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Blackpool was Brilliant!
The
57th Blackpool Magicians Convention
20th, 21st, 22nd February
2009
Reported by Peter Eldin
Blackpool
always has an impressive line up of lecturers and this year was no exception
with star lectures on the Friday from Latko, Marc Oberon, Ian Keable, Bruce
Kalver, Dan and Dave Buck, and Dirk Losander. On the Saturday conventioneers
were treated to offerings from Rick Merrill, Jeff McBride, Joshua Jay, Daryl,
Daniel Garcia, and David Penn. Continuing the star line up on Sunday were
Etienne Pradier, Rudy Coby, Michael Ammar, Arthur Trace, and Eugene Burger. In
addition there were four “Kidz ‘R Uz” lectures from John Kimmons and Andy
Clockwise on Saturday and Peter Greenwood and Mike Stokes on Sunday. Enough
magic there to start your head spinning!
A new event this year was the Junior British Magical Close-Up Championships on
Friday which could prove the starting point for some of the magic stars of
tomorrow. Just five young lads took part and their performances, on what must
have been a nerve racking occasion, were extremely creditable. In the event
Douglas Tilston was voted the Junior British Magical Close-Up Champion, with
Jack Gleadow second, and Stephen Williams third. Later the same evening came the
European Magical Close-Up Championships, the winner of which was Dai Hewga
(Japan), with Giacomo De Carlo (Italy) second and Jean Emma Nuel Franzis
(France) third.
There was certainly plenty to please the close-up fans over the weekend, in fact
the convention is billed as the ‘Close-Up Colossus’, not least being the
International Close-Up events on Saturday and Sunday. The performers on Saturday
were Rudy Coby, Arthur Trace, Marc Oberon, Michaeel Ammar, Latko, Obie O’Brien,
Ian Keable and Eugene Burger and on Sunday the delegates were treated to
performances from Rick Merrill, Joshua Jay, Daryl, Etienne Pradier, Dan and Dave
Buck, Bruce Kalvar, Daniel Garcia and Dirk Losander. Phew!
On Saturday I missed the ‘Children’s Entertainer International Championships’
for it’s absolutely impossible to take in everything at Blackpool as there is so
much going on. Later I discovered that Michael J. Fitch won the £1,000 prize and
the title Children’s Entertainer International Champion 2009, and that Peter
Greenwood was second, with Quentin Reynolds in third place.
A major competition was the $10,000 Intercontinental Stage Magic Championships
which took place on Saturday evening. I wanted the Japanese performer Yumi to
win as she has such a captivating smile but she did come second, the winner
being Han Seol-Hee (photo) and third was Marc Oberon with his UV Wizard act. The
originality award went to Han Seol-Lee with fast and furious manipulations of
CDs which left the stage covered with discs, some of which were picked up by
fans as we left the theatre.
On the Friday we were invited to a ‘Melange of Mentalists’. This will never
work, I thought, but I was wrong. It was an outstanding success with the room
packed to bursting all eager to see Wayne Dobson, Quentin Reynolds, Roy Zaltsman
(who also compered), Ian Rowland and James Randi.
A nice touch for the Gala Show this year was amazing violin virtuoso Salene, an
attractive young lady, playing the electric violin as the audience came in, and
during the interval.
Compere was wild and wacky Derek Scott from Canada. He was not to everybody’s
liking but I found that I warmed to him as the evening progressed. The first act
was Ervan Bodiou from France with a superb bird act. He was followed by Rudy
Coby with his signature ‘cutting off his extra legs’ act which was very well
received. Next was Jerome Murat with his living statue act which I first saw at
Blackpool about three years ago. Another act seen previously at Blackpool was
the amazing interactive television magic of Tony Chapek. To close the first half
we were treated to the impeccable showmanship of Jeff McBride with his masks,
card manipulations and a most unusual, but beautifully presented, rain catching
routine. To me the highlight of his act was the lovely misers’ dream accompanied
by a boy from the audience. I first saw this is 2005, it thrilled me then and it
thrilled me again at Blackpool.
Salene came on again during the interval, I liked this idea very much and I hope
that Blackpool keeps something similar going in future years.
After the interval came the presentation of the Murray Award which this year
went to Duncan Trillo for his work on the ever popular e-magazine MagicWeek
(www.magicweek.co.uk) and to Eric Eswin, International President of FISM. The
irrepressible Ken Dodd, Honorary Life President of The Blackpool Magicians Club,
then said a few words before awarding the Ken Dodd Comedy Trophy to local
performer Russell Brown.
An Ha-Lim from Korea then came on with slow, deliberate and artistic card
productions followed by a change of pace culminating in a terrific crescendo of
cards being produced at top notch speed. Speed and skill were also the
attributes of French juggler, Tony Frebourg, with unbelievable feats with
multiple Diabolos. The final act saw the illusions of Oscar, Renzo & Maria from
Holland with loud music, flashing lights, energetic dance routines and
pyrotechnics.
The highlights of the convention for me, apart from the Gala show, were the two
‘audience with’ sessions. In the first, on Saturday, my old friend Terry
Seabrooke interviewed James Randi who talked about Uri Geller, fake psychic
healers, and even his views on the After Life, prompted by one of the many
questions from the floor. It proved to be both interesting and entertaining.
Equally interesting was Hank Moorehouse interviewing Jeff McBride and Eugene
Burger on the Sunday. They discussed how they met, their involvement with their
teaching sessions and revealed the deep insight that both have into the art of
magic and performance.
Although the length of this report has to be limited I must include mention of
the ‘Ladies’ event which was attended by more men than women! There were no
magicians and no tricks in the show but magic of another kind, the magic of the
music hall in which the audience were treated to short films of some of the
great variety acts from the past presented by theatrical impressario Duggie
Chapman. I would have liked more and so would have many of the people I spoke
with afterwards.
Unfortunately I missed ‘Beat the Wand!’, in which each act had to perform for up
to five minutes before being voted off when the act failed to please the judges,
and I also missed the After Gala Party, in spite of the attractions of
Lancashire Hot Pot, apple pie and a cabaret starring some entertainers I know
well, as I had to be up early the following morning.
Neither did I see Dr Sawa’s Close-Up Show, something that was high up on my list
of ‘must sees’, and also I did not see much of the dealers (which probably saved
me a lot of money). I did pop down to the dealers’ hall occasionally and had
brief chats with some 125 dealers from around the world with plenty of eager
punters searching for the ‘latest’ or a new addition to their repertoire.
Blackpool was brilliant this year. It always is, thanks to Convention Organiser,
Derek Lever, and his team. Registrations are already pouring in for next year’s
convention which runs from 19th to 21st February 2010. It’s the biggest and the
best so if you want to be there I suggest that you log on to
www.blackpoolmagic.com
for more information as soon as possible.
© Peter Eldin, February 2009
Photo by Duncan Trillo © MagicWeek 2009.
Left to Right: Blackpool Magicians' Club President Harry Robson, Yumi (Japan), Han Seoi-Hee (Korea), Marc Oberon (UK).