ICYMI: Mark Lewis on the Canada's Got Talent semi-finals

Happy birthday Mark!

 

From the May 7th upload "79 Year-Old Mark Lewis' Latest Trick is Pure Magic 🃏" at the Canada's Got Talent YouTube channel:

 

 

 

Random thoughts about "Alex McAleer - Mind Reader"

There's still time to see Alex McAleer - Mind Reader in Toronto!  The show closes May 12th. 

 

Last Sunday, Kidlet and I made the trek to Toronto's Lighthouse Immersive ArtSpace. 

• This was our first experience at this venue.
• For Alex's show, you enter through the Queen's Quay entrance.  (Ignore the sign that suggests you use the Yonge Street entrance.)
• The performance space is half a flight of stairs up from street level, and one flight of stairs up from the entrance.  Contact the venue if you require accommodations.
• The show is about an hour and fifteen minutes, with no intermission.
• While there is nothing inappropriate for young children in the show, because it is a mentalism performance, it is recommended for audience members who are at least 12 years of age. 
• His book This Book Will Read Your Mind is available for purchase at the venue.  (You may have to ask the staff about it... the display was not obvious to us when we were there.)

 

 

On with the show...

• The performance space is intimate, capable of seating approximately 100 people.
• It is general admission seating.  If sitting at the front is important to you, arrive early.
• Unless you are short and there's a tall person sitting in front of you, there are no bad seats in the house.  (The seating is NOT raked.  All the chairs are on the same level.  The stage is raised.)
  
• The show is highly interactive.  We counted about 10 volunteers in addition to multiple whole audience activities. 
• The audience was completely baffled time and again.  It genuinely appeared that minds were being read!
• Exclamations such as "How'd he do that?", "That's not possible!", and "How could that even be done?" were frequently heard in the audience.
  
• Alex has a commanding stage presence, well honed audience management skills, and extraordinary technical abilities!  (The impressiveness of his technical abilities was reinforced to us after we attended his lecture earlier this week and learned more about the processes involved!)
• Add to the above that Alex clearly put a lot of thought into his underlying motivation for the different aspects of his performance.  We especially enjoyed his delightful storytelling!  (The imaginary friend segment he teased in his interview was very creatively satisfying.)
• Kidlet and I recognized one segment from the Champions of Magic show we saw in 2022, but the rest of the show was new to us.  He expertly scaled his large stage performance to this cozy venue, where it was even more impressive.
• Alex's warm, witty, and inviting personality, coupled with getting to know copious audience volunteers, made it feel like we were having a fantastic time with friends! 
  

 

 

We didn't want it to end.

 

 

 

Alex McAleer - Mind Reader closes May 12th.   

 

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Alex McAleer (right)

 

 

Thank you to our personal sponsors for May 2024!

A quick reminder of our earlier Mail as Medicine request for Katie Hunt.  If you have the time, Katie and Doug would both benefit from hearing from their friends!

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Thank you to John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, Ian Crawford, Matt DiSero, Doug Hunt, John Smithman, Robin Dawes, Loran, Peter Mennie, George Blott, Noah Nogueira, Aaron Matthews, Cam Dix, Ian Batterbury, and Eric Bedard for being Friends of Canada's Magic!

It's good to have friends like you.

You too can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

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Cheer on Mark (Clearview and Lewis) on Canada's Got Talent tonight!

From the May 6th Instagram post by Canada's Got Talent:

It’s about to get real😨…the best compete for their spot in the #CGT finale. Plus, YOU get to vote for the acts going through to the public vote. Don’t miss it.

#CanadasGotTalent THE ELIMINATIONS - two-hour event, Tuesday at 8/7c on @city_tv or stream it on Citytv+

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From the May 5th Instagram post by Canada's Got Talent:

#Toronto’s @markclearview takes the stage THIS Tuesday for our first-ever Eliminations round!

Don’t miss the biggest twist in Got Talent history! Watch #CanadasGotTalent: The ELIMINATIONS, TUESDAY at 8/7c on @city_tv!

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From the May 4th Instagram post by Canada's Got Talent:

We still don’t know how Mark Lewis did this 🤯

Catch up now on demand or stream it on Citytv+ ✨

Don’t miss the biggest twist in Got Talent history! Watch #CanadasGotTalent: The ELIMINATIONS, TUESDAY at 8/7c on @city_tv!

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Toronto: Magic Quartet premiere [Jun 3]

Tickets at Eventbrite. 

 

From Kemin Zhang:

MAGIC QUARTET

Featuring 4 of Toronto's most eccentric magicians!

Sean Rooney,
Jeff Hinchliffe,
Mark Lewis and
Kemin Zhang (a.k.a. Dr. K)

​Date: June 3rd 2024
Time: 6pm & 8pm
Place: Ontario Historical Society
34 Parkview Ave.Willowdale ON

 

From the May 1st Facebook post by Kemin Zhang:

A psychic, a scholar, a composer and a balloon artist walk into a bar... no it's not a bar, it's an old house of the Ontario Historical Society. Looking forward to this show! Come check it out if you have your first Monday night in June free!

Hamilton: Staircase Variety with Chris Bruce, Mighty Mike, and Nick Wallace [May 8]

Tickets at The Staircase.

 

From the April 24th Instagram post by The Staircase:

A monthly show at The Staircase! Hosted by illusionist Nick Wallace (America’s Got Talent, Penn & Teller: Fool Us winner) and featuring a rotating cast of some of Canada’s best magicians, variety and oddity entertainers!

May's lineup:

Expert sleight-of-hand artist @magicchrisbruce
Comedy Strongman @mightymikeshow
Host illusionist @nickwallacelive

 

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Winner of tickets to see "Alex McAleer -- Mind Reader"

The contest to win a pair of tickets to see Alex McAleer - Mind Reader in Toronto May 3 - 12th.  Thank you to everyone who played!     

Alex McAleer (right)

Read our interview with
Alex McAleer

where we learn:

• about the differences between the solo show and his appearances in Champions of Magic,
• the structure of his one-man show,
• soundtrack inspirations,
• the advantage to performing in intimate theatres,
• routines that play better small, and
  
• changes to his act in the past 10+ years.
  

 

Favourite mentalism effects included:

1. Phil Smith's Humint or Equifinique
   
2. 21 card trick
   

Random draw results from Rafflecopter:

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

The winner has been notified and the prize distributed.  Rafflecopter only contains information from the winning entry.

Congratulations to our winner!  We hope you enjoy the show!

With thanks to Starvox Entertainment for generously making these tickets available!