Canadian magic in The Globe and Mail

It's nice to see mentions of Brent Smith (Vanishing Rabbit), Zack Mirza (Illusions of Grandeur), Darcy Oake, Ron Keller, Shawn Farquhar, and Jeff Pinsky (The Browser's Den of Magic).

From The Globe and Mail:

As curio shops go, Brent Smith’s Vanishing Rabbit is all things magical. Attached to the ceiling is a series of old billboards advertising the greats through the ages – Houdini, Sorcar, Mandrake and a young Doug Henning as Chou Chou (pronounced Shoe Shoe), the clown who actually sold shoes for a living.

Inside Mr. Smith’s store, a creepy-looking Charlie McCarthy puppet sits above display cases filled with easy-to-perform tricks and novelties, including the ever-popular Fart Extinguisher.

“It’s a big hit with the kids,” Mr. Smith says as he emerges from behind a counter holding a deck of Svengali playing cards. “I sell a lot of cards, too. Magic is really hot right now.”

Read more.

Billy Kidd in the Globe and Mail

From The Globe and Mail:

The name is Billy Kidd, only she’s not a kid or even an outlaw. She’s one of the very few women who perform magic tricks instead of acting as the male magician’s lovely assistant.

Born in Edmonton, now based outside of London, Ms. Kidd is so good at her craft she has been featured on the Discovery and Syfy channels, and entertains throughout Europe, Asia and Japan. She found her inspiration several years ago watching a street magician in Edmonton.

As much as she enjoyed the magic, it was the crowd’s reaction that resonated with Ms. Kidd.

Read more.

Wish Shawn a happy 50th birthday!

If you can't make it to Shawn Farquhar's birthday extravaganza, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

(He says it's three years in the making, but isn't it 50 years in the making?)


From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

RSVP if you can attend. Really... #ibmprez #keepcalmandperformmagic
Posted by Shawn Farquhar on Saturday, 23 May 2015

Review: Keith Brown's "Absolute Magic"

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Keith Brown's "Absolute Magic" was absolutely mind-bending, mind-boggling and mind-blowing. His upclose magic with cards brought "oohs," the telepathic tricks brought "ahs," and if you've had the pleasure of seeing Brown before, you know that the sewing needles brought "ooooooh — no he didn't!"

The show is quite simple: There's no music, no wild sets, no fancy assistants. He gets by with the few props he needs for his tricks — a deck of cards, some neckties, needles and thread. The razzle-dazzle of Brown is in his charming smile and charismatic personality.

Read more.

Chris Mayhew at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Chris Mayhew









James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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Eric Leclerc's new show: "Mystéric au DÉFI!"

From Eric Leclerc's Facebook page:

Je présente mon tout nouveau spectacle "Mystéric au DÉFI!" Dans les écoles et théâtres partout en Ontario dès Septembre! Préparez-vous! :)
Posted by Eric Leclerc on Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Welcoming a new Friend: John Harrison

Welcoming our newest Friend, John Harrison!

John is a longtime magic enthusiast from Creemore, Ontario. One of his favourite places to be is Canada's oldest magic shop, The Browser's Den of Magic. In John's words, "the world needs brick and mortar magic shops in it." [Editor's note: I agree.]

Thank you John, for becoming an official Friend of Canada's Magic!