Canada's Magic

26 December 2018

Shelby Craigen recently featured by the IBM

From the Facebook page of the International Brotherhood of Magicians:

25 December 2018

24 December 2018

The Sentimentalists to make predictions for the New Year

I hope they have some good news to share!

You can also catch them in Sentimentalists: Mentalism At The Museum on December 28th.

From The Sentimentalists' Facebook page:

23 December 2018

Broken wand: Perley Palmer

Our thoughts go out to Perley's family and friends.

From the December 22nd article "'He just loved the kids:' Fredericton's magic man dies at 75" by Philip Drost at CBC News:

After decades of mesmerizing crowds and making people laugh and smile, Fredericton magician Perley Palmer has died.

The famed entertainer, known simply as Perley the Magician, died at the age of 75 on Friday.

He was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in April 2015, but it didn't stop him from making people smile with his tricks, even in his last days.

Read more.

22 December 2018

Random thoughts about "Champions of Magic"

Before I begin, have a peek at a snippet of the most recent Champions of Magic press release:

TORONTO, ON, December 21, 2018: Last night, the UK’s biggest large-scale illusion spectacle Champions Of Magic left Toronto spellbound after its spectacular opening night performance. Running for a limited-time engagement at The Bluma Appel Theatre (St Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St E.), with an unprecedented three shows a day, the popular production has to be seen to be believed.

As The Bluma Appel Theatre’s highest selling holiday extravaganza ever, Starvox Entertainment is proud to announce the addition of five new performances across the following dates, including a death-defying fourth show on January 5, for a total of 40 performances over 18 days!

Wednesday, December 26, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. EST

Thursday, December 27, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. EST

Friday, December 28, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. EST

Wednesday January 2, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. EST

Saturday January 5, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. EST

A four show day, 17 days into the run? Death-defying indeed!

On with the show...

After missing out on the opportunity to interview Alex McAleer and Young & Strange live, I knew I had to jump on the chance when I was invited to attend Champions of Magic (especially after what Strange told me I missed by not making it to interview day).

We arrived early and had a chance to get the feel of the theatre. The Bluma Appel Theatre seats just under 900 guests and is a cozy theatre. I'd venture that there are no truly bad seats in the house.

I experienced my first feat of astonishment when the usher read my mind and gave me directions to the rest room before I'd even asked the question!
Kidlet observed that there were a lot of children in the audience and was surprised by the number of girls in attendance.
If not a sold out show, the theatre looked very close to capacity.
If you're chatting with Brendon at the merchandise table, tell him to visit the Browser's Den of Magic if he gets any off-time.
The show is about an hour for the first half, 15 minutes intermission, and about an hour in the second half.
I am genuinely afraid of posting spoilers. The less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy it.

Note to parents of young children: The music can be very loud at times throughout the show. There's also a smoke machine involved. Forewarned is forearmed.

So. Much. Fun.

The show starts strong with Young and Strange and keeps up an astonishing pace.
As with Starvox Entertainment's Potted Potter, Champions of Magic is absolutely D'liteful!
The four acts are interwoven through out the night, which works really well at keeping each of the disciplines fresh.
Kayla Drescher, Alex McAleer, Fernando Velasco, and Young & Strange all do what they do very well indeed!
There's a tangible camaraderie among the cast. Kidlet likened the feeling of the group to the team of illusionists in Now You See Me (but without the audience payout at the end of the show).
There's a tonne of audience participation with both children and adults!
One of the pieces performed was something submitted in the contest from earlier this month. Can you guess what it was?
McAleer does impressive mind reading. He even offers a wager with an audience member for a substantial amount of money. (And he knew how to pronounce "Toronto" like a local!) If he asks you how you are, be sure to ask him how he's doing too, so he knows that Canadians are a caring bunch.
Velasco does more than impressive breathtaking, heart-stopping escapes.
Drescher did some mind-boggling close-up in the audience, a couple of types of "arts and crafts," and made her young volunteer, Malia, feel very special. (Also of note, Drescher's volunteer Andy, was very reluctant to break her heart.)
Young and Strange performed a super tight, high energy set while channeling their inner SARMOTI. It's refreshing to see a man get put into boxes to be squished and skewered! On a personal note, it was fun to see them perform an original illusion by Canadian magician Gerry Frenette.
Annalisa, the aerialist was fabulous! As were Brendon, Brandon and the rest of the stage crew and theatre crew. Those folks hustled to keep the pace going.
I had many "how'd they do that?" thoughts, along with so many moments of joyous laughter, and periods of being completely enthralled in the spectacle.
Kidlet can't stop talking about the ending. It caught us both completely by surprise!

Don't just take my word for it, have a read of Wayne Leung's post "Review: Champions of Magic (Starvox Entertainment)" from December 21, over at Mooney on Theatre.

Hang out in the lobby after the show and have a picture taken with the @ChampionsMagic cast.#ChampionsOfMagic #championsTO pic.twitter.com/Y42ZWLMUyF
— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) December 21, 2018

Catch the Champions of Magic at The Bluma Appel Theatre through to January 6, 2019. Tickets through Ticketmaster.

(Don't forget about Drescher's Toronto lecture in the New Year!)

Disclosure: Kidlet 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.

21 December 2018

The Outerbridges in go/be Weekly

Catch them in Niagara on December 29th!

From the article "Ted Outerbridge: Clockwork Mysteries Tour Delivers Holiday Magic" by David DeRocoo:

“I was in a restaurant eating a bowl of spaghetti when this guy pulled an egg out of my ear and it blew my mind,” remembers Outerbridge, who shares the stage with his wife and partner, Marion Outerbridge. “From that moment on I wanted to be able to create a sense of wonder for others.”

By the time he was 12, Outerbridge was already being paid to perform magic at neighbourhood birthday parties, delivering 15-minute sets of slight-of-hand tricks and small-scale illusions. At 19 he was earning his living as a professional magician, developing illusions that would eventually be used in such sold-out tours as Magical Moments In Time and the Time Capsule Tour.

Read more.

From Marion Outerbridge's Facebook page:

20 December 2018

Oshawa: The Amazing Kreskin

From the Regent Theatre:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2019

Presented by: Punchline Productions Inc.

With a showman’s flair, a comedian’s wit, and the capacities of a bona fide Mentalist or thought reader, The Amazing Kreskin has, for six decades, dramatized the unique facets of the human mind…his own. His very name has become an integral part of pop culture throughout the world. During the past fifty years Kreskin has had a television series, his own board game by Milton Bradley, twenty published books, and a major motion picture inspired by his work.

In the 1970’s Kreskin headlined his own television series for five and a half seasons called, ‘The Amazing World of Kreskin’. The airline industry estimates that Kreskin has flown over 3 million miles, to reach a vast international audience with his unique brand of Mentalism.

At 83 years of age, Kreskin shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to perform his legendary live shows in front of packed audiences around the world, playing over 200+ dates yearly.

Recommended Age: 10+
Age Restriction: 7+

Read more and buy tickets.