09 June 2014

The Magic Festival 2014

Who answered the call for performers for this year's Magic Festival in Vancouver?

From The Magic Festival:
2nd Annual MAGIC Festival June 21 – 27, 2014
  • June 21:  Purple Pirate magic show
  • June 22:  Chris Yuill - Comedy Magic
  • June 23:  Fraser Valley Magic Circle
  • June 24:  Bryn Williams - Close Up Cards and Cons 
  • June 24:  Close Up Matt's - Evening of Mystery           
  • June 25:  Magic's Best Kept Secrets
Read more.

And posters of the events from Facebook:












08 June 2014

Darcy Oake shocks audience!

From Metro
Magician Darcy Oake certainly doesn’t do things by halves. The daredevil Canadian is so determined to win Britain’s Got Talent that he put his own life at risk during the live show.

After being securely strapped in to a straight jacket, he was then suspended upside down above the stage in an open bear trap with just 53 seconds in which to escape. Oh, did we mention that rope holding the bear trap was on fire? 
Read more and watch video.

From CTV News:
WINNIPEG -- As Winnipeg magician Darcy Oake dangled upside-down and wriggled to escape a hinged trap with spikes that threatened to impale him, the audience members and judges of Saturday's finale of "Britain's Got Talent" were on the edge of their seats.

Oake, 26, debuted on the variety show contest with a dazzling display of slight-of-hand [sic] tricks with doves, which wowed even notoriously blunt judge Simon Cowell.

Read more

The EH-Team lectures: Tyler Wilson & Chris Mayhew Double Header!

Updated June 11 to add this from Chris Mayhew's Twitter feed:


Thursday June 19th - Tyler Wilson & Chris Mayhew Double Header! 
Lectures aren't dealer demos. Lectures are a place to get passionate about magic - teaching, sharing, exploring and pushing our craft forward. On Thursday, June 19th, welcome two of Canada's most creative magicians for a special double lecture to do just that. Tyler Wilson and Chris Mayhew are on the forefront of today's thinking. They hit hard, have fun, and most importantly, they care. This is why some of the most respected names in magic have publicly given praise, such as Stephen Minch, Max Maven, Eric Mead, and Jason England, just to name a few.

Read more and buy tickets.

From the Northwest Ring of Fire:
June 21st, 2014
Tyler Wilson Lecture with special guest Chris Mayhew  
Read more

07 June 2014

Review: Magic at the Comedy Nest

Magicians had a real treat last Sunday evening, if they managed to get into the Comedy Nest. Although there were magicians who came to see the show, most of the audience was comprised of lay people. 
David Acer was the M.C. and was his usual funny self.

Loran, from Quebec City, had a beautiful act, serious, artistic and a pleasure to watch.

Vincent Pimpare did a comedy hynotism act. It was an unexpected break from the usual hypno act and had the audience laughing, so it fit right into the Comedy club setting.

Richard Sanders did a great bill to lime with a lot of hilarious detours along the way. He has a way of making the audience feel as if he is really one of us. He connects well.

Romaine. What can I say about Romaine.  Dressed in tails and a top hat, and slightly tipsy, (part of the routine, of course) he wowed the audience with his continuous production of cards, multiplying billiard balls, and the real magic of Vaudeville days, which mosts of the audience had never seen and they showed their appreciation.

Jonathan Burns did some very funny stuff. My favorite was Cards Across with cheese slices (you know the ones, wrapped in cellophane) instead of cards. Funny stuff. 
And then there was the audience.

Read more.

06 June 2014

Review: Keith Brown's The Deception Hour

You can tell from the first moment that Keith loves his work and loves magic. In a typical review I would talk about the plot, the actors, the structure of the play, but I don’t want to do that here. Friends, magic is about mystery, and I don’t want to ruin the mystery. Suffice it to say that Keith Brown is charming, the magic is gob-smackingly clever, and the performance is filled with moments where you cringe in horror at what he’s doing and moments that make you say “Wow!”

Read more.

Victoria Ahearn on Darcy Oake

Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press has a piece run in The Toronto Star, the National Post and on CTV News.

From The Toronto Star:
Winnipeg magician Darcy Oake says he’s planning “a very dangerous piece” for Saturday’s finale of Britain’s Got Talent as he competes for the top prize.

“The way we’re doing it, it’s risky — big time,” the 26-year-old said this week in a telephone interview from London. “But I feel like each piece needs to be bigger than the last one, and this is kind of the only way to close out the show for me.”

Read more.

05 June 2014

Toronto: Browser's magic club special guest

From the Browser's Den Facebook page:
This Saturday June 7, 2014 at Browser's Den is our next FREE MAGIC CLUB MEETING.The club meets at the shop from 2:30pm until about 5:00pm. All welcome!!! 
And please set aside the date Saturday, June 28 as we have a special Free Magic Class that will be taking place at the shop by the 2014 A1 Radio Toronto Magic Champion LUIZ CASTRO!!! More details to follow about this free magic class to follow over the next several days.