Review: Lee Asher's Catch 33

From Wayne Kawamoto:

Classic Monte with a Killer Ending

Lee Asher offers this amazing take on classic three-card monte that's taught via a downloadable pdf file that you can view on your computer or mobile device. Asher not only teaches the basics of the monte, he offers a stunning switch at the routine's end that may very well surpass the classic "bent corner" ploy. It's an entertaining routine at a great price.

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Review: Reading Writing

From Wayne Kawamoto:

Reading Writing teaches an entire system of analyzing handwriting. It will take some memorization and you’ll have to sharpen your skills at recognizing the subtle differences, but there are single sleight of hand moves that take far longer to master.

What’s great about this book is that it offers a gateway into the possibilities of combining handwriting analysis with mentalism and magic. The book explains mentalism “experiments”  regarding: determining favorites, lie detection, a prediction, a book test, matching writing to a person and more. There are also angles on classics such as ambitious card.

I have studied books on the topic and I wish that Ariel Frailich’s “Reading Writing” had been around earlier. This is the book that I would have wanted as a start. I recommend this one and I’ll sign to it.

Read more.

Review: Rob Power lecture

From The Browser's Den of Magic:

We started off 2014 with a real big bang with the Rob Power lecture yesterday at the shop. 

I was so pleased by the wonderful turnout! Rob is not someone who is well known amongst hobbyists. Most professionals who do not put out products for the magic industry are never really well known unless they make it big.

During Mr. Power's lecture he showed why he has been so busy the past 30 years performing. His talents touch upon many areas of entertainment.
During the lecture attendees were given a treat of a magic buffet and instruction that included: Manipulation, Sleight of Hand, Miser's Dream, Puppetry, Comedy, Fire-Eating, Close-Up Magic and even some crazy fun balloon creations.

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Review: Nick Wallace's Séance

From The Star:

HAMILTON—“Good evening and welcome to Séance. I don’t know what’s going to happen any more than you do.”

Nick Wallace grins nervously, like Harry Potter paying a late-night visit to Slytherin.

In fact, he does know in part what’s about to happen in the Norman and Louise Haac Studio Theatre of Theatre Aquarius. Wallace has designed this evening of supernatural entertainment, along with director Luke Brown, but it’s true that he has no idea what will transpire when 50 random people interact with supposed spirits during what they reliably call “the first attempt to use an actual séance as part of a theatrical entertainment.”

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[via Ring 17]

Review: Luc Langevin

From le Soleil:

L'illusionniste, originaire de Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, a mené son public en bateau, dans un crescendo efficace où il entremêle des anecdotes sur sa carrière.

Sur une scène mouvante, où se mêlent écrans vidéo (qui permettent de bien voir ses mains) et objets hétéroclites d'un laboratoire ancien, le magicien alterne les numéros d'animation où il interagit avec le public, et les numéros muets et théâtraux où il s'amuse à brouiller notre perception de la réalité. Comme ce poétique numéro d'ombres chinoises où il fait léviter des objets, et transforme un oiseau de papier en vraie colombe. Ou encore ce segment où il fabrique une sculpture à l'équilibre improbable grâce à la tenségrité, un principe d'architecture.

Read more.  Read in English via Google Translate.

Ty Reveen: Following in his father’s footsteps

From Amherst News:

Ty Reveen remembers his last visit to Amherst in the late 1970s.

He was performing with his late father, the popular stage hypnotist and illusionist, known simply as Reveen.

“I remember Amherst quite well,” Reveen said. “We played in an old school gymnasium and an old hotel, I think it was called the Colonial. It was a great town to visit and the place was packed.”

Reveen returns to Amherst Oct. 22 as part of his latest tour through the Maritimes, following in the footsteps of his father, Peter Reveen, who made numerous trips through the region during a career that spanned five decades. 

Read more.

[via iTricks]

Review: Bobby Motta lecture

From the Browser's Den blog:

Such is his energy and enthusiasm and natural ability to entertain that the two hours flashed by in an instant. Trying to recapture Bobby's performance in print is no easy task - it is so relaxed and he is so genuinely funny that it would be easy to mistake it all for an impromptu session. But that it looks so effortless and natural is because of the years of hard work and dedication to his art that Bobby has undertaken. He admits to close to 3000 professional performances in his 13 year pro career. It shows. Interestingly, he actually started out as a hobbyist at the Den (at its old location on Eglinton).

Read more.

More Luminato 2013 reviews

From The Globe and Mail:

Monday evening: George Brown House, an Ontario heritage building situated just south of the University of Toronto, is named, of course, after the distinguished Father of Confederation and founder of The Globe, the newspaper that became the newspaper you are reading. Normally off-limits to the great unwashed, Brown’s stately home was the venue chosen by Luminato’s go-to magic man, David Ben, to showcase the extraordinary legerdemain of American magician Steve Cohen.

The setting proved an apt backdrop for Cohen’s act, which owes a considerable debt to Johann Hofzinser, the 19th-century Austrian known as the father of card magic. At New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Cohen’s unofficial home, he typically entertains audiences of no more than 50. For the Toronto cohort, only slightly larger, the diminutive Cohen – nattily attired in morning coat, waistcoat and striped trousers – deftly stick-handled his way through a series of jaw-dropping tricks, each seemingly more difficult than the last.

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From Mooney on Theatre:

I straightened my bowtie and tucked in my pocket square this evening to see Steve Cohen perform his show Chamber Magic at George Brown House for Luminato, where the dress code is as fancy as the attendees (let’s just say that for this evening anyhow, his sobriquet The Millionaires’ Magician was well deserved). The show, a classic parlour magic display designed for close audiences, sent me running home to the interwebs to try to figure out how some of his tricks had been performed. I’ll say only this: even online, magicians are pretty tight-lipped.

The pleasure of a magic show is in allowing yourself to be amazed – and it’s nice to be able to stay amazed. Cohen’s skills are really a pleasure to watch as he performs of variety of tricks that are indeed bewildering and delightful. You understand that, on some level, something must be happening somewhere you can’t see it, but that feels beside the point for a moment (except to the gentleman sitting a bit in front of me, who murmured his guesses to his companion frequently). When the card is turned or the glass fills with the correct colour of liquid, we in the audience both expect it and cannot fathom it.

Read more.

From Opus One Review:

We enjoyed being fooled. We pay good money to people who can trick us. We long for the impossible, and what Miguel Puga does is impossible, but there it is.

To help us catch him in his onstage trickery while we are seated in an auditorium, Sr. Puga shows some of his illusions live on a big screen, so we can scrutinize his hands. For openers,  he mixes a deck of cards, draws the Ace of Hearts out of the deck, mixes again and draws again, until he has ‘randomly’ drawn out all the hearts in sequence from deuce to King. While his assistant at the piano, Ms. Paz Sabater, plays Manuel de Fallas’ El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician), Puga turns the cards face down and their backs spell out EL AMOR BRUJO. Impossible! How did he do it? I’ve no idea, but I want to see him do more ‘magic’. And he does.

Read more.

[Guest post] Steve Cohen Performs at Luminato

The following is a guest post from Ian Crawford.

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For years I have wondered what it would be like to attend one of Robert-Houdins' Soirée Fantastic.  Steve Cohen brought the essence of Robert-Houdin to life last night at his Luminato performance in historic George Brown House in Toronto.  First you must understand the setting.  George Brown House is a national historic site, the home of a father of confederation and founder of the Globe newspaper.  The Edwardian house has been perfectly restored to its former glory and is the ideal setting for a performance that celebrates parlour magic.  And Steve Cohen is one of the few magicians with the presence, experience and passion to bring the parlour magic experience to near perfection.

Steve performed a mix of classic magic and mentalism that honoured past masters while acknowledging a twenty first century sensibility.  A lifetime of study, 16 years of performances combined with an engaging intelligence and perfect diction makes Cohens' performances ideal for the Luminato audience.  He expected an intelligent audience, and the tickets even suggested that suitable dress was "cocktail attire".  In return Cohen performed 90 minutes of witty, engaging magic.  He was also suitably attired in a modern morning suit with yellow waistcoat and aqua tie.

Cohen's magic was direct, simple, elegant and completely fried many of the magicians and all of the rest of the audience of more than 60.  Beginning with a multiple card selection, he immediately engaged his audience.  He invited the back rows to stand and others to come and surround him while he performed some coin vanishes culminating in a solid, real brick appearing under his hat.  Appropriately, it was a reclaimed brick.  He performed a classic linking finger rings with style and grace and engaged the audience with some predictions about the inscriptions inside the rings.

One of Cohen's trademark tricks is based on Hoffman's Think a Drink.  While performed part way through the show, this could have easily been the closer.  Five different drinks were predicted, poured and enjoyed by audience members, the last being poured by a volunteer.  Cohen went out of his way to acknowledge and thank the volunteer for dressing appropriately, nice touch.  His message was clear that an evening out should be an experience for all, in keeping with the setting.

Cohen finished his set with a map prediction and then went into some mentalism using billets and an unusually large journal.  The mix of magic and mentalism was clearly a salute to Robert-Houdin, and Cohan engaged his audience constantly.

For his finalé, Cohen asked the audience to come closer and gather round to watch as he performed what I can only describe as a a two deck Triumph.

If you missed Cohen, you can always catch him in New York at the Waldorf Astoria in Chamber Magic.

Toronto is blessed to have a magic benefactor in the Slaight family who sponsored the evening.  And David Ben and Julie Eng of Magicana should be thanked for bringing some of the best magic to Luminato year after year.  Together they have elevated magic to a respectable place.  Robert-Houdin would have been proud.

Ian Crawford

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Thank you Ian for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

Reviews: Luminato 2013

From Musical Toronto:

Luminato failed to show its hand with the first of its magic-themed shows, which opened at Mazzoleni Hall on Friday night. The title is Concerto for Piano and Pasteboards. It’s a fine show.  But it has almost nothing to do with pianos and everything to do with card tricks.

It’s a short, sweet magic show where the assistant doesn’t mutely stand at the magician’s side in a sequined suit but plays a grand piano instead.

Read more.

From Torontoist:

When Miguel Puga first spoke after performing a couple of introductory card tricks, it was in part to apologize for his broken English. The Spaniard, known also as MagoMigue (yes, that’s pretty much Spanish for Magic Mike), may not have the greatest command of the language, but he then proceeded to prove his assertion, as trite as it may sound, that magic possesses a universal power that can transcend ordinary communication. Blessed with a naturally funny presence and an undeniable gift for showmanship, Puga’s expert card manipulations were every bit as impressive as the apparent telepathic abilities he put to good effect on more than one occasion.

Read more.

From The Star:

By Miguel Puga & Miguel Aparicio. Presented by Luminato. To June 16. Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-368-4849 (luminatofestival.com) 

The piano gets equal billing in Miguel Puga and Miguel Aparicio’s show Concerto for Piano & Pasteboards, being presented in the opening days of Luminato. But this is really all about 90 minutes of Puga’s magic tricks, not the art of the keyboard.

Read more.

[via Sharing Wonder]

[Guest post] Keith Brown - Exchange

The following is a guest post from James Alan.

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Keith Brown - Exchange
June 7 - 16, 2013, various times
The London Fringe Festival
@The ARTS Project, 203 Dundas St (map)

There are two things that will get me to drive 200km to London and one of them is Keith Brown. (I won't tell you what the other one is, because whatever you're imagining right now is probably much cooler.)

Full Disclosure: Keith is a friend, we recently participated in a magic competition together where he beat me by two percentage points. He's also performed for Abracadabaret in the past and will be joining us again at the end of the month.

I have also done magic shows at the Fringe and I know they can be very stressful. Your entire show has to be set up, on stage, ready to go, usually in about fifteen minutes, and you have to clear the stage completely after every show and start from scratch every time.

I went to see the show with Nick Wallace, who's created three distinct shows for the Fringe over the years. As the doors closed, we looked around us and couldn't see a single empty seat. I leaned over and whispered, "Have you ever seen anyone sell out a late Monday night Fringe show?" "No, have you?" "No." Awkward silence.

I've seen Keith's show twice before, once at the Fringe and once as a self mounted production. Half of the show was new, which is not saying much because the 45 minute show only contains five pieces. It's all mentalism except for Houdini's Needle Swallowing trick.

Still, at that relaxed pace, there's no sense that anything drags. There's an innocent youthful charm that pervades everything. And even though he's swallowing needles, everything is in good taste, even the fart joke.

The title of the show, "Exchange", is apt because the audience participation makes the show and most of the applause goes to those who are chosen and volunteer. There are also several gentle nudges for participants to push their comfort zone, including one audience member drinking pure white vinegar.

While the show itself is fun and moves along at a good pace, it's not much to look at. Keith is wearing a charcoal suit on a stage with black chairs, a table with a black cloth on a black floor in a room with black curtains and black walls. The only colour in the show come from his tie, the blue latex gloves and the the carrot (it's not what you think.) But I realize the bare bones blank box feel is part of Fringe. If you want bright and colour full, The ARTS Project is also a cool little gallery which you can wander around before and after the show.

If London's not too far out of your way, go see this. Although, if Monday night is any indication, it looks like tickets for the last three shows will be hard to come by.

Three shows left:
June 14 - 5:00 PM
June 15 - 9:30 PM
June 16 - 3:00 PM

Tickets $15 ($10 if you have a London Fringe Backer Button)

Note that the Fringe operates under very strict rules and latecomers will not be admitted.

-James Alan

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Thank you James for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

David Ben's review of "The Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini"

Late last year, John Cox at Wild About Houdini posted about Bruce MacNab's book The Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini, which details Houdini's 1896 Canadian tour.

From Sharing Wonder:

... David Ben, artistic director of Magicana, has penned a review, “The Handcuff King” for the Literary Review of Canada which has just been released (March 2012: Vol. 21, No. 2, p. 27). According to Ben: “Part biography, part travelogue, part magic book, Bruce MacNab’s The Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini follows the exploits of Houdini as he laid the groundwork for becoming a 20th-century icon.”

Read more.

Review: Moose in a Top Hat

From The Tri-City News:

It’s a show that promises plenty of magic, a fair bit of mystery and, in a new twist, a moose serving as the evening’s distinguished MC.

Dubbed Moose in a Top Hat, the show plays on cheeky Canadiana themes between acts by award-winning magicians Matthew Johnson, Christopher Taylor and the husband-and-wife team Trevor and Lorena Watters.

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Review: Shane Cobalt lecture

From The Browser's Den blog:

Shane Cobalt is a dedicated "student" of magic in the very best, truest sense of the word.

During his two hours-plus lecture given to a full room at The Browser's Den he demonstrated it repeatedly through his passion for magic, his commitment to advancing the Art and his encouragement of those less experienced than himself.

Shane promised that "everyone will be able to walk away with something you can do" and that his lecture would contain "no crap". He fulfilled those promises admirably while presenting a mixture of his favourite easy and more demanding card effects as well as a couple outstanding coin moves for good measure.

Read more.

[Guest post] Bobby Motta dealer demo at Browser's Den

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.


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BOBBY MOTTA DEALER DEMO AT BROWSER'S DEN OF MAGIC
Sunday, Feb. 3rd, 2013
A review by "The Magic Demon"


Even a basic dealer demo with Bobby Motta is an event worth attending.

I'm pretty sure everyone who witnessed Bobby Motta's dealer demo of original professional products at The Browser's Den of Magic in Toronto on Sunday afternoon (February 3rd) all felt the same way too.

Watching Bobby demo and explain his own effects I was struck by two thoughts. (1) Bobby Motta is a naturally laid-back, extremely funny and charismatic performer, and (2) Bobby Motta has an incredibly inventive mind. He is the creator of numerous out-of-the ordinary professional effects in use by names like Penn & Teller, Criss Angel, David Blaine and Derren Brown. Oh yes, this is the man who helps make them all look good.

And according to Browser's Den of Magic owner Jeff Pinsky, Bobby Motta practically grew up in the Browser's Den. Jeff has seen Bobby go from fledgling hobbyist to world class professional mentalist in what seems like only a scant few years.

Bobby later told me he was a bit apprehensive about doing this demo. It was not advertised as a lecture and it was definitely not meant to be a performance. So what was it? It was a roomful of appreciative magic aficionados allowed the privilege of learning first hand how a top rate mind came to create a dozen or so of his most powerful effects and the secrets behind them - all for free. What's not to like? The fact that the majority of us could not afford most of them did not seem to deter Bobby from his entertaining task (although I noted at least a couple working pros afterwards decided to enhance their routines with some of Bobby's higher-end creations as well as a larger number of amateurs happily buying some of his less expensive ones.)


The Demo

Bobby opened with his current much-talked-about commercially available effect, "Blackmail". If you are into mentalism, or would like to be, you can perform miracles with this clever utility device, inspired by but significantly updated from a classic principle once described by Corinda.

He followed with a presentation of "That's Alive". If I tell you it is a revelation effect with a surprise finish that caused his audience spectator to jump you can guess it was judged a big success by the room. And all I will add is that his lovely assistant Amanda made a most welcome guest appearance.

"Taste" involved a young audience member repeatedly choosing different beverages behind Bobby's back without his knowledge and yet... Bobby proved that he somehow knew which drinks had been selected and in what order, again and again and again. This one just blew me away when he performed it and blew me away again after he explained how it works. Ingenious! (And Jeff Pinsky's favourite of the event).

Bobby then presented (but was unable to fully demonstrate) his "Lethal.  A card is chosen, the deck is thrown into the air, a knife is thrown at a spectator wearing a protective board and the knife impales the chosen card right onto the board! It didn't matter that he couldn't fully demo it, the room was again delighted with its explanation - another combination of innovative technology and applied human psychology.

"Shock Treatment" was briefly discussed - it's a classic secret of mentalism/magic that Bobby has brought into more modern times featuring greater portability than in past versions.

Bobby then demonstrated the use of certain exotic electronic flimflammery that those in mentalism will already know about and the rest of you will not get any more information about from me. Suffice it to say that Bobby likes electronics very much.

He ended with his visually strong effect "The End" - what could be more fitting? Unknown letter cards freely chosen by spectators are randomly arranged in a horizontal frame and eventually turned around to reveal they spell - guess what? Beautifully constructed props and a stunning reminder that sometimes the greatest impact of all can be had from basic but unsuspected methods.

Bobby added an encore of his own devising which he calls "Advil." It's something that he says he will never reveal nor sell in which numbers called out at random from the audience somehow turned out to be the exact serial numbers on a audience member's previously chosen and physically isolated five dollar bill. A jaw-dropping conclusion to a most enjoyable afternoon with a most talented performer/inventor.

Many thanks to Bobby Motta of course and to Jeff Pinsky of the Browser's Den for hosting yet another worthwhile special event. I assume some of Bobby's effects can be purchased through Jeff or directly from Bobby himself. Bobby also performs on a regular basis in Toronto and details can be found on his website, www.bobbymotta.com.

Oh yes, I read later that there was something else going on that afternoon elsewhere. Not that any of us attending seemed to know or care very much. Super Bowl? What was that? Some kind of extra huge load Lota Bowl?

--

Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

Magi-Fest 2013 round-up

Read all about the Magi-Fest 2013 experience!

From Sorcerers Safari:

When Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin heard that Magifest was to be discontinued last year, they decided that just couldn’t be, so they stepped up and Magifest 2013 was reborn. With the help of our very own Steven Kline as Production Manager and Steven Branham, the amazing Dealer Contact/Badge Checker/Bouncer the convention took off.

Read more.

From the Tony Eng Youth Fund:

Congratulations to Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin for staging and producing a successful 83rd MagicFest! From all accounts, it sounds like there was a full house filled with stellar speakers and performances, heaps of magic dealers and of course, magic day and night. What more could any magic enthusiast wish for?!

We also congratulate our  Tong Eng Youth Fund Bursary Recipients – part of the Magi-Fest Youth Scholarship program. Their verdict of the convention?

Read more.

Review: Zodiac Arrest

From the Edmonton Journal:

In the course of diverse entertainments, you will see a pert magician (Billy Kidd) in a fedora escape from a straitjacket, while cheerfully baiting her male audience “volunteer.” A rare example of a “lady magician,” Billy Kidd, the onstage persona of Gia Felicitas, is an ironic take on the fast-talking, masculine norm.

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Review: Anthony Lindan lecture

From The Browser's Den blog:

Successful corporate events magician Anthony Lindan was once on the road preparing for a client's show when he found that he was missing a key effect in his act. He immediately put in an emergency call to The Browser's Den of Magic and Jeff Pinsky got the trick out to him pronto. "That's why it's important to support brick and mortar magic shops like The Browser's Den" said Anthony during the opening of his recent well-received lecture.

Read more.

Review: Jason Palter lecture

From The Browser's Den blog:

Jason is a professional's professional. On a grey, dull overcast afternoon in early December he presented two solid hours of his latest innovative tricks and ideas with much energy, enthusiasm and humour. You can't help liking the guy. And that's perhaps the greatest secret of magic that he shared with us - performance is everything. Anybody can do tricks but not everyone can do magic.

Read more.

Bobby Motta's Mental in SNAP

From SNAP Vaughan East:

Dave & Buster’s is known for bringing world-class talents to Vaughan, and the recent shows put on by Toronto-based illusionist Bobby Motta were no exception. Motta’s show MENTAL was a two hour mind-bending experience that left more than one audience members amazed as they walked out of the Show Room. 

Read more.