunday, all skillfully held
together with magic and comedy by compere by Adrian Fox, plus a whole host of
close-up magicians throughout the evening within the warm, intimate and
enchanting atmosphere of a 17th century barn theatre. The ticket price includes
a free glass of mulled wine for adults and soft drink for children, plus a mince
pie. Drinks are served on admission and other refreshments are available to
purchase including wine and beer. Showtimes Sunday 6th at 7pm, Sunday 7th at
6pm. Magic at the Barn, Sutton Hall, Shopland Road, Rochford, Essex SS4 1LH (Map).
Tickets only £12.50. Book tickets online:
www.eventbrite.co.uk. Ticket line 01702 543242.
22.11.14
Wayne
Dobson: The Definitive Collection Lecture - Burton upon Trent, this Thursday.
Eddie Young writes: Wayne Dobson
has kindly agreed to give a special lecture in
Burton on Trent for a charity night, together with Mike Sullivan.
Wayne has recently completed one-off lectures with standing ovations. Please
note Wayne is not visiting any other societies in the Midlands region. Thursday 27th November. Doors open at 7pm and the lecture
runs from 7.30pm - 10.30pm. Refreshments available. Venue: National Brewery
Centre, Horninglow Street, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1NG (Map).
Tickets will be £15 on the door or order online at just £10 (offer ends Tuesday
evening) see
www.phatmagic.net. All profits will be going to further research into
Multiple Sclerosis.
22.11.14
Magicians
at the Half Moon - Bishop's Stortford. Andy Clockwise writes: Friday
28th November will be the last outing for the 'Magicians at the Half
Moon' this year (they'll be back February 27th 2015) and they're seeing
out the year with a bang! This month sees Half Moon debuts for Lee Bell
and Darryl Rose, who promise to amaze and astound with their award
winning magic, with the evening compered by the ever present Martin Cox.
Doors open at 7.30pm at the Half Moon, 31 North Street, Bishop's
Stortford, Herts. CM23 2LD (Map).
Entry is £10 and if you'd like to secure a seat, please call Martin on
01279 659562. For more information, please visit
www.halfmoonmagic.co.uk.
22.11.14
Alan Shaxon - The Sophisticated Sorcerer
The Life and Magic of an International Magician.
Alan Shaxon, with Scott Penrose and Stephen Short is reviewed by MagicWeek this
week, Click Here.
22.11.14
Chris
Rawlins Recalled - University of Huddersfield. Chris Rawlins demonstrates
his super-human memory live on stage. This act is like nothing you have ever
seen before. Chris demonstrates razor sharp accuracy and concentration,
showcasing the true power of the human brain. Chris will not only demonstrate
the true power of his well sculpted memory and its super-human capacity, he will
also make you laugh and gasp. He will even teach you a unique skill that will
never be forgotten. An experience not to be missed! Tuesday 16th December at
7.30pm at Milton Theatre, Studio 1, The University of Huddersfield, Queensgate,
Huddersfield HD1 3DH (Map).
All tickets £5.00. For further details and to book email the Box Office:
miltonboxoffice@hud.ac.uk.
22.11.14
Wayne
Dobson - The Definitive Collection. From the publishers: The latest batch of
Wayne's fabulous book has now arrived from the binders and so Magicseen
Publications can supply you directly from stock. This has to be the publishing
event of 2014, as the book is hugely imposing both in physical size, with its
hard backed covers containing over 400 large size pages, and in terms of its
contents, with a fascinating blend of anecdotes and info on Wayne's life, advice
on all manner of magical topics, contributions from famous friends from around
the world, and of course over 80 of Wayne's trademark magic routines. Each copy
is numbered and once the limited edition run is sold out, there will be no more.
So now is the time to get yourself a small slice of magical history (Christmas
is coming up so it would make a great present if you drop hints in the right
places!) and don't forget that customers who already subscribe to Magicseen
directly with us in the UK receive a 20% price reduction, making this landmark
book an even more attractive buy. For more info and to order go to
www.magicseen.co.uk.
22.11.14
Magic
Tao Shop Now Open On Saturdays! "Christmas has come early! From this
Saturday 22nd November Magic Tao will be open for business on Saturdays between
10am and 2pm. Come visit us, browse, have a coffee and a chat, about all things
magic. Many of you know that Magic Tao has a bricks and mortar shop; some of you
may already have paid us a visit. It's only now that we've decided to open on
Saturdays - the graffiti wall itself is worth a look, not to mention our stock
of magic; we have Tao brands and a range of effects for all abilities and
interests. See you soon." Magic Tao, Unit B2 Castle Vale Enterprise Park, Park
Lane, Birmingham B35 6LJ (Map).
See:
www.magictao.co.uk.
22.11.14
Two
Magic
Night Christmas Specials at Madame
JoJo's - London. Friday, December 5th:
"Magic Night mind benders. Pete Antoniou will reach into your head (in
the funniest way possible) and tell you exactly what you think of him,
whilst Lee Hathaway burns money, breaks eggs and finds objects in the
most unusual places. AJ James will be endangering his life, his limbs
and the front row with sharp objects whilst balancing on a skateboard
and Michael Vadini will perform some jaw dropping magic – your
perception of reality will never be the same again. Expertly compered by
Neil Henry, the mighty sorcerer."
Friday, December 19th: "We’ll be taking you to the realms of fantasy in
this show with BBC 3 Killer Magic star Ben Hart and his tricky yet
compulsive stories as he weaves clever illusions with narrative. Pete
Antoniou will reach into your head (in the funniest way possible) and
tell you exactly what you think of him. Card Ninja will make an ordinary
deck of cards slice and fly through the air in Ninja like feats that
would make a crouching tiger and hidden dragon stand and applaud and the
lanky, tall wizard, Pete Heat is with us playing with bread, reading
your minds, invading you dreams and restoring objects to their original
state in impossible tricks that will make you gasp (we kid you not). All
expertly compered by Christian Lee." Magic Night at Madame JoJo's. Doors open
6.00pm.
Show starts at 7.45pm. Reserved seating £14 including entry to Good
Foot. Show ticket plus seated dinner and club: £46.
Madame JoJo's,
8-10 Brewer Street,
London W1F 0SE (Map).
Tickets and more info:
www.magicnight.co.uk.
22.11.14
This
year, Magic Moments 14 raised £2,356.87 for
www.centrealgarve.org,
a specialist holiday centre and the first of its kind in Europe catering for
those with special needs. Some of the UK’s best magic acts came together to
raise smiles and money over two sell-out shows; Richard Leigh presented a full
stage theatrical family Halloween show with the 'Headless Lady', 'Ghost Mirror'
and other brilliant pieces. Assisted by Mike Sullivan and Michelle Roberts, kids
came in fancy dress and prizes were given to the best dressed. The evening MM14
show, hosted by Jay Fortune and featuring Oliver Tabor, Richard Leigh, The
Casablancas, Vox Magique and Chris Cox showed the public’s support for variety
shows. Two amazing magic performances in one day. Magic Moments is now in its
7th year and you can take part in 2015. Keep an eye on MagicWeek for future
details.
22.11.14
The
Magic Show Story. Following on from last year’s Come On Down: The
Game Show Story, The Magic Show Story, presented by Stephen Mulhern,
will air on ITV in 2015. This special will tell the tale of how British
TV fell in love with magic and how it played host to international stars
like David Copperfield. Stephen Mulhern will embark on a journey through
60 years of magic, recreating some of the tricks that left audiences
spellbound along the way. Produced by Stuart Ramsay, with Andrew
Nicholson acting as executive producer for production company Shiver.
22.11.14
Chris
Cross launched ''The Quayside Cabaret Club'' on Thursday evening by
Newcastle's Quayside to rave reviews! The Show was completely sold out and
featured Simon Donald (stand-up comedian and cofounder of VIZ), Carl Cape (One
Man Music Marvel), Natt Lunatrick (Knife Juggling on a Unicycle and Hat
Manipulation), Graham Hey (Magicseen Magazine's very own Comedy Mind-reader!)
and Chris Cross, who compered the evening with his acts of Escapology, Magic and
Stunts! The next show will be on 23rd December featuring Harrison Richards, Mr.
Cross and acts from The Moscow State Circus and Gerry Cottle's Circus! Venue:
The Montana Lounge (Above Prima Ristorante) Quayside. Tickets: £25, available
now from: info@chris-cross.co.uk.
"Quayside Cabaret Club - First Night Review"
Click Here.
22.11.14
‘Piddington’s
Secrets’ to be published next month. From the publishers: We know how they
did it! A London bus driver reveals the biggest secret in magic history. Sydney
and Lesley Piddington were an Australian husband and wife mentalism team who
performed as The Piddingtons and gave one of the most famous stage and radio
telepathy acts of modern times. Sydney Piddington could transmit his thoughts to
his wife without talking, even if she was miles away. Today, baffled magicians
are still unable to work out how they did it. A ‘throw-away’ comment by retired
London bus driver Brian Hart to his son Martin, a journalist, led to the
discovery that his granddad worked on the BBC broadcasts where the Piddingtons
demonstrated ESP to over 20 million listeners every week. At the time Martin’s
Granddad had made notes in an RAF notebook revealing their methods. The notes
were pertinent to his job on the shows.
“I was interviewing magician Paul Daniels for my radio show when my dad
mentioned that his own father worked with a famous magician once. So I
investigated further and discovered it was Telepath Sydney Piddington. I
searched through Granddad’s affects and discovered the notebook. I had no idea
that the methods were still unknown,” said Martin Hart.
The Piddingtons act was the most unfathomable ESP demonstration the world had
ever witnessed and many scientists were convinced their powers were real. They
performed in theatres across Britain which included the London Palladium. Sydney
Piddington invented his secret methods during his 3 year imprisonment in the
Changi POW camp in Singapore during WW2. He later married Lesley Pope and they
formed the act in Australia before bringing it to England. To this day their
methods have remained unfathomed, although many theories have emerged.
Actual BBC recordings and film footage from British Pathe, supports the methods
in the notebook and clearly shows they are genuine. Martin says once you
understand the methods you can spot all their mistakes. Piddington’s surviving
family gave Martin Hart permission to publish the secrets as a book and his
investigation uncovered an incredibly revealing story behind their cunningly
skillful journey to fame.
The book ‘Piddington’s Secrets’ will be available from December 2014 through
magic shops and online. You can also reserve a copy via the
www.thepiddingtons.com
website where you can hear the Piddington broadcasts and add your own theories
to the collection.
"The Piddingtons Telepathy Act Revealed" Click Here. 22.11.14
The
Order of The Magi Christmas Party. Geoffrey Newton PRO writes: Ho! Ho! Ho!
It’s time for The Order of The Magi Christmas party on Tuesday 9th December
2014. There will be games, competitions, spot prizes, a hot pot type supper and
if that isn’t enough a three part cabaret starring top comedian Bill Wooland,
well known local guitar vocalist Lesley Davies and the hilarious magic of one of
the north west’s busiest comedy magicians Peter Dean (photo). All this for only
£5, yes just £5! Advance booking only as catering numbers need to be in by 2nd
December. Details on
www.orderofthemagi.org.uk or contact
pro@orderofthemagi.org.uk tel:
0161 969 8222.
22.11.14
Dr
Nicolas Grimoire lectures for the Derby Magic Circle on Wednesday, 26th
November, at Breadsall Village Hall, Derby. Paul Sharp, President, Derby Magic
Circle writes: Doors open at 7.30pm, ready to start at 8pm. Dr Nicolas Grimoire
entertains audiences with stories of witchcraft, murder, crime and punishment,
illustrated with mind-reading effects. Among the venues that have taken his
one-man show are Carmarthen's Castle House, Arundel Jailhouse, Nottingham's
Galleries of Justice Museum, Bolsover Castle, Gainsborough Old Hall, Leicester
Guildhall and Nottingham Castle, as well as pubs, private homes and a host of
museums large and small. In his lecture he demonstrates some of his core
routines and outlines how these are constructed, often from very simple tricks
which he developed to fit his stories. "I experienced the show a few weeks ago
at the Leicester Guildhall and was amazed at the reactions from the audience. As
Magicians, we can use patter to entertain the audience. Nick has developed a
special skill set that blends Magic and Mentalism with the age old art of
story-telling that truly engages the audience and elevates the performance to a
higher level". Paul Sharp. A rare and unique lecture, not to be missed! Visiting
Magicians are very welcome at Derby. There is a small fee payable on the night.
Please contact our secretary Allan Humphries on 01889 590 975 prior to
attending.
22.11.14
Tony
Griffith celebrates 25 years as a professional magician,
Click Here.
22.11.14
Ian
Adair's latest book released. From the publishers: "'You don't have to be
crazy to be a magic dealer - but it helps!!!' is the title of Ian Adair's latest
and final book in the series of books relating to his times at the famous
'Supreme Magic Company'. Entertainingly written, Ian remembers a wealth of
amusing incidents, all of which happened over his 36 years with the firm:
disasters, failures, catastrophes, misjudgements, misfortunes, blunders,
bloopers and quirky situations which he reminisces about with readers. The
author reveals those 'behind the scenes' incidents, that although being
disastrous at the time, now appear to be ridiculously funny. The contents covers
incidents which happened at the depot, in transit, and at conventions, and
features some of those unreasonable customers. Nicely produced in similar format
to his previous books, it is illustrated, with a laminated full coloured cover.
'I thought the book was most entertaining. This sort of book appeals to me
more than those with all the 'new and latest tricks'. It is now sitting on my
top shelf along with all your other books' Adrian Harris - well-known magic
dealer. The author points out that he must be crazy to even think about writing
a book like this. Crazier still is the fact that the book is actually printed
and published at a price under a 'tenner'. Contact Ian at
magicianadair@hotmail.co.uk."
22.11.14
Bobby
Bernard 1931-2014. Bobby Bernard is remembered by Dave Brown,
Click Here.
22.11.14
Wedding Bookings Workshop. From the organisers: "Are you looking for more wedding bookings for 2015? Sean Goodman is running an exciting workshop on 10 January 2015 aimed at generating new business in the recession proof and highly lucrative wedding market. Having provided close up magic at some 50 weddings in 2014, if you are looking for practical and proven sales techniques and marketing strategies then this workshop is for you. For more information, go to www.simplymagic.co.uk/weddingworkshop.pdf." 22.11.14
"First
Magic Tricks Created by Computer Fool Audiences and Outwit Magicians"
Click Here • "Watch out Dynamo! Computer uses artificial
intelligence to create magic tricks"
Click Here • "What a Magician Carries in His Travel Bag"
Click Here • "'You too can be fooled': An Honest Liar looks at
magician's crusade against deception"
Click Here • "Pick a card, any card: Inside Perth's society of
magicians"
Click Here • "Dynamo: The day my tricks made Robbie Williams scream"
Click Here • "Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee to host Thames Hospice
Christmas concert"
Click Here • "Dynamo: 20 Mind-Blowing Tricks You Need To See"
Click Here • "Technology Is An Engineered Illusion, MIT's Digital
Magician Marco Tempest Says"
Click Here • Thank you for all your UK magic news as ever. Please
remember the strict Friday 12 noon deadline for all submissions. And
finally, I don't really do Facebook (or Twitter), but if I did I expect
I'd post stuff like this, spotted by my daughter: "26 Pictures That Will
Make You Re-Evaluate Your Entire Existence"
Click Here, just to keep things in perspective! See you next week, Duncan.
22.11.14