Chris Reesman

Chris Reesman’s Encore Magic is well-known to Michigan magicians for great selection and a real magic shop atmosphere. Well, the ambiance Mr. Reesman provided paid off. He is forced to move from his three-year home across the street from Bubba’ s Restaurant.

His old shop was a comfortable — maybe ‘cozy’ — 850 square feet.

The new home for Encore Magic is spacious and grand, coming in at 2,900 square feet. For our friends who use the metric system, that is “little” to “big.”

Mr. Reesman has also made the move from renter to part owner of the property. He is in the same area as the old store — just a bigger space and more opportunity.

The magician/owner told The Flint Journal, the magic store is now open longer hours, has more display space and is perfect for magic or juggling classes as well as lectures and club meetings. The IBM currently meets in a nearby hall.

As with the old shop, the new and improved location will carry items suited “from the beginner to the seasoned pros.” We are carrying the larger illusions guillotines, substitution trunks, stuff for stage shows.”

Mr. Reesman will also begin carrying more supplies for ventriloquists, jugglers, and clowns. One of the great benefits the new space provides is room to work more closely with school and community theatrical groups, for which he has designed and built special effects. He is also able to do more manufacturing and repair of magic in the new digs. It has allowed him to do more manufacturing and repair of equipment used by magicians around the nation.

Mr. Reesman intends to recruit three new employees to work at the store. He’ll have magic classes planned for the store throughout the summer. Visit the Encore Magic website to see unique magic items made by Mr. Reesman. He’s rightly received outstanding praise for his innovation and dedication to quality.

And as if you needed another reason to attend the Michigan Magic Day; Mr. Reesman’s grand opening will be the week of May 16th – 21st. So if you intend to attend Michigan Magic Day, and plan to come the night before for some ad-hoc sharing and showing, you’ll be in town for the last two days of the Encore Magic grand opening.

By the way, if you live within the reach of this webpage, you are close enough to make the Michigan Magic Day in Flint. Mr. Reesman, as President of the Leonard Eva Ring 36, has been involved in setting the stages for the likes of Whit Haydn, Johnny Thompson, Nate Kranzo, Cheri Kaye, Billy McComb, David Acer, Losander, Luna Shimada, and Mark Cannon. There are more, but if this doesn’t entice you, there is nothing that will.

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The Amazing Johnathan

Macabre Comic Magician to Perform in the Congo Room Beginning May 6th

Internationally-known comic magician Amazing Johnathan moves to the Sahara Hotel & Casino beginning Friday, May 6 for an infinite engagement, appearing in the 550-seat Congo Room where legendary comedians including Johnny Carson, George Burns, and Buddy Hackett have performed.

The Amazing Johnathan Show has added new material but still showcases the same impulsive, bizarre humor and abrasive wit that has earned him widespread critical acclaim. Amazing Johnathan is also dragging his wacky assistant of more than five years, Psychic Tanya, with him to the Sahara Hotel & Casino. 

The energetic and uproarious blonde supports his act with silly banter and spontaneous hilarity ? resulting in a comic partnership that adds a hysterical spark to Amazing Johnathan?s already off-the-wall production.
 
Amazing Johnathan has been touted by Rolling Stone magazine as ?one of the top road comics working today? and the New York Times has claimed, ?the faces of the audience said it all?unbelievable!?

In addition, Amazing Johnathan has been recognized by the Las Vegas Review-Journal?s ?Best of Las Vegas? awards with ?Best Show? and ?Best Comedian.?  Most recently, readers of Las Vegas Weekly voted him ?Best Local Villain? two years in a row in 2004 and 2005.  Amazing Johnathan is also a two-time winner of the International Magic Award for ?Best Comedy Magician.?
 
The Amazing Johnathan Show has adult themes and language.  Those under the age of 18 will not be admitted without a parent or legal guardian. 

Performances are at 10 p.m. nightly, dark Thursdays, in the Congo Room near the NASCAR Entertainment Center and Sahara Buffet on the north side of the property. 

Tickets are priced at $44.95 plus taxes and fees for general admission, or $54.95 plus taxes and fees for VIP seating, and may be purchased by calling the Sahara Hotel & Casino box office at (702) 737-2515, or by visiting www.saharavegas.com.
 

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I read an interesting statistic this morning. According to some study, only 17 percent of magicians admit to using their magic skills to bilk money from unsuspecting saps. The study didn't say "unsuspecting saps" but my word processor suggested "unsuspecting saps" when I typed in "innocent victims."

I spoke with a magic friend of mine about this statistic and his reaction was contrary to mine. He thought the figure was too small and I thought it was too high. He reasoned that every time a magician does a show without adequate practice that is using magic to take money from their clients.

Oh, I said, if you're going to interpret it that way, I agree. If you mean that you are using sleight of hand or faux-psychic powers to take money outside of a show, I think it is much lower than 17 percent.

My friend reminded me of a mutual friend who used her mentalism tricks to make money doing Psychic House Parties (this was before they invented Botox and the Botox House Party concept).

Technically, a house party psychic isn't "duping any saps," just providing entertainment. Our friend went a little further than just entertaining tarot readings, though. She would sell subsequent one-on-one sessions to some of the guests that appeared wealthy and gullible.

This line of work became so lucrative that she quit her law practice and just worked the house party circuit. None of her private clients objected to her bills and they all seemed to find the readings accurate enough to refer her to other clients.

On the other paw, there are plenty of magicians out there would never use the faux-psychic routine because they would recognize it as unethical or close to fraud. I say close to fraud because there has to be some latitude on the issue of fraud versus entertainment.

I know I am defensive on the issue because of my recent past of entertaining on ships. I just got done with two months on the water; performing three times a day, six days a week. Now, to get additional bookings, I told customers that I was performing on ships but I didn't tell them the whole truth.

I couldn't get on any of the cruise lines – because their cruise directors are all snobs hooked into the old-boy's club famous for demanding that a performer have what they call an "act." You have to perform magic in the same way each show to prove you have an act and not just a collection of tricks.

Anyway, so I performed on barges in the Great Lakes shipping channels. I worked from Lake Michigan to Lake Ontario on barges hauling coal, ingot, scrap steel, heating oil, and trash. Because the crew of a Great Lakes Barge is usually no more than 25 men, doing three shows a day for six days a week can get boring.

If you do the same tricks each time you perform like the so-called "professionals" with their "professional acts," the guys will burn out. You could take T. Nelson Downs and shove him aboard of the Lady of the Lakes (coal tender) and after the second show, the boys would toss him…

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