Review: The Year and Two of Us Back Here

From the Twitter feed of Michael Kras:
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YAY my play got a freaking great first review! #TheYearFringe #HamFringe #HamOnt https://t.co/viJliX6dev

— Michael Kras (@KrasMagic) July 23, 2018

The Browser's Den in Toronto.com

From the July 21st article "Inside a magical place: Browser’s Den of Magic in North York" in Toronto.com:

It would be understandable for visitors to Browser’s Den of Magic to leave the shop in disbelief. The cozy North York home of prestidigitation can leave customers mystified at times. The city’s go to spot for purveyors of the art of sleight-of-hand, under the guidance of proprietor Jeff Pinsky, offers a magical space to learn about magic. Whether you take in the monthly Magic Club meeting or enjoy a “demonstration” by Jeff, himself an accomplished magician, you are sure to be entertained. Of course the shop offers a huge variety of tricks and tools as well, for practitioners of legerdemain and illusion, no matter their level of proficiency.

Read more and see photos of great photos of Jeff Pinsky, James Harrison and some of the magic club attendees.

Shin Lim on AGT

Last Friday America's Got Talent leaked some footage of Shin Lim's appearance on tonight's (?) episode.


Watch "LEAK: Shin Lim Proves Magic Is Real With Unbelievable Card Tricks - America's Got Talent 2018" posted Jul 20, 2018 on the America's Got Talent YouTube channel:

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If you missed his previous appearance, watch "Shin Lim: Magician Blows Minds With Unbelievable Close-Up Magic - America's Got Talent 2018" posted May 28, 2018 on the America's Got Talent YouTube channel:

Toronto: Meet Brad Bond, Maya Franzoi, and Joey Machin

Meet Brad Bond, Maya Franzoi, and Joey Machin from the CBC Kids show The Thrillusionists and see the magic LIVE! July 18th/19th at CBC Kids days!


From Chris Mayhew's Facebook post:

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Edmonton: Matt DiSero at the Edmonton Comedy Festival

Matt was also recently featured on the Travel Tales Podcast.  Details at the bottom of the post.


From the Edmonton Comedy Festival:

The Edmonton Comedy Festival is back from October 10th to 13th, 2018 starring Letter Kenny’s Trevor K. Wilson, Not Skinny Not Blonde’s Monique Marvez, That’s So Raven’s Rondell Sheridan, The Debator’s Steve Patterson and Last Comic Standing’s Louis Ramey. New to the festival this year watch out for our comedy seminars and fundraising opportunities plus more chances to win your way into the festival!

From Matt DiSero's Twitter feed:

Pleased to announce I’ll be performing at the #edmontoncomedyfestival tbis year in October. Lots of fantastic comedians. Come check it out ! It’s great they’ve brought in a variety act such as myself too. Progressive of them. https://t.co/RXzA6v0y9S

— Matthew DiSero (@MattDisero) June 26, 2018

From the Travel Tales Podcast Twitter feed:

All-new ep w guest @MattDisero, Canadian comedy magician who has been around the world and both N & S Poles! Great Tales! https://t.co/JHtSTQRnVs
.#Canada #comedy #travel #traveltalespodcast #toronto #magician pic.twitter.com/jWcNUPbjcx

— Travel Tales Podcast (@TravelTalesPod) June 29, 2018

Alex Seaman in the Tri-City News

Congratulations Alex, on becoming the youngest in history to be installed as the International President-Elect of the International Brotherhood of Magicians!


From the July 4th article "Making magic on the international stage --Former Tri-City News paper boy delivers with his act" by Grant Granger in the Tri-City News:

Like many other kids, Zander got a magic kit when he was in kindergarten. But he lost interest in it quickly and put it away. The desire to pull the kit out of the closet didn't resurface until he was 11 years old when his family was on vacation in Victoria. They dropped into Tony's Trick and Joke Shop run by renowned magician Tony Eng. It had its fair share of the prankster staples like squirting nickels, hand buzzers and whoopee cushions. What little Alex couldn't take his eyes off of, though, was the Wall of Magic Wonders with all its oddities.

His parents and two younger brothers had other plans that day, but Alex didn't want to leave so they left him "with the magician dude."

Eng taught him a bunch of stuff, and by the time he exited he was the proud possessor of a deck of cards, sleight-of-hand sponge balls and other magic stuff. And he began to practise, practise and practise some more.

Read more.

Dai Vernon in Atlas Obscura

From the June 25th article "An Insider’s Tour of New York’s Disappearing Magic History," by Sarah Laskow in Atlas Obscura:

With his sharp mustache and debonair smile, Dai Vernon always looked like he knew more than he was revealing, and as his stature in the magic community grew, his life became legend. When he came to New York from Ottawa, Canada, in 1915, the vaudeville circuit was still feeding magicians steady income and fame, though Pastor’s heyday was long over. A kid obsessed with magic and card tricks, Vernon gravitated to the city’s magic shops. Martinka’s had already become legendary, though from the outside, one reporter wrote in 1916, it looked like “a little dingy shop … with one window full of dusty paraphernalia,” in the shadow of Sixth Avenue’s elevated train. Whatever wonders the shop had to offer were in the back room, off-limits to newcomers like Vernon.


Read more.

Jordan Vo and Care Elise in the Mission City Record

From the June 25th article "Magical couple sweeps Fraser Valley competition" in the Mission City Record:

Among those there to be judged by a jury of their peers were a couple, Jordan Vo and Care Elise. The magicians that night were competing for one of two awards, the title of 2018 Stage Magician of the Year and the Peter Reveen Variety Trophy named in honour of the late illusionist and hypnotist, Peter Reveen.

A couple both on stage and off, Jordan and Care can often be spotted throughout the Fraser Valley performing at festivals and events as a duo. But this time, they weren’t competing together, but as two solo acts.

Read more.

Masters of Illusion 2018 (season 5)

I spied Chris Funk, Murray Sawchuk, Billy Kidd, and Greg Frewin.

Who'd I miss?

Masters of Illusion returns for a fifth anniversary season on The CW with two 30-minute episodes airing back to back on Friday, June 29, 2018 at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central.


Watch the promo on Chris Funk's Instagram:

@cw_mastersofillusion sizzle reel is out! Enjoy! #magic #wonderist #magician #corporatemagician #internationalmanofwonder

A post shared by The Wonderist (@chrisfunkmagic) on Jun 12, 2018 at 4:24pm PDT

Catching up with The Sentimentalists (they're on Penn and Teller's Fool Us!)

Catch Chris Mysterion and Steffi Kay:

• Mon June 25 on Penn and Teller's Fool Us on CW Network
• Fri June 29 and Sat Jun 30 at Smoke and Mirrors Theater in Pennsylvania
• Sat Sept 15 at Zoetic in Hamilton

From The Sentimentalist's Facebook page:

Marien Hopman's magic stolen

From the June 9th article, "Chatham magician hopes tricks will reappear after being stolen" by Stacey Janzer in the Windsor CBC :

Poof. The magic's gone.

Chatham, Ont.'s Marien Hopman likes to perform a trick or two when he can, but his box of magic tricks were stolen.

At 71, he's been interested in magic since he was 10. The retired professional salesman says he would perform magic at children's parties.

Last week, he spotted a sponge ball on the floor of his car and wondered what it was doing there. He opened up his glove compartment — it was empty and his heart sank. That's where he kept his treasure trove of tricks.

"I just keep it in there to so I can make people happy," Hopman said.

Read more.

Henry Box Brown: The magician who escaped from slavery in a 3x2 foot box

From the May 29th article, "This ingenious slave mailed himself to freedom in a wooden box in 1849," by Mildred Europa Taylor in Face 2 Face Africa:

In 1875, he returned to the United States with his wife and daughter. Brown made a living as a magician.

His last performance took place in Ontario, Canada, on February 26, 1889.

Meanwhile, the two Smiths who had helped Brown to escape, Samuel and James, attempted to ship more enslaved people from Virginia to Philadelphia but they were caught and put on trial.

Read more.

Luc Langevin received the medal of the National Assembly

Congratulations Luc!


From the May 30th, 2018 article, "Luc Langevin était à l’Assemblée nationale mercredi, mais n’a pas fait disparaître le premier ministre...," by Marie-Renee Grondin in le Journal de Quebec (as translated by Google translate):

Rest assured! The illusionist Luc Langevin was visiting the National Assembly Wednesday, but it was not to remove the Prime Minister Philippe Couillard ...

Although this may have been a scenario dreamed up by some voters (who will have the power to make it disappear themselves, if that is their wish, next October), the famous conjurer was in parliament to receive a prestigious distinction.

He received the medal of the National Assembly, from the hands of Geneviève Guilbault, the member for Louis-Hébert who represents the riding where he grew up.

Read more.

Read original article. 

Ce fut un honneur pour moi de recevoir La Médaille de L’Assemblée Nationale ce matin à Québec de la part de @GGuilbaultCAQ , députée de Louis-Hébert. pic.twitter.com/1HtCLVEAYe

— Luc Langevin (@LucLangevin) May 30, 2018

J'ai eu l'honneur ce matin de remettre une médaille de l'#AssNat à M. @LucLangevin, illustre illusionniste originaire de #LouisHébert, en hommage à son apport exceptionnel au rayonnement du Québec sur la scène internationale. Félicitations et merci! #polqc #CAQ pic.twitter.com/skK40Gw7e0

— Geneviève Guilbault (@GGuilbaultCAQ) May 30, 2018

.@LucLangevin était à l’Assemblée nationale mercredi, mais n’a pas fait disparaître le premier ministre @phcouillard... https://t.co/GYaIHCmm9o #ZoneAssnat #assnat #PolQc pic.twitter.com/o3JzXp20lV

— Marie-Renée Grondin (@mariereneeg) May 30, 2018

Whitehorse: John Kaplan's "AbracaDAZZLE"

From the May 24th article "Special Olympians return from P.E.I with plenty of hardware" by Chuck Tobin in the Whitehorse Daily Star:

To help raise money to cover the cost of last week’s trip to Charlottetown and the upcoming trip to Antigonish, Special Olympics Yukon is daring the curious.

For two nights – June 6,7 at Christ the King Elementary – the organization is presenting Abraca Dazzle, a magic show starring Canadian magician John Kaplan and his renowned family-friendly magic show.

Special Olympics Yukon will be sending a contingent of 31 to Antigonish, including 20 athletes and 11 coaches and mission staff. They’ll be competing in bocce, athletics, swimming, soccer and rhythmic gymnastics.

Read more.

David Peck interviews The Sentimentalists, Julie Eng, and Daniel Zuckerbrot

David Peck has previously interviewed many magicians on his Face 2 Face podcast.  Recently he's added The Sentimentalists (episode 362), as well as Julie Eng and Daniel Zuckerbrot (episode 373) to his growing list.


From Face 2 Face Live: The Sentimentalists – Episode 362

The Sentimentalists and I talk about skepticism, assumptions and religious belief, burlesque theatre, mentalism and magic, scientific headspace and what it means to be a collector of rare oddities.

Biography
World-renowned mentalist Mysterion partners with mentalist Steffi Kay to create a mind reading experience that is truly breathtaking. Steffi brings a grace, flair and elegance to the mentalism she practises and with her vintage look, approach and style you will feel transported back to Vaudeville to the golden age of magic.

Read more and listen to podcast.

From Face 2 Face Live: Daniel Zuckerbrot and Julie Eng on “The Science of Magic” – Episode 373

Julie Eng, Daniel Zuckerbot and David Peck talk about their new film The Science of Magic, change blindness, assumptions, subverting reality, free will, doubt and the problems of perception.

Synopsis
Magic has become the latest investigative tool for scientists exploring human cognition, neurobiology, and behaviour. Across Canada, the US and Europe, our film follows researchers who are bringing magicians’ tricks into the laboratory.  With impossible magic, amazing facts, and opportunities for viewers to participate in the magic, this extraordinary exploration peeks behind the curtain into a fascinating world where ancient magic meets modern science.

Canadian magician and executive director of the arts organization Magicana, Julie Eng not only mystifies us with magic, she also takes us to Montreal’s McGill University to meet Jay Olson. He is one of the scientists spearheading this novel and powerful approach to experimental psychology.  On the streets of Montreal Julie and Jay use card tricks to help us understand how magic can be used to explore human consciousness. But these simple tricks have given way to more elaborate experiments.

Read more and listen to podcast.

The Magic Word with Scott Wells

For those of you who don't already know, Scott Wells hosts a podcast for magicians.

Recently, he's published a few which may be of interest to you!

From "410 - Carisa Hendrix - Getting Uncomfortable" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Carisa Hendrix is a magician who is on the rise. Oh, also, she happens to be a woman. She is one of the new breed who I believe is one of the "Stars of Tomorrow" as she pursues her dreams on stage. Most young people I see today seem to be involved in close-up and entertaining small groups of people, but few true entertainers are comfortable on stage in front of a large audience. Carisa is one of that rare breed.

She suggests that we should step out of our comfort zone and try new things that stretch our boundaries and move into new, perhaps uncomfortable, areas that will make us better performers and people. She says that artists should practice "moving towards the place of greatest discomfort and just sitting in that space." She suggests that magicians should not be afraid to fail.

On another matter, there was quite a bit of controversy about her July 2017 cover on VANISH Magazine. She addresses it quite well and succinctly on her blog.

Read more and listen to podcast.

From "423: Neil McNally - The Doug Henning Project" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Neil McNally is a passionate man. He is most passionate about Doug Henning and he hosts a weekday blog called "The Doug Henning Project". Who could imagine that there would be that much to reveal about this iconic figure. We recently "hit a nerve" with the podcast #415 with Chip Romero as that episode was one of our most downloaded podcast. So, it was a natural thing to chat with the webmaster of "The Doug Henning Project" so those who are interested in Doug Henning could learn even more. Neil is not a performing magician though he is taking lessons at The Magic Castle. But his passion is history and collecting of Doug Henning. He is also producing a documentary on Doug Henning and will soon be crowd funding his project.

Read more and listen to podcast.

And one from the archives.

From "201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Read more and listen to podcast.

[With thanks to The Magic Demon for sending this along.]

New York City: Vitaly Beckman's "An Evening of Wonders"

From the May 4th article "Illusionist Vitaly Beckman Will Bring An Evening of Wonders Off-Broadway" by Andrew Gans on Playbill:

Vitaly Beckman, who stumped fellow magicians Penn & Teller on TV's Penn & Teller: Fool Us, will make his New York City performing debut next month.

Produced by Daryl Roth, Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders will begin previews June 13 prior to an official opening June 21 at the Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues). The limited engagement is scheduled to run through September 30.

“Vitaly fooled us with his humor and amazing magic,” Penn & Teller said in a statement. “We are so proud he’s opening at the Westside Theatre where we first opened our show in New York over 30 years ago. He is an ingenious inventor, full of charming surprises.”

Read more.

The Thrillusionists: May 4th premier

Updated at 8am to add:

• Suspicion confirmed, Sorcerers Safari alumnus Brad Bond is one of the three stars in The Thrillusionists!
• From the April 27th article "Tricky Orillia teen set to make magical debut on CBC series" in Barrie Today:

  Brad Bond has been fascinated by trickery, sleight-of-hand and the mystery of illusions since he received a magic kit from his grandparents as a Christmas present when he was 10-years-old.
  
  But for him, this has never been child’s play. Bond, now 16, has approached the craft like a professional, painstakingly working on his technique, delivery and persona. That work has paid off.
  
  The Grade 10 Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student was one of three youths chosen – more than 1,000 auditioned from coast to coast – to host The Thrillusionists, a ground-breaking magic show set to make its debut next month.
  
  “It’s almost surreal,” Bond says of his new gig. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was very young.”

I have a sneaking suspicion that a Sorcerers Safari alumnus is one of the Thrillusionists!


From The Thrillusionists Facebook page:

The Thrillusionists will PREMIERE on CBCKIDS.CA and on-demand MAY 4TH 2018!!! Stay tuned to this page for news update, live appearances and more! Thanks for watching and have a magical day! Bought to you by CBC Kids & 5'7 Films

From the CBC:

The Thrillusionists explored the mystical and fascinating world of magic with kid magicians! Our team of three master magicians are guaranteed to blow your mind!

Watch as they travel the city of Toronto, gaining access to various VIP locations — backstage at concerts, professional sports arenas and amusement parks — and perform their trickery for celebrities!

The Thrillusionists is brought to you by television-magic masterminds who have worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Criss Angel, David Blaine, Dynamo and David Copperfield.

The Thrillusionists are two boys and one girl (ages 8-12). This is the first magic series that involves kid magicians performing “grown up” illusions, all to delight and entertain kids!

Read more.

Check out the Thrillusionists YouTube channel.

Fort Macleod: Ben Price's "Rabbit Stew"

From the April 18th article "Empress Theatre to host magic show" by admin in the Macleod Gazette Online:

The Empress Theatre Society plans to pull a rabbit out of its hat with a new fund-raiser on Saturday, April 28.

Magician Ben Price brings his new show Rabbit Stew to the Empress stage at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is by donation and proceeds from the show go to the Empress Theatre Society.

“My new show, Rabbit Stew, is set to hit the stages of festivals around Canada this summer and I thought what better place to premier the show than right close to home?” Price said.

Read more.

Matt Johnson's BGT audition

From the April 14th article "Who is Britain’s Got Talent’s daring escape artist Matt Johnson?" by Matthew Trask at Radio Times:

Matt’s career began in his hometown of Sheffield, where he cut his teeth as a street magician and illusionist.

In his 20-year-long career leading to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, he traversed the globe performing his unique style of illusion and his daring escapes to audiences around the world.

Matt auditioned with the same audacious trick for BGT in 2017. Unfortunately, the tank he was using broke leaving the stage flooded.

Read more.

From the Britian's Got Talent YouTube channel: