Lies, Damn Lies and More Media Coverage

From Mooney on Theatre:

Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks is James Alan’s intimate magic show. It doesn’t make you smarter or share the secret to making money without working.

The show is a magic act, not a play. It is very engaging and entertaining. An hour will fly by before you know it.

Read more.

From Open 'Til Midnight:

During the course of his performance, Alan never loses sight of the notion that magic requires a sort of social contract between prestidigitator and audience member.  I, as the observer, must agree to believe him, even if I know that he doesn’t play fair; he, in turn, makes magic happen that evokes wonder and, ultimately, turns any conclusions I might draw on their heads by the very end.  What we believe and what we refuse to believe is toyed with and pushed to its limits by one feat after another.

Read more.

Amber Waves has also posted a short clip of the show on YouTube:

For show and ticket information, visit the Abracadabaret website.

Summerworks review of Lies, Damn Lies and Magic Tricks

From Now Toronto:

Affable magician James Alan presents an hour-long show that toys with the theme of art and reality. A comical opening bit grabs attention, and tricks flow together well.

Read more.

Review: Banachek’s The Alpha Project

From The Toronto Review of Books:

Do certain individuals have the ability to see the future, to read the thoughts of others, or to communicate with the spirit world? Whatever your answers to these questions might be, in his show The Alpha Project an extraordinary performer named Banachek invites spectators into a universe where such superhuman feats are possible. At least, this is true for the first half of his one-man performance, which recently finished its world premiere.

Read more.

Garbage @ The Phoenix

From Open 'Til Midnight:

In a stroke of brilliance that makes me wish other artists would think of it, the night opened with magician James Alan, who took the crowd on a raucous spree of snark and sly card tricks, rocking the finale where a procured twenty dollar bill from an audience member disappeared, only to reappear in a cantaloupe cut open on stage. Hope the bartenders enjoyed the scented cash! As much as I love discovering new artists, major labels frequently pair artists with openers that make no logical sense for the audience at hand, meaning it’s a true 50-50 shot for enjoying them. An awesome magician though? Always welcome!

Read more.

Banachek: prediction results and show reviews

From The Star:

The surprise retirement of I’ll Have Another was there. The out-of-the-blue bid for the 2024 Olympics was there. The story on gang violence? There. He even had the feature article on Australian Aboriginals.


Read more.

From Torontoist:

For someone who makes his living performing feats of mentalism (telepathy, psychokinesis, hypnotism, seances, and dermaoptics, a.k.a. “the magic of sensing without sight”), British-born performer Banachek’s entire backstory is pretty unique. And given that the audience at last night’s opening night show was not short on skeptics—a handful of whom we spoke to during intermission, or casually eavesdropped on, and a number of whom were volunteers on the stage itself—it is the highest praise to say the entire audience left looking absolutely baffled, but also delighted.

Read more.

From Mooney on Theatre:

A lot of people believe in telepathy, psychokinesis, past life regression and ghosts. These people go to a magic show ready and willing to believe. Others, like me, are skeptics who go simply for entertainment. Banachek’s The Alpha Project, playing as part of Luminato, is a great show for the latter. I suspect it might be a bit confusing for the former. For both kinds of people (and those in between) it’s still a fun night.

Read more.

Christian Cagigal in Montreal

From The Charlebois Post:

Some shows, like Christian Cagigal’s Now and at the Hour, presented by Beyond the Mountain Productions and the Rialto Theatre in benefit of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, are best understood in terms of the magical, inimitable ambiance they create. In the spirit of that magic, forget that this is a review for a few lines, and do as Cagigal asks his audience: “Humour me.”

Read more.

Richard Forget at Blackpool

From The Stage Reviews:

Magic from the USA and Canada comprised the second gala show and emceed by Jimmy Tamley. Appearing were Danny Cole with a modern comedy dress change act, Dirk Losander who blew soap bubbles, made a handkerchief dance and floated a table, Andost produced coloured light bulbs at his fingertips, and Chris Hart had a scarf penetrate his neck, and did the floating hand.

Charlie Frye & Co breathtakingly combined juggling, comedy and magic that had the audience gasping. Then there were The Evasons in a very fast mind-reading double act, Richard Forget had flames that floated and danced, produced drumsticks and a set of drums, and finally a girl from a telephone box that had formed part of the stage setting.

Read more.

Review: Browser's Den auction

From ChasingDoveTails.com:

Yesterday (Sunday) was a hell of a day! Magicians poured into the new location of The Browser’s Den of Magic for an unexpected and unbelievable 5 hour long auction of magic props, DVDs, tricks, and my favorite, BOOKS!

When you put so many magicians or I suppose any group of people with a similar passion in the same room sparks are bound to fly. The most interesting thing about this whole ordeal was not the bidding wars, but the apparent abundance or lack of information about the items up for bids.

Read more of Shane's review.

Review of the Nathan Kranzo lecture at Browser's Den

Go on over to Magic by Merlin to read about the Nathan Kranzo lecture at Browser's Den earlier this month.

Nathan Kranzo is arguably one of the finest young magicians around today.  His magic is high impact, his presentations are hilarious and entertaining, and his personality is both charming and engaging.  To see him perform is a real treat, and even when you know how he does it, you are still fooled and amazed.

Read more.

[h/t: @ErdnaseinTO]

Review: An Incredible Evening of Magic

From Monday Magazine:

When I went to the Victoria Conference Centre theatre last Saturday night for An Incredible Evening of Magic with Murray Hatfield and Teresa, I expected to see some slight of hand and some smoke and mirrors. I wasn’t sure if these two local illusionists would be any good and I guess I was expecting something more hokey than hocus pocus. 

Read more.

[h/t: @MurrayHatfield]

Links for 1-May-2011

• Witness by Lee Asher Magic reviewed by Wizard Product Review (starts about 1 minute in)
  [h/t: @theory11]
   
• "The Faith Healers" iBook by James Randi now available [h/t: @PennJeillette]
   
• Daniel Steep performing at Canada's Wonderland on May 15  [h/t: @DanielSteep]
   
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube (I haven't been able to keep up with viewing, but here are links to last week's videos):
  115. Poker Chip Manipulation - DAY 115 of 365
  116. The Floating iPhone - DAY 116 of 365
  117. Sword Swallowing - Day 117 of 365
  118. Royal Wedding - 2T - Day 118 of 365
  119. Mr E Rope Trick - DAY 119 of 365
  120. Jumping Around! - DAY 120 of 365

Links for 1-Apr-2011

• Wayne Kawamoto's review of Shawn Farquhar's MatriXpress
   
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube (I haven't been able to keep up with viewing, but here are links to last week's videos):
  82. Making Money From Money! Day 82 of 365
  83. The Blushing Card - Day 83 of 365
  84. Poker table Magic - Day 84 of 365
  85. Three Coins & a Toilet - Day 85 of 365
  86. Transporting Cigar - Day 86 of 365
  87. One Handed Rubiks Cube- DAY 87 of 365  
  88. Linking Pull Tabs - DAY 88 of 365
  89. The Magic Castle - Day 89 of 365  

Review: The Shadow Cutter

From the Ottawa Citizen:

We see Vernon hungering to learn an elusive sleight of hand known as the centre deal. And we watch as, uninterested in earning money by performing his tricks publicly, he pieces together a living as a shadow cutter, someone paid to cut silhouettes of people from black paper, once a popular art form.

Vernon's life, in other words, was consumed by a deck of cards, something so small you can put it in your pocket but with a reach so vast it can devour those who fall in love with it.

Read more...

Visit Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company website to purchase tickets or for more information.

Review: Magic 'n' Miracles

We'd previously posted about "Murray Hatfield and Teresa: Magic 'n Miracles tour."

Today, Murray Hatfield's Magic 'n Miracles was reviewed by Tom Zillich in Surrey Now.

From 'Miracles' happen with Vegas-level magic show:

Murray Hatfield is loving the current touring version of the Illusions: Magic 'n' Miracles production that hits the Bell Performing Arts Centre stage three times on Saturday, Jan. 8.

"It's proving to be one of the strongest shows we've ever done," he told the Now.

also:

Over the past couple of decades, the touring Miracles show has raised an impressive $10 million for charity, notably the Firefighters Burn Fund.

On this tour, which began in Ontario in November, Hatfield is joined by "three of the strongest guest acts ever." Featured are Danny Cole, an award-winning magician who fuses original magic with contemporary music, and Charlie Frye and Company, billed by Hatfield as "the most amazing, energetic and frantic juggling act in the world." Also in the spotlight is B.C.'s own Shawn Farquhar, the first Canadian to win a "grand prix" at the world championship of magic, sponsored by the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM).

Read the full review at TheNowNewspaper.com