Number 1040 - 30th May 2020

Derren Brown returns to the stage with 'Showman' in 2021, his brand new live show. "We were all ready to open Showman when the tour had to be postponed. Now, after sitting around in my pants for months I am so, so eager to get this show on the road. I’m hugely grateful to everyone who bought tickets and then were told they had to wait. Let’s get together and have a hug and a party." Derren. "The closest our galaxy can boast to a Jedi Master" Empire.

22nd - 28th February - Dartford Click Here
2nd - 6th March - Oxford Click Here
9th - 13th March - Woking Coming soon
23rd - 27th March - Plymouth Click Here
30th March - 3rd April - Aberdeen Coming Soon
13th - 17th April - Sunderland Click Here
20th - 24th April - Hull Click Here
27th April - 1st May - Glasgow Click Here
4th - 8th May - Canterbury Coming Soon
11th - 15th May - Ipswich Click Here
25th - 29th May - Leeds Click Here
1st - 5th June - Bournemouth Click Here
8th - 19th June - Salford Quays Coming Soon
22nd - 26th June - Wolverhampton Click Here
29th June - 3rd July - Norwich Click Here
6th - 10th July - Milton Keynes Click Here
13th - 17th July - Southend Click Here. 30.5.20

The IBM British Ring Virtual Nonvention. The first virtual magic convention presented by British Ring No 25 of The International Brotherhood of Magicians was held last weekend. A product of necessity, replacing an event that would have been held over the Bank Holiday weekend. Taking place over 3 days, members were given the opportunity to enjoy an IBM magic convention from the comfort of their own homes, choosing from allocated timed videos that were either made especially for the event or taken from past convention footage. These included lectures, talks and performances from Paul Nardini, Ali Bongo, Andi Gladwin, Rafael, Norm Nielson, Ali Cardabra, The Great Tomsoni, Vanni Pule, High Jinx, Fay Presto, Chris Wardle, George Kovari, Jon Marshall and many more.

The convention, created and compiled by Aiden Heritage and Bob Hamilton, set out to create the atmosphere of an IBM convention, with a welcome video message from president Alan Maskel to start. The event had dedicated pages on the British Ring website for videos from dealers, a theatre page for the various shows screening lectures, talks and gala shows throughout the convention, plus a pre-convention Zoom party hosted by James Hobart.

There was also the inaugural Ali Bongo Virtual Nonvention competition, featuring videos made by members during the lockdown that were judged and voted for by members over the weekend. The winning performance was from Oliver Tabor YouTube. IBM British Ring members have the chance to view the entire convention throughout July. For more information and how to join The British Ring, visit www.britishring.org.uk. 30.5.20

Zoom magicians, check this out! With the current working situation, magicians are looking for new audiences and ways to perform - and many are turning to Zoom and other video platforms to offer 'virtual' shows. Lee Hathaway has created a brilliant new routine specifically for this purpose – based on the classic 'Confabulation' routine but with a lockdown theme and a fantastic kicker ending where the magic actually happens in their hands, on screen! Combining a web based application specifically written for the effect, and re-routining the classic plot, this stunning routine is an absolute must for anyone serious about enhancing their Zoom performances... Watch a video and find out more, visit www.zoomfab.info. 30.5.20

Britain’s Got Talent ends this evening (7pm, ITV). Normally these weekly pre-recorded audition shows would lead straight into a week of live shows, culminating in the final of course, but that's all on hold for now. It's been another good year for magic acts though, both on the main show and on ITV Hub's 'BGT Unseen' show, with another excellent performance on the main show tonight. DT. 30.5.20

Kidabra Virtual Conference (USA) August 19th-22nd 2020. Celebrating his 80th birthday this year, Ian Adair will feature in this forthcoming virtual conference. His one hour presentation will be in the form of an interview about his lifetime in magic, specifically dealing with kids' show magic. Ian performed his first kids' show when he was only 12 years of age, retiring in 2005. His first book on kids' show magic was published in 1955, and since then, out of his 320 published books, he has had over 25 books published on this subject alone, including his 414 page Encyclopaedia of Children's Magic. His weekly television series 'It's Magic' - designed for child viewers, was transmitted in the 1960s.

Working with Edwin Hooper for 36 years at The Supreme Magic Company in Devon, Ian's many marketed effects (on kids' magic) run into the hundreds. 'Dressing Doll' was one of his first marketed effects which sold over 4,000 worldwide. His continuous flow of effects have been marketed by Practical Magic, Stevens Magic Emporium (USA), WG Werry (Germany), Sam Dalal's Funtime Innovations Ltd (India) and others. As a lecturer on kids' show magic he has lectured at the IBM in Chattanooga, USA, and at Kidology, the British Ring 25 Convention, the Blackpool Convention, SAMS Convention and many more. His monthly column, which consists of trick ideas for children's entertainers, first in The Budget (now Key Ring) was launched 15 years ago and is still running. "I'm looking forward to being part of the Kidabra conference" Ian said, "I always enjoyed writing my trick columns in the society's magazine. As well as being interviewed, I will be performing a few of my latest kids' show effects, even though I'll be looking at a laptop screen." 30.5.20

Steve Faulkner, online Zoom lecture - The Leicester Magic Circle. Adam Edgeley, Chairman, The Leicester Magic Circle writes: Steve Faulkner, host of Real Magic Review, creator of the exhaustive and ever-expanding Card Magic Course and winner of awards that were probably a bit too far in the past to mention, okay then: British Street Performing Champion, National Street Performing Champion, IBM British Close-up Magic Champion and 2nd in The Magic Circle Close-up Magician of the Year, brings his new lecture 'From the Wilderness Years' to the Leicester Magic Circle. Just £7.50 for non-members to attend (included in the price is a download worth £25). For information on how to attend this online lecture please contact secretary Barry Martin via www.theleicestermagiccircle.co.uk. We have continued to provide online lectures throughout this tough time and are running as normal. 30.5.20

Wonder Pop by Gonçalo Gil and Danny Weiser - PropDog. Completely remade by us here in the PropDog workshop (as the originals had a few small issues with them and didn't last very long) they are now better than ever! This amazing effect is just perfect to wow those children at your table, with a giveaway at the end.

The Magician explains that he's going to show how lollipops are made. He takes a bottle and blows through a circular ring to make some soap bubbles in round ball shapes. Magically he is able to catch one of the balls, as it has turned solid! He attaches the ball to a stick, he waves the stick, and visually it becomes a real lollipop that can be given to a member of the audience. Wonder Pop comes complete with all the gimmicks. It can be performed in close-up or on stage. Perfect for kids' performances. The lollipop can be given as a souvenir. See www.propdog.co.uk. 30.5.20

The Wowlett, 50% discount right now - RSVPMagic. Comes with wallet (without Wow gimmick) and instructional DVD. From a concept by Luke Dancy, ‘The Wowlett’ allows you to perform card to wallet like never before. At last the Wow gimmick is made logical and completely invisible. Imagine having two cards selected and shuffled into the deck. They vanish! The magician now picks up his wallet, that’s seemingly been sitting on the table throughout and opens it to show the first selection inside the plastic window of the wallet. Now for the kicker that makes this unique: The magician now holds the wallet close to the spectator as they see the first card visibly morph into the second signed selection! This is reputation making magic at its best! 50% off limited offer! See www.rsvpmagic.com for details. 30.5.20

Close Call eBook & Video by Looch - Read My Mind. In September 2017 Looch was flown out to Cologne, Germany to give a very special lecture at Mind Summit. The lecture, entitled ‘Close Call’ has been described as the blueprint for successfully entertaining at close-up events around the world. In it Looch outlines the top 3 logistical problems that can destroy a performance, and teaches how to tackle those problems to ensure a smooth an effective close-up show.

‘Close Call’ consists of the physical lecture that was filmed live at Mind Summit 2017, along with a detailed eBook of lecture notes that breaks down each problem and arms the reader with a wide range of tips and techniques to utilise at your own gigs to ensure a smooth and successful performance. In addition, Looch teaches a range of subtleties that he uses at each of his close up bookings. The goal is to maximise the impact your performances will have on your audience, and to ensure a smooth and trouble free event for all concerned. ‘Close Call’ by Looch: Online lecture (filmed live at Mind Summit 2017), 44 page detailed eBook (eBook contains link and password to video). See www.readmymind.co.uk. 30.5.20

Astro-Scope by Mark Lee - Merlins of Wakefield. A set of zodiac cards are introduced and a spectator is enlisted to take part in a mental experiment. The twelve zodiac cards are handed to the spectator to examine and shuffle. You now show the cards one at a time and the spectator is asked to ‘think’ of any one of the signs. Without any questions or ‘fishing’ you are able to divine the thought of sign with 100% accuracy. There is no forcing, only the twelve zodiac cards are used, no marked cards or gimmicks of any kind, no sleight of hand, no set up. The cards are produced on plastic stock so are ideal to carry in your wallet for an impromptu miracle! More info, watch a video, and order via www.merlinswakefield.co.uk. 30.5.20

Safety Catch - Mark Leveridge Magic. This is ideal for walkabout performance or a set close-up or parlour show. A length of rope is handed out for examination and the ends are then tied to form a rope loop. A spectator’s watch is borrowed and the strap done up so that the watch is also in a loop. The watch is then threaded on to the double strands of the rope loop which is held between the two hands. By moving his hands up and down, the performer shows how the watch can slide up and down the rope, but provided he does not let go with either of his hands, the watch is safe on the rope. Then the magician says he will demonstrate how to make the watch even safer. Suddenly the watch is seen to visibly penetrate one of the rope strands so that it is now linked onto the inside of the rope loop itself! The watch can be clearly seen to be secured on the rope loop, and the performer has to untie the ends of the rope in order to slide the watch off to return it to its owner. This effect is supplied as a Premier E-Routine, which is a downloadable PDF text file which contains a link to additional downloadable video instructions. You will need to supply your own regular magician’s rope. See www.markleveridge.co.uk for more info and to order. 30.5.20

Four Candles - International Magic. A great packet card trick with a comical finish. Four face down playing cards are displayed and one at a time, shown to have the picture of a candle printed on their face, then placed in a face down tabled pile. Picking them up, the magician claims to have Four Candle Cards. Then turning them up - instead of Four Candles, they have Fork Handles printed on their faces. Each card is clearly shown back and front and only basic sleights required. It's a great comical finish inspired by the famous Four Candle routine by the superb British comedy performers, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. Find out more, visit www.internationalmagic.com. 30.5.20

Mark Leveridge's Free-Buys. Week 7. The Cards Across is a classic close-up and stand up effect and there are many versions available. However few, if any, are suitable for both children's shows and adult work, but Mark Leveridge's 1-2-3 Jumbo Cards Across can definitely fill that gap. It is highly visible as it uses Jumbo cards. Six cards are shown and three are openly placed into each of two examined window envelopes. One at a time three cards magically move across and as each card leaves the first envelope, a reducing number of cards is shown to be still inside until finally the envelope is empty. The concept of three cards joining three others to make six is easy enough for even children to follow and removes the more complicated concept of seven and thirteen cards of traditional handlings. This easy to do routine can be yours for free if you place any order with MLM this week. You will receive an email containing a link to a downloadable TricKlip video which will explain everything you need to know in order to gather the props and perform the routine. This exclusive Free-Buy offer expires at midnight on Friday 5th June 2020. For more information go to www.markleveridge.co.uk. 30.5.20

Merlins of Wakefield - latest 20 page June/July Magical Preview out now! If you would like a printed copy, email your postal address to merlins@btconnect.com. For a PDF, just email us and request one. Also, our Virtual Magic Festival Day was last Sunday on Merlins of Wakefield Facebook page. If you missed it, then you can still catch up till Wednesday 3rd June when the content will be removed. www.merlinswakefield.com. 30.5.20

Jamie Allan's iMagician - online every Friday at 7pm. Jamie and his team broadcast a show on Facebook every Friday at 7pm. The show has received rave reviews for its content and production. The show is a mixture of fun, star interviews and magic. Visit Jamie's public Facebook page to find out more, watch the next show on Friday, or catch up with previous episodes: facebook.com/JamieAllaniMagician. 30.5.20

Morecambe & Wise in America. Jonathan Ross tells the story of the comedy duo's attempts to become stars in America during the 1960s, via their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Featuring footage never seen in Britain before, as well as personal home movies from Eric and Ernie's own collections, this episode tells of Morecambe and Wise's first steps in their American adventure. Interviewees include Glenda Jackson, Dame Diana Rigg, Gina Yashere, Penn & Teller, Shappi Khorsandi, Jon Culshaw and Nicholas Parsons. (Repeat) Sunday 31st May (1 hour) on Yesterday. See TV Magic. 30.5.20

The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The host chats to Ken Jeong about smash hit series The Masked Singer. Plus, illusionist David Blaine performs some magic tricks. (Repeat) Saturday 30th May on ITV2. See TV Magic. 30.5.20

"Britain’s Got Talent’s 14-year-old magician tricks Lorraine Kelly live on GMB" Click Here • "How Gogglebox's Malone family is connected to this Britain's Got Talent magician" Click Here • "Teen magician from Clitheroe wins over Britain's Got Talent judges with 'egg-cellent' trick" Click Here • "BGT child magician fools judges by distracting them with epic egg trick" Click Here • "Prince Andrew flew Paul Daniels in Queen's helicopter to stop magician being late" Click Here • "Newcastle magician Chris teaches tricks and performs on Zoom" Click Here • "Celebrity Big Brother and Benefit Street star Dee Kelly stunned after BGT magician pranks her with card trick" Click Here • "Magician Justin Willman shares 2 kid-friendly magic tricks" Click Here • "SoCal Magician Hopes to Make Act Reappear" Click Here • "Today: Watch Mentalist and Magician Marc Garfinkel in Online Magic Show; New Tricks!" Click Here • Your UK magic news is always welcomed - see you next week, Duncan. 30.5.20

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