A reminder that October's Parlour Magic show features Bill Abbott! Tickets and more information at MagicParlour.ca
The following is a guest post from Ryan Pilling.
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Opening Night at Parlour Magic at TranzacWhen it was confirmed I'd be flying from Calgary to Toronto to facilitate a conference, the first thing I did was look up Canada's Magic blog, as the go-to source for Canadian magical goings-on, to see if my trip would align with any club meetings or lectures. It was there I heard about the launch of a new monthly show starting up in Toronto presenting magic in a cozy parlour setting. Lucky me!
Then I saw the line-up for the show; hosted by series producer Ian Crawford featuring acts from Rob Fishbaum, Jeff Hinchliffe, and Nick Wallace. I know them all, by reputation or personal experience, to be top notch presenters. Very lucky me!Finally the day had arrived. I made my way on a warm September night, walking three blocks from the subway station. Perhaps it was not being accustomed to the Toronto humidity, perhaps it was my excitement for the show, but I arrived moist.
The TRANZAC, which long ago stood for something-something New Zealand / Australia something¹, is now a home for Toronto's independent music community. Any night of the week you can drop in and find local musicians kicking off a new show every two hours. It's a lively space and I very nearly succumbed to the siren call of a banjo being tuned in the other room.
To the left, however, I heard the sounds of cheers and applause. Guests who had arrived early were already being dazzled, even a little razzled, with pre-show close-up magic. In the hallway I watched Fish the Magish (Rob) melt minds as easily as he melted rubber bands.
One music-fan passing by asked "What's going on here?" He was told "A magic show!" and he pulled an oddly curious expression. "Oh, I didn't know people still did that sorta thing." He turned right, into the Bluegrass room.
The show was in The Living Room at the TRANZAC, an aptly named space with a brick fireplace, a handful of well-worn upholstered chairs, and decorated exclusively with pictures of cats. The room was filled to capacity with folding chairs for a sold-out crowd to witness the inaugural edition of Parlour Magic.
Ian Crawford stepped up, as host for the evening, to welcome the enthusiastic crowd. He quickly kicked things off with one mindreading miracle before introducing the first of his trio of tricksters.
Ian Crawford warms up the crowd.
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Ian Crawford with a between-act treat!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
The laughter rarely ceased during Rob Fishbaum's turn thanks to a fast-paced delivery of jokes and visual gags. I have a hard time recalling the individual items amongst the fun-filled frenzy. A testament of personality being more important than tricks. At one point he had crowned himself king, and he smashed a world record for solving a Rubik's cube. All in a day's work. His friendly style pulls people in, and his smooth presentation of good magic assures everyone they are in for a great show. A perfect opening act to set the rest of the performers up for smooth sailing.
Rob Fishbaum with a wardrobe adjustment
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
You can take the teacher out of the school,
but you can't take the school out of the teacher!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
A headdress worthy of royalty!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Next Jeff Hinchliffe, introduced as an underground legend, surfaced with only two decks of cards. One red, one blue. That's all he needed to deal out straight miracles to this full house. If you're familiar with card magic, you may catch a hint of common plots but Jeff transforms them into something more. It would be dismissive to call it "a variation on Chicago Opener" when his clever restructuring has turned a bar trick into a parlour performance piece. Everything he did landed multiple hits of strong magic leaving the audience's brains well-pummelled and mushy. His closer, which may sound tedious on paper, had the whole audience fixed on the progressive reveals, murmuring "no way" as cards were counted out in perfect pairs.
Red? Or blue?
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
The choice is yours!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
A quick lession in neurobiology.
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
With no recovery time granted, Ian introduced the final act; "as seen on America's Got Talent" Nick Wallace. The audience immediately realizes this fella is a bit... different. He specializes in teasing maximum anticipation from long pauses in a delightfully unsettling way, like approaching a corner in a haunted house. I know Nick also puts a lot of effort into the visual look and staging of his act, which felt a bit cramped in the living room, wedged between the piano and drumset.
Looking for inspiration.
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Part of the show took place in a satellite location outside of the building.
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Nothing to see here!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
It did, however, add that much more tension for those finding themselves within arms reach of a serrated animal trap ready to snap. The huge round of applause was partly in appreciation of Nick's beautiful magic, which feels like more than just tricks, but also a celebration that nobody died.
This does not look easy!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
I was expecting to attend a little show with some local magicians. What I got was a top-notch evening which would be perfectly at home in the Magic Castle. I'm thankful that Ian is making a place where we can we can still 'do this sorta thing.'
A fantastic line-up for a fabulous opening night!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Parlour Magic at TRANZAC is on once a month, with fresh acts, through to February 2027. See MagicParlour.ca for shows, guests, and tickets.
The incredible talent line-up for the first 6 months!
Photo credit: Ryan Pilling
Our generous guest post author relaxing after the show.
Thank you Ryan for guest posting at Canada's Magic!
For more information about Parlour Magic at Tranzac, visit their website at MagicParlour.ca and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Here are some additional photos of the show from the September 13th Instagram posts at Canada's Magic:
Footnote:
- Tranzac is an abbreviation of Toronto Australia New Zealand Arts Club (https://ticketscene.ca/venues/11/).
