Magic in the musical “La Cage aux Folles”

I SAW A CRACKING SHOW LAST WEEK - for the second time in a month it was that good. La Cage aux Folles, a musical about a gay nightclub on the Riviera and the family problems of two gay parents and a straight son wishing to marry the daughter of an anti-gay goverment official! Great fun and outstanding [...]

One Man Show at The famed King’s Head, Islington.

YOU DON’T GET MANY ONE MAN SHOWS IN MAGIC these days so it’s interesting to hear that Circle magician Ivor Cole is presenting his “Mirrored Images” a programme of  baffling mind illusions on Sunday 23rd November at 7.30pm. Not the first time he has presented this show having appeared previously at The King’s Head and again at [...]

Long Time – No Speak!

SORRY FOR THE LONG GAP SINCE MY LAST BLOG. Been on  a big promotion for Christmas for a leading Jeweller and Silversmith and only just finished. Normal service will be resumed forthwith.
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FOUR INSTANT STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MAGIC – IN ONE PERFORMANCE!

I HAVE LONG BEEN AN ADVOCATE  of the philosophy that magic is not about secrets – it’s about performances. Not just my belief but that also of such giants of magic and theatre presentation as John Fisher, Pat Page, Jeff Hobson, Richard McDougall and Bobby Bernard. It’s the basis of the KISS lecture that I [...]

Discovered! A Jack Avis Gold Mine.

IN GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE PERSONAL EFFECTS JACK AVIS left me, I have found a whole mass of new notebooks in which are recorded many of his original thoughts on card and close-up effects with many routines, ideas and exchanges with some of the world’s greats. Give me a little time but what I [...]

Another bouquet for the KISS lecture

WE SENT A COPY OF THE NEW edited online KISS lecture to Richard McDougall, brilliant mime magician, FISM prizewinner and leading lecturer on motivational behaviour and in constant demand by corporate organisations all over the world.
He said “Sorry about contacting you but I have hit a putple patch of work and have only been home for [...]

Hooray for quality!

LAST NIGHT THE MAGIC CIRCLE STAGE MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR was won by – John Archer.High velocity comedian and excellent magician who combines the best of both skills to provide entertainment, which surely is the putpose of magic. To entertain. John is one of the younger generation of comedic performers but unlike many of his [...]

A genuine piece of Alex Elmsley ephemera.

I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS OF INTEREST TO ANYBODY but in clearing our a lot of my stuff recently I came across a tie that belonged to Alex Elmsley. We were friends for over fifty years and when he died I helped clear his effects with his family and they gave me this tie along [...]

The best Mix and Mingle Trick I ever found.

THERE’S A CARD EFFECT I’VE HAD FOR YEARS – didn’t think much of it until a friend showed me a terrific adaptation he’d seen in Germany that made it outstanding and it’s now in constant use in my close-up and particularly mix and mingle shows. Visually it’s unbelievable and I stunned Tessa Jowell with it at a [...]

Dealer’s “Balls Up” big success at Eastbourne

DESPITE THE CREDIT CRUNCH, SOME DEALERS AT EASTBOURNE scored with the one thousand conventioneers. They were those who demonstrated their wares rather than just standing behind a array of polythene packets with coloured graphics and watching the money walk by. Notably Bob Swadling who works hard to show you what real magic is like by demonstrating all [...]