By Mark Walker

Ten years ago, Mark and Jinger Kalin joined forces with Jeff Hobson to create Carnival of Wonders. The production received rave reviews, yet various circumstances cut short the life of the show. But now, this wondrous trio has returned the Carnival to the stage, with a near three-month run at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

By Dr. Oliver Erens

Talent shows have been very popular on television recently. One of the most successful formats that has been franchised to over thirty countries is the [insert name of country here]’s Got Talent show. You can find magicians participating in each series in any country, but they have never made it to the top — until now! In mid-June, a magician, variety entertainer, and street performer hit it big and made television audiences go crazy. He deserved to become the winner of this year’s Sweden’s Got Talent.

By Philip M. Schwartz

After selling enough Youth’s Companion magazine subscriptions to earn a reward, seven-year-old Floyd Gerald Thayer reviewed his choices. He selected the cabinet of magic.

At that moment, no tectonic stress caused the earth to tremble, foretelling the significance of the choice, yet the future of all magic making, marketing, inventing, and performing would be vastly and remarkably changed. The magic legacy of Floyd Thayer has not only raised standards of production for and materially influenced many other magic builders, it has elevated the quality and success of performance and art in magic — forever.

By Shawn McMaster

Amazing is an adjective that can encompass a lot when speaking of Adam Grace; perhaps referring not just to his magic, specifically, but more so to his path to establishing a hat trick of successful careers, of which professional magician is just one. Amazing further describes the genuine lack of egotism Adam exhibits when talking about himself and everything he’s accomplished in a relatively short time. How many people can say they faked their way into being a paralegal, were cast in a Broadway show, had a touring magic show, created a line of popular and ingenious magic effects, and have opened for the rock group The Black Crowes, before signing a record deal with their own band — and all by the age of 34!

Four pages of news stories covering: Lance Burton signing on at the Monte Carlo for another six years, Justin Kredible on Disney Channel’s The Suite Life On Deck, escape-artist Mark Cannon’s work on Public Enemies and the upcoming Shutter Island, Scarlett moves into a adult-oriented nighttime production at the Riviera, Darren Romeo headlines summer nights at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Jonathan Pendragon arrest for firing a gun in his and Charlotte’s home, and Steve Wyrick’s Fourth of July stunt goes up in flames.

Sixteen products are covered this month by Peter Duffie, Jason England, Gabe Fajuri, Brad Henderson, and John Lovick.

Siamese Twins
Art of Magic with Wayne Houchin
Almost Impromptu Card in Balloon by Al James
The Happie Amp
CM2 by Docc Hilford
Cue Control by Axel Hecklau
Tagged by Richard Sanders
Andrus Linking Pins
Avenue by Dorian Rhodell
Tom Mullica DVD
Foresight by Devin Knight
Linking Flying Rings by Victor Voitko
Fan2C DVD with R. Paul Wilson
The Classic Magic of Michael Vincent

In the annals of card magic, the name Simon Aronson will always be associated with memorized deck work (The Aronson Stack). Beyond that, Simon’s card work is typically multiphased, and he has never hesitated to use a setup or gaff if it yields the desired effect. But these effects contain no memorized deck work and no gaffs. In fact, no setup at all is required — these effects can be done impromptu — and no sleight of hand is required. And while neither one is indicative of the magic you’ll find in Simon’s books, both Gimme Five and Double Vision are very “Aronson.”

DEAR SHOW DOCTOR: I’ve been in magic for most of my life, ever since I was eight. My show is fairly standard, and I want to make it more original, but I don’t want to be a clone-drone. How do you go about creating presentations that fit your style, and how can I create my own unique effects? — Barry K.

This month’s trick is a simple update of a golden oldie: the dissolving knot. By replacing the rope with headphones, the trick becomes modern and organic. You are confronted with a common problem and you use magic to solve it. This is a fun trick to do for strangers sitting across from you on the train or at the coffee shop.

It’s absolutely true: in watching other performers, we can see ourselves. We sometimes make the same mistakes or the same brilliant choices, but don’t recognize them until we observe them in someone else. Through this series of articles, enhanced by the accompanying videos you can find at www.MAGICmagazine.com, you can learn from watching other performers as I gently point out ways that their material can be improved, as well as the aspects of their acts that are working well. Although they refer directly to the video in question, these points also carry over as general principles of performing. There are many right ways of doing things, and these are a few options.