Number
1081 - Saturday 13th March 2021
Tommy
Cooper - The Magic Circle Unlocked. Free online event for all, this Friday!
March 19th sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tommy Cooper. An
icon in the world of both magic and comedy, his influence is still felt
today and his appearance and catchphrases very much a part of popular
culture. The Magic Circle, of which Tommy was a Gold Star Member of The
Inner Magic Circle, is celebrating this anniversary with a special
online event with contributions from Anita Harris, David Berglas, Tim
Vine, Raymond Crowe and Charlie Frye, along with many more including writers, prop
suppliers, actors and producers.
With a view to warmly remembering and acknowledging his immense contribution to the world of magic, this 2 hour event will be shown on The Magic Circle Unlocked Facebook page www.facebook.com/themagiccircleunlocked (open to all, membership not required). This Tommy Cooper celebration will remain online for just one week; but watching live will give you the opportunity to win a unique "Tommy Cooper" prize! Friday, 19th March at 7pm GMT worldwide. 13.3.21
Keep
Em Laughing: 100 Years of Tommy Cooper, 19th March on BBC Radio Wales.
Mike Bubbins looks back at the life and career of the Welsh comedian and
magician Tommy Cooper. Known for his large gawky appearance together
with his trademark red fez and famous catchphrase 'just like that'
people would often laugh the moment they saw him. Tommy broke every rule
in the comedy book, he told jokes no other comedian would get away with,
and he based his act around getting things wrong. In doing so he secured
his place in our hearts forever.
A century after he was born in Caerphilly in March 1921, Tommy Cooper is still finding new fans. Here, in a magical mix of Tommy from the archives, as well as new interviews, Radio Wales celebrates the career of a unique force in British comedy. From his early days and the first magic set, to the health problems and the fateful last television appearance, the programme looks back at his rollercoaster life - and examines what was so special and enduring about his act.
Mike hears via the archives from the likes of Ronnie Corbett, Michael Parkinson, Shiela Steafal and former producer Royston Mayoh together with new interviews with veteran entertainer Anita Harris who worked with him extensively on stage and Welsh artistes, actors and writers inspired by him including Tudur Owen, Leroy Brito, Noel James and Dyfan Rees. Mike also hears from Alan Wightman who was in the wings at Her Majesty's Theatre in London when he collapsed and died of a heart attack in front of millions watching television in 1984. [This 30 minute radio show goes out at 6.30pm on BBC Radio Wales, so slots in perfectly before The Magic Circle's presentation which starts at 7pm. To listen to BBC Radio Wales online: Click Here DT]. 13.3.21
X-treme
Magic, The Auditorium, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool. 22nd May 2021.
From the producers: The World’s Most Dangerous Thrill Show! X-treme
Magic will deliver a non-stop adrenaline rush. It’s a show packed
with magic, death defying stunts and amazing special effects. Starring
master illusionist Richard Cadell who has performed to sold out theatres
across the country. Joining Richard will be a full supporting cast of
magicians, fire artistes, speciality acts and dancers. This is unlike
any other magic show ever seen in the UK. This spectacular show has been
created in Las Vegas and brought over to the UK to entertain audiences
up and down the country. Imagine making a motorcycle appear from
nowhere, playing Russian Roulette with sticks of dynamite, or trying to
escape from a straight jacket whilst hung upside down from a burning
rope.
Suitable for the whole family, X-treme Magic features incredible tricks that are sure to wow young and old audiences alike. In order for audience members to adhere to social distancing, tickets will be sold in singles, pairs and groups of three, four or five. Please note, in line with Government guidance, bookings should only be in groups from one household or support bubble. For more info, to watch the trailer video, and book, visit www.mandsbankarena.com. 13.3.21
Paul Zenon on Countdown. Nick Hewer and Rachel Riley present the words-and-numbers game, with Paul Zenon joining Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner on Wednesday 17th March for another five day, week day, run. See TV Magic for details. 13.3.21
The
Magic Hour – London’s longest running and most successful parlour magic
show – returns at the end of May 2021. Gaining 5 star reviews and
enjoying sell-out shows since its inception in 2013, Tony Middleton
‘Sonic’ pioneered the immersive small scale magic format in the capital.
His past productions include Sleight of Hand on the Strand, which
ran for 3 years at the word famous Savoy, Magic & Mind-Reading at Le
Meridien, where he also managed the magic bar Maskelyne & Cooke,
Magic & Mixology and Master of the Macabre at The Vaults, and
Secret Cellar – a hidden close-up magic theatre in Waterloo. The
Magic Hour entered the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame in 2019, and won the
Traveller’s Choice Award in 2020. "An intimate evening of old school
magic" Metro. "Spell-binding sleight of hand" Evening
Standard.
www.magichourshow.com/the-magic-hour. 13.3.21
The
MagicWeek Video Archive. A new magic clip or show every week! This
week, The Great Tomsoni on 'Magic with the Stars' from 1982. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To catch up with more from The
MagicWeek Video Archive
Click Here.
20.3.21
Smoke
& Mirrors Bristol - back on May 17th. Smoke & Mirros write: Smoke &
Mirrors is Back! It has almost been one year since the first lockdown.
We want again to thank all the guests who came to see our shows in
September and October; it’s looking perfect for May: There will be
limited seating and bar space as we will be required to follow
government guidelines. For those who made it in late 2020, you know we
still provided 5-star shows. The shows are longer with an interval.
Monday, 17th May, is our launch date with our super funny A Bunch
of Japes Stand Up Comedy Night - both Jessie and Dani cannot wait to
see you in person. Live Entertainment has taken a big hit during this
pandemic, and we want you back laughing and drinking. Please support us
by pre-booking your tickets. By late June we should be back to regular
numbers, when live entertainment in full will be back!
www.vimeo.com. 13.3.21
Noel
Qualter on Magicians Advice Podcast. Episode 147: Noel Qualter
Creative Fooler! Hosted by Phil Taylor and Ian Brennan. "Noel
Qualter is a British magician and one of the latest to fool Penn and
Teller - he even did so via a remote show during a pandemic!"
www.magiciansadvice.com. 13.3.21
Caroline
Ravn Talking Shtick with Mark James. Since childhood, Caroline Ravn
has been fascinated by magic. Her grandfather was a magician and taught
her simple tricks as a child. Today, she is not only one of Sweden's
most booked magicians, but also one of the world's foremost female
magicians. I spoke to Caroline about her streamed theatre show 'Where
The Magic Happens'. We discuss the ever changing landscape for
performers, the difficulties caused by costumes and Caroline's theories
on making the audience the stars of your performance. Via your favourite listening platform including
Podbean.
Wayne
& Mike’s Coffee Morning. Wayne and Mike start every Friday with
a chat, a coffee and a surprise guest. This week Charlie Frye:
YouTube.
13.3.21
Curiouser
& Curiouser, Chris Congreave. From the publisher: 25 Great Routines:
Mental Coins, Drawn, Coin to Anywhere, Stop & Think, Upper Hand,
Anniversary in my Pocket, Comedy Card to Wallet, and more, plus two
essays covering performing close-up magic at events, dealing with alpha
males, pocket management, approaching a table, and much more. Available
now to pre-order at
www.insideyourhead.co.uk where you'll also find two videos of
routines featured in the book. 13.3.21
How
big names in magic got their first TV shows. Rory Adams writes:
Richard Young of The Magicians' Podcast' recaps some of his best
interviews with top magicians Derren Brown, Dynamo, Paul Daniels and
David Copperfield to share how magicians can get on to television.
There's no 'set route' for magicians, so Young takes the time to tell
magicians' stories, in their own words. Have you ever wanted to sell a
magic TV show? Ever wondered how famous magicians get their first big
break?
Click Here! 13.3.21
Magic
Room 101 with Mark James - Every Sunday. Mark James writes:
Every week my guests will choose three things that really annoy them in
magic. I'll attempt to argue against their grievances (whether I agree
or not) and then give you the chance to have 'one minute on the mic' to
do the same. Then we decide whether or not that thing goes into Magic
Room 101 to be banished forever. Follow on Clubhouse at MARKJAMESMAGIC to be
notified of events. Every Sunday at 10pm GMT (2pm PST, 5pm EST) live,
not recorded. 13.3.21
Announcing
A New Online Event From Mark Leveridge: On Wednesday 21st April 2021
at 7.30pm Mark will be running his latest Zoom event: the Inner Circle
Zoom Session. It is very unusual in that the exact contents of the
evening will be decided by those who register to attend. On booking,
from a list of twelve potential topics, each attendee will be asked to
select the eight that appeal to them the most. Mark will then take the
eight most requested items from the list and put together the Zoom
lecture. This means that every participant will have at least half of
their selections included, but it may well be more, and it could be all
eight, thus making the event tailored as much as possible to the
interests of those there. The list covers a wide range of magic and
discussion topics, all of which are designed to instruct and entertain.
Registrations will close on Sunday 18th April, but anyone who registers
before 28th March will receive after the event a voucher worth £10.00 to
put towards any purchase of products from the MLM website, thus making
the event itself effectively free! For more information about this
exciting evening, and to register, go to
www.markleveridge.co.uk. 13.3.21
'Your
Deck' Cards in a Bottle by Chris Harding! "Currently available in
the round or the square bottle design, over the past twenty years I have
bottled countless different deck designs for magicians and collectors all
over the world. From first edition decks to limited signed ones, these
are a great way to preserve and display something special." Chris
Harding. Find out more, see
www.cardsinabottle.co.uk. 13.3.21
Ali
Cook on Daryl Martinez. TV Magician Ali Cook's new series, where he
studies the world's greatest magicians.
Episode 2: Magic Legend Daryl Martinez:
YouTube. 13.3.21
Watch
out Las Vegas! Last year Matt Pritchard made a woodlouse
inexplicably disappear. This year he has set his sights a little higher
in an attempt to join the ranks of the grand scale illusionists. With big
dreams, a low budget, and a rented tux, here's what he came up with:
Click Here. 13.3.21
Magic
Touch Appeal for Blackpool 2022. Jonathan Lucia-Wright (JJ) writes:
It's that time of year again. W are fundraising once again to take 4 people to
Blackpool 2022 (maybe 6 - depending on funding) including carers/drivers etc.
The money raised will be to cover appropriate accommodation, transport, food
etc. Please help if you can. Find out all about it at
www.gofundme.com. 13.3.21
John
Styles was the Punch & Judy advisor for BBC Screen One's Hancock,
starring Alfred Molina, shown on BBC 4 last Thursday. It documented the
last 8 years of Tony Hancock's life, which included the making of his
film "The Punch & Judy Man". John was able to provide a replica of the
Punch puppet used in the original movie. On
iPlayer for the next 4 weeks. 13.3.21
50
Secrets To Successful Magic. This soft backed book consists of 322
pages packed with terrific advice on a huge range of importance aspects
of magic and allied arts. Originally published in Magicseen, these 50
articles feature contributions from some of magic’s greatest stars,
including Nick Einhorn, Gary Jones, Tom Wright, Chris Congreave, Joshua
Jay, Jon Allen, Andi Gladwin, Pit Hartling, Paul Gordon, Aaron Fisher,
Iain Moran, Michael Vincent, James Brown, Keith Fields, Morgan & West,
Christopher T. Magician, and many, many more.
Topics include how to create a performance character, ways to deal with
many of the challenges thrown up by commercial close up, how to work
cruise ships, methods for delivering impactful mentalism, strategies for
successful kid show work and so much more. This is a book you will want
to refer to time and again. For more information and to order go to
www.magicseen.com. 13.3.21
News
Deadline reminder. MagicWeek welcomes your UK magic news (major and
minor), but please remember the news deadline: Thursday if possible; final
deadline 12 noon Friday. Many thanks, DT.
13.3.21
"Derren
Brown to create stage version of The Invisible Man"
Click Here • "The Magician Who Used His Skills to Cheat at Cards"
Click Here • "The television magician creating an intimate and funny
experience at home"
Click Here •
And finally, "Magicians' tactics found in politics and marketing"
Click Here • That's it for this week, as ever your UK magic news is
welcomed. See you next week, Duncan.
13.3.21