Number
1087 - Saturday 24th April 2021
After
a dry spell, there's magic brewing in the West End with Wonderment
- Palace Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London, 16th July - 30th August.
From the promoter: There’s magic brewing in the West End once more. A vaudevillian journey
of illusion, with performers at the cutting edge of their art,
Wonderment is set to astonish audiences this summer at the Palace
Theatre. This fun night for all the family must be seen to be believed.
Wonderment brings together some of the greatest illusionists live
on stage in breathtaking displays of magic and illusion that will
electrify, surprise and delight. Taking to the stage will be the
multi-award-winning mind reader and TV star, Chris Cox, and the most
talked about woman in magic, Josephine Lee.
The star of CBBC’s Chris Cox’s Mind Boggling Magic, Chris Cox has
sold out UK tours and runs at Fringe Festivals from Edinburgh to New
Zealand, and is the only mind reader in history to have played the West
End, Broadway and Sydney Opera House. Josephine Lee took the magic world
by storm after her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2017.
Her dynamic and modern spin on illusion saw her act hit millions of
views overnight.
Both stars of The Illusionists which has played on Broadway, the
West End and across the globe, as well as Impossible which
travelled from the West End on to a world tour, Josephine and Chris are
only the first incredible artists to be announced. Five acts will
showcase their awe-inspiring talents at every performance and the rest
of the line-up will soon be announced.
Director, Annabel Mutale Reed comments, It’s an absolute privilege to
be creating Wonderment with world class magicians, who are bringing
their greatest illusions to the West End this summer. Audiences have
been making memories at The Palace Theatre for 130 years, and we are
delighted to be filling its stage with a vibrant 2021 twist on an
old-fashioned variety show. Wonderment is an exhilarating, mind-bending
show that really has to be seen to be believed, all under the roof of
what was once described as ‘The Handsomest Music Hall in Europe’!
Wonderment producer, Stephen McGill comments, We are so excited to
bring some magic and wonder to the West End again, which we know has
been sorely missed during this difficult last year. Our fun-packed
family show is full of magic, illusion, and comedy. It promises some
old-fashioned entertainment with some innovative, fresh, contemporary
style and exceptional performers. We hope it will cast a spell over our
audiences and fill them with Wonderment!
Nica Burns comments, Wonderment: fantastic and fantastical, full of
surprises and marvel. Hugely entertaining. A perfect summer show for
all. Just the tonic.
Palace Theatre, London. 16th July - 30th August. Website: www.wondermentlive.com Box Office: www.nimaxtheatres.com/theatres/palace-theatre. 24.4.21
Edinburgh Castle hosts world premiere of spectacular stunt by
scientist and magician Kevin Quantum. On Thursday 29th April,
scientist and magician Kevin Quantum will celebrate the journey out of
Covid-19 adversity by staging the world premiere of a spectacular
demonstration of courage, optimism and harmony at Edinburgh Castle.
Broadcast worldwide on
YouTube,
the premiere of Flaming Cannonballs at Edinburgh Castle will show
Quantum relying on science, self-belief and hope as he attempts to walk
blindfolded through nine flaming cannonballs swinging from a huge
pendulum on the ramparts of the capital’s iconic landmark.
If his scientific studies of the pendula’s patterns and calculation of
the precise magical moment the cannonballs harmoniously align, Quantum
will emerge unscathed from his daring stunt at precisely the moment
Edinburgh’s famous One O'clock Gun is fired. In the run-up to his
fearsome feat, Quantum has released a trailer which can be viewed here:
YouTube
Internationally acclaimed magician Quantum, also known as Kevin McMahon,
lives in Edinburgh and his last performance was as a semi-finalist on
ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. He has gained exclusive access to Edinburgh
Castle to stage his dramatic performance in the shadow of Mons Meg, the
famous Medieval Bombard and one of the largest cannons in the world. His
stunt will mark the moment Scotland begins to open up after life in
lockdown and people celebrating the chance to reconnect with friends and
experience the joy of live performance. While anyone within a two-mile
radius of Edinburgh Castle will be able to hear The One O'clock gun go
off, Quantum is inviting people across the city, Scotland, the UK and
the world to connect with the performance and each other by watching the
premiere on
YouTube.
24.4.21
Topas
- a Zoom lecture presented by The Newcastle Magic Circle on Monday 3rd
May at 7.30pm. James Piatt writes: Join us for a very special
lecture from German magic superstar Topas! Topas is a FISM World
Champion and a regular performer on major international TV shows such as
The World’s Greatest Magic and most recently, Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
This must-see lecture is free for members of the Newcastle Magic Circle
and only £5 for visiting guests. Please contact
nmcsecretary@outlook.com
for further information.
24.4.21
Castle
Magic (established in 1982 as Castle Magical Services) is one of the
leading dealers in pre-owned and second-hand magic apparatus and books,
often handling antique and vintage apparatus from around the world.
Based in Great Britain, where a considerable amount of vintage magic
equipment started life, we supply and ship items worldwide. We also
purchase and exchange magic props, books and allied arts apparatus from
individual items to complete acts. During 1997 we launched our Castle
Premier Range of exclusive magic tricks for children and close-up
entertainers.
During 2011 Castle Magical Services acquired the business and rights of
the Bradford Magic Studio – a company set up and operated by Cliff Lount
since 1949, making Bradford Magic Studios the 2nd oldest established
magic company in the UK still trading. We will be remaking and supplying
a number of its classic magic effects in the near future. We are also
proud to announce that Workshop Thirteen, which produces Escapology and
Bizarre Magic, will now also be part of the Castle Magic family.
www.castlemagicalservices.co.uk.
24.4.21
Harapan
Ong Leicester Magician Network Zoom Lecture - tomorrow at 2pm! Adam
Edgeley writes: The Leicester Magician Network is proud to present
Harapan Ong on Sunday, April 25th, at 2pm via Zoom. For info on how to
attend please visit
www.leicestermagicians.wixsite.com. The charge for non-members is
£10. Singapore's Harapan Ong has caused an online sensation with his
technical abilities. Videos began to circulate some years ago showing a
pair of hands doing extraordinary things. His style is natural,
unassuming, and soft. But Aces appear, card selections transpose, and
magical things just seem to happen in Harapan's hands!
24.4.21
The
MagicWeek Video Archive. A new magic clip or show every week! This
week, Faust & Company on '3-2-1' from January 14th 1984. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To catch up with more from The
MagicWeek Video Archive
Click Here.
24.4.21
Wayne
& Mike’s Coffee Morning. Wayne and Mike start every Friday with
a chat, a coffee and a surprise guest.
This week: Gary & Paul from The Twins FX.
YouTube.
24.4.21
Steve
Dimmer's new Zoom Lecture: Tricks For The Trade. This lecture is
different and specifically designed to be presented over Zoom, although
in a perfect world everything would be performed with a live audience.
Each routine is videoed as it would be seen by spectators and then
explained by Steve in his usual breezy style. It comprises close-up,
parlour and stage tricks, the majority involving everyday objects
transformed into amazing magical tricks. All the effects are within the
scope and skill level of every performer (no finger-flinging!) which
means presentation is the focus of the trick, often relying on original
principles never employed in magic before. Featuring:
Agent ZigZag: In which a picture of the most
infamous of British spies disappears and reappears into other spy
portraits.
Spice of Life: A revelation of a chosen spice using spice jars, suitable
for parlour show.
Licensed to Trick: James Bond becomes the focus of a mind-reading
effect.
In Full View A predicted card is shown face up before 3 genuine
selections are made, all of which match the prediction.
Text Book: An exercise in mentalism which can be done with an audience
or by phone, email or even text!
Eccentric, eclectic, enthusiastic and effective Tricks For The Trade is
an amazing collection of newly devised routines all of which have been
bench-tested in the real world. This lecture is now being offered to
magic clubs throughout the UK. For a zoom lecture, the fee is an
all-inclusive £85. Further details: Steve Dimmer Email:
Inflatabletheatre@ntlworld.com Telephone: 01604 409010 Mobile: 07904
311 007.
24.4.21
Prof
Richard Wiseman recently carried out research showing that teaching
a simple magic trick to school children increases their creative
thinking. The study compared magic to an art lesson, and suggests that
teaching magic might be an economical, practical and fun way of boosting
creativity in the classroom. The study, 'Conjuring up creativity: the
effect of performing magic tricks on divergent thinking' is published in
an academic journal called PeerJ and you see it for free here:
www.peerj.com/articles/11289.
24.4.21
The
Mark Leveridge April Podcast. If you half an hour to spare you might
care to spend it in the company of Mark Leveridge as he presents his
latest podcast featuring thoughts and opinions on the following topic:
Plot and effect – the difference as explained by Doug Dyment :
announcing the arrival of E-Club Pro Select : hybrid conventions may be
the way forward for some magic event organisers : the secret to finding
a receptive audience for your magic as you grow older : details of an
online session in which the attendees decide the content : how to
harness one of magic’s most potent performance weapons. A new
podcast is released on the first of each month and you can access your
free copy either from
www.markleveridge.co.uk/podcast-archive, or from
www.markleveridge.podbean.com where you can also sign up to be a
follower and receive each new edition automatically.
24.4.21
Pure
Cards Across - Mark Leveridge Magic. Two sets of 10 cards are counted out
fairly and openly onto a spectator’s hand before being dropped into two glass
tumblers where they can be clearly seen. One at a time three cards are invisibly
moved from one glass to the other, and when the piles are counted back onto the
spectator’s hand again, the first glass only contains 7 cards and the other 13!
This is the classic cards across effect using a method that is completely move
and sleight free. Everything happens at fingertips and there is no palming
required, nor any special counts. Designed for a close-up or intimate parlour
show, this routine is so open and fair looking that it seems impossible that
three cards could migrate from one pile to the other. And yet they do! This
comes as a Premier E-Routine which is a downloadable PDF text file featuring
detailed written instructions and which has a link in it to take you to
additional online performance and explanation footage. For more info, to watch a
video, and to order visit
www.markleveridge.co.uk. 24.4.21
Magicians Advice Podcast. Hosted by Phil Taylor and Ian Brennan. Ep:151 Tom Crosbie. Tom Crosbie talks about being the geek, Edinburgh Fringe, Cruises, and being rescued by the Cuban Military. www.magiciansadvice.com. 24.4.21
Free
Arrow by Himitsu Magic - Merlins of Wakefield. Your spectator first
selects an item on the table, or selects a card. Then they are asked to
transmit, through their mind, their chosen item. A compass pointer
instantly points to their item or card! The pointer will stop at a
certain position during the movement, and then open precisely at the
selected item. In addition, the roles can be exchanged - the audience
member thinks about their card, and tries to mentally send it to the
pointer. After opening, the pointer shows the very card that was
selected! The inspiration for this product comes from street magic - we
wanted the audience to experience a very strong visual effect as well as
mentalism.
www.merlinswakefield.co.uk.
24.4.21
Game of Talents. Vernon Kay hosts a game show in which contestants pair up with celebrities to try to uncover the secret talents of the eight mystery performers in each episode. With big money prizes up for grabs if they get it right, will they be able to tell the fire-eater from the footballer or the line dancer from the lion tamer based solely on the performers' appearances and some intriguing clues? (Still not a magician in sight... but there will be one next week! DT) See TV Magic. 24.4.21
Houdini:
The Elusive American by Adam Begley. From the prizewinning Jewish
Lives series, an exuberant biography of the world’s greatest escape
artist. In 1916, the war in Europe having prevented a tour abroad, Harry
Houdini wrote a film treatment for a rollicking motion picture. Though
the movie was never made, its title, “The Marvelous Adventures of
Houdini: The Justly Celebrated Elusive American,” provides a succinct
summary of the Master Mystifier’s life.
Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, Houdini grew up an impoverished
Jewish immigrant in the Midwest and became world-famous thanks to
talent, industry, and ferocious determination. He concealed as a matter
of temperament and professional ethics the secrets of his sensational
success. Nobody knows how Houdini performed some of his dazzling,
death-defying tricks, and nobody knows, finally, why he felt compelled
to punish and imprison himself over and over again. Tracking the
restless Houdini’s wide-ranging exploits, acclaimed biographer Adam
Begley tells the story of a mystifying man’s astonishing career.
"Witty, intelligent, and sprightly, Adam Begley's Houdini tells a story that is not only central to the American experience, but strangely pertinent to the fakery, fraudulence, and self-promotion dominating our news waves at present." Wendy Lesser, author of Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance. Available from www.amazon.co.uk. 24.4.21
"Who
Is Murray The Magician From Pawn Stars?"
Click Here • "Award-winning magicians to bring ‘Wonderment’ to Palace
Theatre this summer"
Click Here • "Good trick: Magicians in Ottawa and beyond have learned how to
deal with the pandemic"
Click Here • "Magician Mat Franco reappears at the Linq"
Click Here • "Celebrated Maidenhead magician presents live show for Thames
Hospice"
Click Here • "Elsenham WI transfixed but can't work out magician's tricks"
Click Here • "Psychological illusionist Derren Brown is coming to Theatre
Royal Plymouth"
Click Here • "Copycat Magician? Shin Lim Speaks Out About ‘Italia’s Got
Talent’ Winner"
Click Here • Your UK magic news is always welcomed - big or small! See you
next week, Duncan.
24.4.21