New offerings from Phil Matlin

As many of you know, Phil Matlin, owner of Montréal's magic shop Perfect Magic, is also a professional ragtime piano player.  He's been known to tour now and again.  Recently, he's added some new selections to his YouTube channel.  They include: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, A-Razz-Ma-Tazz, After You've Gone, Basin Street Blues, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Just A Closer Walk With Thee, Sentimental Journey, and Alexander's Ragtime Band.


Have a listen to Alexander's Ragtime Band:




Tracks from his CDs Ragtime Daze, or Ragtime Magic, have also been used to accompany some magic acts!

James Randi on W5 Extended

Last week W5 ran a show about Fortune tellers giving questionable advice.  As part of their web extras, they have a bit with The Amazing Randi showing an example of mentalism to Sandie Rinaldo.

Watch the clip below:



Watch the part one of the show, part two of the show, and read more about it at the CTV website.

Monday musings: What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you during a show?

I've seen a lot of strange and unexpected things happen at shows.  I've seen stage platforms give way.  I've seen entire sets fall over actors (thankfully no one was injured), I've seen audience volunteers walk off the stage.  And there was that one time when a smoke machine caused a cape to catch fire...

I haven't performed often enough to experience anything like that.  Best I can do is report a family member who zealously tried to make a fool out of grade-school-me (boy was he surprised when he opened his hands to find an entire family of sponge rabbits!), and the suggestion of "Abracadabra, hey presto!" as a magic "word" by a grade-school student.

I'm sure a number of you have some juicy tales to tell though, and I'd love to hear them!

I'll let James Alan start you off with this video from his Reality Based Magic post, "The weirdest thing to ever happen to me on stage."




And now, over to you. What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you during a show?

Eric Leclerc: 2016 entertainer of the year

Congratulations Eric!

From Eric Leclerc's Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

HEY guys I won a thing!! #Facesmagazine named me their ''2016 Entertainer of the year''!!And for once I didn't have to pay my grandmother's crew at the retirement home to online power-vote for me for hours
Posted by Eric Leclerc on Monday, 29 February 2016

Mike D'Urzo 2016 "Performer of the Year"

Congratulations Mike!

From Mike D'Urzo's Facebook page:
A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

Winner of the 2016 "Performer of the Year" award by Festivals & Events Ontario! #FEO2016
Posted by Mega Magic on Friday, 4 March 2016

Toronto: Browser's Bash Mystery Guest

From the Browser's Den of Magic Twitter feed: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

ANNOUNCING: The Mystery Guest at this year's #BrowsersMagicBash2016 is - Steven Brundage! #Cube3 pic.twitter.com/YcbyIVZLeR

— The Browser's Den (@theBrowsersDen) March 10, 2016

Random thoughts on "Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries"

I had the pleasure of seeing Marion and Ted Outerbridge perform their show "Clockwork Mysteries" last month.  They had just completed a 5,500 mile US lecture tour.  I caught them at the Milton Centre for the Arts.

[As an aside, I encourage you to go and see a show at this fabulous 500 seat theatre.  It's approximately 25 minutes west of Toronto's western border.  The facilities are modern and spacious.  On the lower level, it appears that all seats have amazing sight lines.  (I didn't venture up to the balcony.)  The seats are a little bit wider than standard theatre seats, which makes them very comfortable!  They offer amenities like a coat check (by donation) and the ability to pre-order intermission refreshments.  Best of all, parking is free and plentiful.]

Here are some random thoughts that came to mind while watching their amazing time travel themed show:

• A fast paced, extremely entertaining, high-energy show.
• All illusions, big and small, were masterfully performed.
• Greta the Psychic Goose earns her keep.
• There is a nice ratio of grand illusion, intimate magic, and mentalism.
• I really enjoy watching "assistants" do magic in their own right.  Marion owns it!
• Those of you who know me well, know that my opinion of magicians is heavily weighted on how they treat their audience members.  One of my favourite moments in the show, lasted no more than 2 seconds.  Ted walked into the audience to select a volunteer.  He found someone he wanted to bring on stage.  She said, "no."  Instead of cajoling or otherwise pressuring her, he simply moved on and found someone else.  That's how you make the audience feel like you can be trusted to treat them right.  Show people respect from the get go.
• Ted has a knack for picking awesome audience volunteers.  Six year old Archer was a really good sport and owned that stage!
• Nine year olds can't be trusted to count down from 90.
• Ted's disco ball jacket is a thing of sheer beauty!
• I love that audiences in 2016, still enjoy watching someone get sawed in half, into halves, into two pieces.  
• Among other wonderful pieces, we were treated to: "The Psychic is Right,"  "The Time Machine," "Alarm Clock," "Floating Barricade Light," "Outside of the Box," and their elegantly performed "Levitation."
• The biggest mystery of the night for me:  How does Marion manage all of those costume changes?

If you get a chance to see them perform their show "Clockwork Mysteries," go and see it!

(If you're at the upcoming CAM convention, you'll get a taste of their show in the Grand Gala performance at the CAMaraderie Convention/Festival de magie de Québec on April 23, 2016.  They're also scheduled to perform at SAM New York's "2016 Salute to Magic" on May 7th.)

To learn more about this fabulous duo, listen to the Scott Wells' podcast 278: The Inner Secrets of the Outerbridges or visit their website at www.outerbridgemagic.com.

Disclosure:  My family and I were guests at this show. The opinions expressed above are entirely my own. I did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.