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When the new Criss Angel BeLIEve show was in early previews at the Luxor in Las Vegas, the buzz was — well, let’s just say “not raves.” Naturally, I was interested to see for myself. Did it have “great potential,” as one writer commented, or was it “quite simply the single worst thing ever committed to the stage under the banner of a ‘professional’ theatrical production,” as another critic claimed. I attended the press performance on October 30, the night before the grand opening on Halloween. And, much to my surprise — I liked it. Okay, I did go in with the lowest of expectations….
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The Untold Story of Canada’s Largest Touring Magic Show The year was 1984, and young Murray Hatfield was at his local theater watching Chuck Jones’ Illusions: A Magic Spectacular, a magic show to raise funds for local firefighters. The show had become a tradition for Murray and his friends, but that year there was one small difference. Instead of sitting in the audience, Murray was watching the show from the wings, awaiting his turn onstage. Had he known that the next seven minutes of his life would lead to over 24 years of touring across Canada, millions in charity dollars raised, and countless delighted families, he might have been too nervous to step onstage. |
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Wonderful things — that is precisely what is on view in John Gaughan’s shop. The results of a lifetime of collecting, restoring, and creating some of the most famous magical and mechanical apparatus of all time have now been gathered in a truly remarkable display. |
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For a full week in September, the Magialdia magic festival fills the days and nights of this Basque city with magic. Performers from around the world appear everywhere, from theaters to bus stops to hospitals, schools, and store windows. |
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News stories on Richard Garriott’s magical adventure in space, a magic manufacturer suing Coors, Houdini still the top seller on the auction block, yet another Phenomen winner, a “magic cow” takes part in the international Cow Parade art project, more secrets revealed by the Masked Magician, Neil Patrick Harris offers more magic on How I Met Your Mother, “The Magic Show” episode of Numb3rs, and a remembrance of Nick Trost and Ted Lesly, plus “Who’s Where” and more.
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Twenty-four products are covered this month by Michael Claxton, Peter Duffie, John England, Gabe Fajuri, Brad Henderson, and John Lovick. Stand-Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy Magic by Ian Keable
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San Francisco’s Steve Skomp was a creative magician and performer all his life. A television writer/producer/performer by trade, he drifted away from magic for twenty years before experiencing a resurgence of interest and creative output. He planned to publish a third book of material before he lost a battle with cancer in 2006. His family and friends passed on the unpublished material, and this makes up this month’s “Talk About Tricks.”
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DEAR SHOW DOCTOR: I am getting ready to do a new show, and I’m having problems with my opening. I can’t decide what tricks to do. What do you feel are the best effects for the opening of a show? — Chris R., Las Vegas
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The corporate party — or business function, as it is alternately called — can be one of the most lucrative venues for magicians. However, it can also be a bit of a minefield. Unlike the house party [November 2008], an event usually aimed at getting friends and family together, with an occasion of some kind as its centerpiece, the corporate party has many more dynamics in play. While these dynamics are mostly positive, knowing how to deal with or navigate around the negatives will have great bearing on how successfully you can work this market.
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A card is selected, signed, and shuffled back into the deck. The deck is pushed into a balloon, then the selected card penetrates back through the balloon, leaving the deck inside. Signed-card-to-impossible-location effects are among the strongest and most popular effects in magic. Using a balloon as the impossible location is fun and practical, both because it packs small and every audience member knows the properties of a balloon. For example, once a balloon is tied, you cannot put anything in or take anything out without popping it. This Card From Balloon effect challenges that assumption by putting something into a tied balloon and then pulling something out. There are a few good variations of the signed card to balloon floating around, and a few variations of the card-from-balloon plot, which all started when Jay Sankey contributed Airtight to Richard’s Almanac in November of 1983. This effect does not require a table, preparation, or even a switch. It does, however, require an unusual balloon and a bit of practice.
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For the next twelve months, I will be exploring a variety of effects, methods, and gimmicks you can try at home. The plan is to present my favorite original material, as well as some new thoughts on effects you may already know. Ideally, this column becomes a starting point for discussion, experimentation, and further invention by you, the reader. Please feel free to email me with any thoughts you have regarding the magic in this column. We’ll start off with an easy and deceptive method for a classic trick: the Cut & Restored String. You’ll need a length of string, some scissors, and a bit of silly putty.
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