Julie Eng in the Toronto Star

From the February 24th article "More than 120 years after the ‘Queen of Magic’ was catching bullets, women magicians are still scarce" by Sue Carter in the Toronto Star:

“Adelaide had a career as a woman, which was a rare thing to see,” says Eng. “She was smart and obviously talented. She competed and she was respected because she could do it.”

Herrmann is one of several women performers on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s new exhibition “Illusions: The Art of Magic.” Co-curated by Toronto magician and historian David Ben, the show features more than 55 promotional posters from the Allan Slaight Collection from the McCord Museum in Montreal, alongside other late 19th- and early 20th-century props and materials, including one of Harry Houdini’s famous straitjackets.

David Ben and Jonah Babins are also mentioned in the article.


Additional media coverage for “Illusions: The Art of Magic:”

Did you catch her? Julie Eng was in studio with Tom Power on CBC q yesterday. She & Tom discuss Golden Age magic posters at @agotoronto (opens this weekend) and the role of women in magic. There's even a trick or two for Tom! LISTEN: https://t.co/Hs1b8tW4mD PHOTO V. Rashotte/CBC pic.twitter.com/3gWj53A8oF

— Magicana (@sharingwonder) February 19, 2020

The art of magic! @theconjuror joins @JennValentyne to show off some tricks of illusion, and give a preview of the @agotoronto's thrilling new exhibit. pic.twitter.com/skZp0f1pcE

— Global News Toronto (@globalnewsto) February 20, 2020

So fun to meet @MWigmore and to chat on The New Classical FM about @agotoronto Illusions: The Art of Magic, which opens this Saturday. A bonus to find out Mark saw Dad “Mysteries of the Orient” back in the day! There’s a story about that very costume in the exhibition, too! pic.twitter.com/klnu1GMbP8

— Julie Eng (@anjusan) February 20, 2020

Did you miss @theconjuror on CBC Metro Morning when he was talking about magic and the Golden Age magic poster exhibition now on @agotoronto #illusionsago LISTEN HERE: https://t.co/AqTOMDwAjZ pic.twitter.com/0L4y94EFvf

— Magicana (@sharingwonder) February 27, 2020

Top 5 posts in February 2020

There were 30+ posts at Canada's Magic last month.  Here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days:

5. Toronto: Mario the Maker Magician - By all accounts, this is sure to be an incredible experience!

4. Rounding the Western rings in February 2020 - Lots happening on our west coast!

3. David Ben in the Globe and Mail - Did you hear David's talk at the AGO last Wednesday?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

2. Niagara Falls and Forest: Peter Mennie - Look for more shows from Peter in March!

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. Random thoughts about the Carisa Hendrix Ring 17 lecture - I had a fabulous time at this lecture.  I hope you'll get a chance to see her lecture too!

Elliott Smith in the Comedy Hall of Fame Museum

From the February 25th press release "Ottawa Comedy Magician, Elliott Smith, makes history at National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum in Holiday, Florida" in the Digital Journal:

Comedy Magician Elliott Smith made history once again. On February 23, 2020, he made his hometown of Ottawa and all of Canada proud by being the first and only Comedy Magician to appear on the Wall of The Great Touring Comedians at the National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum located in Holiday, Florida.

Read more.

Toronto: Houdini movies at the AGO

From the February 22nd post "Three Houdini movies screening at AGO in March" by John Cox at Wild About Houdini:

Toronto's AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) will screen three Houdini movies in March as part of their Illusions: The Art of Magic exhibition programing.

First up will be Houdini's 1923 Haldane of the Secret Service on March 4 with live musical accompaniment by Tania Gill. Then on March 6 the gallery will screen The Man From Beyond with live musical accompaniment by Marilyn Lerner. Both films will be introduced by Alicia Fletcher.

Finally, AGO will screen the classic Paramount biopic Houdini (1953) starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh three times on March 18 at 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm.

Owners of Houdini's water torture cell

Last month John Cox posted a story about Houdini's water torture cell possibly being in Canada.


On February 26th, John posted "Canadian Mystery Cell owners revealed" at his blog Wild About Harry:

I'm taking a break from my break to bring some breaking news. The owners of the mysterious Chinese Water Torture Cell that was uncovered in Canada and revealed here last month have decided to go public. The cell was acquired by Richard Sherry and Dayle Krull of Sherry and Krall Magic.

Saint John: Robert Watkins and Kent Axell workshop

February 28th

Virtual Reality: Robert Watkins and Kent Axell workshop

Portland and Lincoln City: Shawn Farquhar

From Oregon this Week:

Thursday, March 26, 2020

This year, the Festival of Illusion offers you the chance to meet a magician who has fooled Penn & Teller -- twice! Festival headliner Shawn Farquhar has been entertaining audiences around the globe for over two decades. His magic has been seen on Television shows like the X-Files and Highlander, in Motion Pictures like Spooky House and the Fly II, for corporate clients like IBM and Konica, and on the most luxurious cruise vessels such as Norwegian Star and Radiance of the Seas.

Read more.

From the PDXMagicJam:

March 27 - 29

Shawn is a 2-time World Champion of magic, and has appeared on Ellen, Masters of Illusion, and Fool Us, where he became the first magician to fool Penn & Teller twice!  Shawn’s magic can be seen on Hulu, Netflix, & YouTube where many of his videos have been viewed millions of times.  Shawn has performed in more than 40 countries including extensive tours of China, Europe & Japan, as well as shows in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and off Broadway in NYC. 

Among countless other awards, Shawn is the only person in history to be awarded both Stage Magician of the Year and Sleight of Hand Magician of the Year by the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He's also won the highest award in magic - the Grand Prix World Champion of Magic at the Olympics of Magic in Beijing.

His infectious attitude and amazing magic will leave you breathless.

Read more and register.