The Baltic Times reports today that David Copperfield will bring his “An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion” to the Baltic Capitals this month.The reporter advises readers “nothing will have prepared Baltic audiences for the glitz and spectacle of legendary American magician David Copperfield.”
The article traces Mr. Copperfield’s well-known road to success; it cites the factoids about his youth, his induction as the youngest member of the Society of American Magicians, the starring role in The Magic Man, dating Claudia Schiffer, and his vast magic collection.
The reporter also mentions ? and this sparked our interest ? two new additions or modifications to the act:
In the so-called reunion part, a member of the audience who longs to be reunited with a loved one supposedly gets to realize their dream. While standing on a crane arm with Copperfield, suspended over the heads of the audience, the person then vanishes impossibly, only to reappear moments later in the freely selected location of their dreams.
And later in the article, the reporter notes, “in man vs. steel, Copperfield will float right through solid steel.”This could be the reporters mistaken confabulation of two effects or a new illusion.We would love to see either the vanish of a volunteer from the audience while perched on a construction crane above the crowd, or a levitation and penetration of solid steel while floating.
If you have information that could either confirm or shed light on the descriptions, please let us know.
He never ceases to amaze and perhaps that is why he is the top moneymaker in the magic biz
If you would like to read the article in the Baltic Times, click here.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to practicing for a show ? no matter how formal or informal.Some would say, a magician should practice until she satisfies herself, then perform the effect or routine for trusted friends and family, and then she should use the criticism these audiences provide to perfect the routine for a true public presentation.
Tony Spain published an article last week on our sister website, The Magic Wire espousing the opposite theory.In his essay, ?No Practice for Dogs or Magicians,? Mr. Spain suggests the following:
?Greta Weitz, the long-distance runner, never warmed-up for a race.She believed just as dogs do not do stretching exercises before they run, runners did not need to stretch either.A runner?s stretching is the equivalent of a magician?s practicing.In my experience, I have come to believe Ms. Weitz was right and that her gold-medal winning approach to running applied to performing magic.
?When you practice beyond simply exploring the trick?s secret or method, you start to form ridges in your brain that make every show the same; and every show uniformly boring.Learn how the trick works and plunge in to your performance.Unless you have the adrenaline rush of an actual show, you will never find your edge as a performer.You?ll leave your best race behind.?
Let?s assume there is some rational tie between a dog chasing a cat, a top-conditioned athlete, a magician with a new trick and a new audience.Let?s assume also that Mr. Spain has any credibility with the magic community after his recent production of DVDs.(Not to belabor the point but it still amazed us that Mr. Spain would think he could get away with his ten DVD set in which he republished Michael Ammar, Daryl and Nate Kranzo?s videos adding only his ?helpful introduction? to each clip. We are glad he outraged the Magic community with this stunt and that he is… Continue reading Don’t Practice and Be a Star
Tom Verner and Janet Fredericks bring their Magicians Without Borders mission to orphanages and refugee camps around the world.The local Mumbai (formerly known as “Bombay”) gave a great write-up for the Vermont couple who have taken on the challenge of finding audiences in the midst of war, poverty and starvation.
Mr. Verner is a professor of psychology at Burlington College and his wife, Janet, works as both a teacher and artist.But that those are their vocations.Their avocation is to not only run the Magicians Without Borders program but fully staff it.The two have performed in such daunting venues as, Haiti, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Croatia.There is nothing saccharine about their sentiment.They are not being do-gooders performing for their own edification.They perform their magic for the children and refugees because the art form is an universal language.The crowds that come to see them or that they come to entertain can understand and enjoy their performance whether they speak the same verbal language or not.
The couple began the ambitious and now internationally recognized program in 2002 and their dedication to go into the more difficult situations earned the respect of organizations dedicated to helping the poorest among us.
Mr. Verner told the Mumbai reporter, ?Our show at the home for the mentally disabled was a special experience. I?ve never felt so sad leaving a place after a performance as I did there. I?ve particularly noticed that in all the homes we?ve visited, the girls have a kind of exuberance in them.”Their performance came despite the community’s superintendent skepticism.The formerly cynical overseer told the couple he had never seen “a room so full of laughter.”
Ms. Fredericks is at once philosophical and practical about their efforts: ?We don?t think that we are doing anything great, I believe that it is a mutual process of give and take.Having performed at refugee camps and in war-torn countries, we have often wondered if we just served as a temporary band-aid, but I believe that at a spiritual level, we are making some difference.?
The couple has quite a schedule ahead.They will head on to Bangladesh and then make a stop in Rome at the invitation of Pope John Paul II.He has asked them to attend a… Continue reading Magicians Without Borders Keeps Going
They came four hundred strong to the All India Magicians Conference in beautiful Hyderabad, India, this week.The conference provided entertainment for the town as well as the members with public shows and private lectures.The public shows were designed to intrigue those with a curiosity about our art and hopefully entrap them into the world we know and love.
“It’s open to those who wanted to learn magic, different ways of performing the tricks and a lot of things I have learnt from this,” said M Verma, a magician from Kerala.
The convention is called “Maayamayam.”The title is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of “Maaya” and “Mayam.” Maaya means Magic and Mayam translates as Gathering.
The All India Magicians Conference included magicians from outside India as well.Bosco, a magician from Singapore, brought more than his effects:“They would love to see how we perform magic and we would love to see how they perform magic. It is not the magic that we do. It is how you present it and the presentation varies from country to country, people to people because each personality is totally different.”
Hyderabad is well known for its rich production of pearls.It is fitting, therefore, that attendees were able to not only gain pearls of wisdom and experience from the convention but also buy from the specially constructed kiosk.We like it when the metaphors match up.
You can read the full article here in the WebIndia 123 edition for today.
Thanksgiving is finished for another year in the U.S.We had a wonderful time doing all of the traditional Thanksgiving magic for our friends.
Who tires of the classic tricks like: Cups and Giblets, Vanishing Turkey Butt, Turkey Butt Behind the Greasy Ear, The Gravy Lota Bowl, Stuffing to Taters (with Raven Stuffing Gimmick), or our traditional closer, Six-Piece Turkey Roulette.
We can no longer perform the Six-Piece Turkey Roulette without the government-required warnings for fear that kids will try to use their “psychic powers” to discern which of the six pieces of left over white meat is free of salmonella.
We always play it up, though, and the kids love to sit and watch us after we eat our selection.It takes up to two hours for the toxic effects of stale turkey meat to take a hold on the central nervous system and digestive tract.Therefore, the kids love to crowd around us and count down the time.
Around one hour and fifty minutes we make our eyes roll back in our head and with the help of well-placed gravy, cause great excitement for all.
It is a shame more countries do not celebrate Thanksgiving and that; consequently, foreign magicians do not crowd their local magic stores in the weeks leading up to the special day.We heard it is becoming a bigger day for magic retailers than Halloween.
Norm Nielsen has a whole line of rubber animal parts in the works. We know that Lance Burton has a version of his Magic Show in a Box product with just Thanksgiving effects.(He has left out the Salmonella Roulette because of the FDA restrictions on “[t]he Interstate transport of publications or devices to be used in the reckless consumption of foodstuffs.”21 USC 1052(a) et.sec.
However, that is quite enough about us here.The Inside Magic Daily News has had its subscription base jump by 100 percent in the last three… Continue reading Post Thanksgiving News
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