How Broadway Works: Magic Author Steinmeyer Recalls “The Merlin Crusade”

Inside Magic Image of Doug Henning's MerlinWe received the May edition of Genii today and were delighted to read ’s incredible recollection of the logistics, politics and creative process that went to bring ’s second Broadway show to life.

Mr. Steinmeyer’s “The Crusade” (subtitled, “Doug Henning’s Infamous Magical Musical Appeared 30 Years Ago.  Onstage It Was a Magic Show.  Offstage It Was a Holy War”) is a compelling read.  We could not stop reading once we began.

Yes, we had to apologize to those waiting to use the restroom, but to be fair, providing just two lavatories for a full coach section of a cross-country flight is hardly our fault.

We have two great loves: magic and logistics.  You give us an article about the logistical challenges of creating great illusions for a Broadway show and we give you our undivided attention.  It is an incredibly detailed account of a 24-year-old Mr. Steinmeyer as both participant and observer.  You should subscribe to Genii as a matter of principle but if you have not, get to your local magic shop or the  Genii website to get the May edition.

Mr. Steinmeyer was part of the “magic department” brought to Broadway to seamlessly integrate Mr. Henning’s magic into a complex and challenging musical.

Because the magic was integrated with everything in the show, there wasn’t a repair, a change, or a piece of scenery that didn’t have something to do with a trick.  Each of our changes on the work list was worded, “fix,” or “add,” or “align.”  Because no other department cared to understand the magic, it was the magic department that had to work with everyone else, watching what the painters were doing, seeing if the new pieces of scenery would foul on our illusions.  Each one of these jobs involved standing in front of the prop, scratching your head, experimenting, figuring out how the dancers were doing the routine, and then devising some solution.

You can read about the endless tuning of the show’s story, style and magic right up to its official opening.   The depiction of Mr. Henning is true to our memory of the great magician and truly gentle man. 
Continue reading How Broadway Works: Magic Author Steinmeyer Recalls “The Merlin Crusade”

April 16th, 2013 | Tags: , , , | Category: Magic History | Comments are closed

Magic TV Series Set for Ho Chi Minh City

Inside Magic Image of Iranian magician Mahdi MoudinIranian magician Mahdi Moudini intends to cause buildings to disappear from , this month.

World-famous illusionist Tony Hassini and Mr. Moudini held a press conference in the heart of the Mekong Delta earlier this week to detail their plans to film a 13 episode series in Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC as it is known by those in the know.

Mr. Moudini has almost 30 years of experience as a magician and will need that background to pull off the planned stunts. He told reporters he will cause buildings to vanish, walk on water and perform a dangerous underwater escape.

The magic will be performed in, around and on HCMC’s historic locations and filmed to make up the first Vietnamese television program about our art. Mr. Moudini will host all 13 episodes to be broadcast in September.

More than 70 percent of the show will be filmed in the city and the remainder will use other famous locations to promote Vietnam’s tourism industry.

Mr. Hassini is no stranger to Vietnam or its unique approach to magic. “This is my fifth time visiting Vietnam. I know about 20 magicians of Vietnamese ancestry living around the world.”

We will keep tabs on the project and bring video when it is available.

April 12th, 2013 | Tags: , , , | Category: Magic of Asia | Comments are closed

Letters to the Editor: Church of Inside Magic®

Inside Magic Image of Kind BenefactorIt is the policy of Inside Magic to publish letters to the editor when necessary to fill gaps in our front page or when required by court order. Letters to the editor should be addressed to, ironically, editor@insidemagic.com. Inside Magic reserves the right to modify, shorten, lengthen or completely change the sent correspondence and, if necessary, include funny pictures to take away from the seriousness of same.

My Lordship:

Greetings in the name of our Lord, I am (Mrs) *** ******, a widow to Late ****, I am 34 years old, I am now a new religious convert … My late husband was killed with his business associate and during the period of our marriage we couldn’t produce any child.

My late husband was very wealthy and after his death, I inherited all his business and wealth. I now decided to divide part of this wealth, to contribute to the development of the church in Asia, Africa, America and Europe.

I selected your church after visiting the website and I prayed over it, I am willing to donate the sum of US$5,000 000.00 (Five Million US Dollars) to your Church for the development of your church and also for the less privileged.

Please, do not reply me if you have the intention of using this fund for personal use. Please If I reach you as I am hopeful I will, endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable my LAWYER conclude the legal duty.

Also to be sent to me is the biodata page of your international passport or drivers licence as a proper identification.

You can reach me on my alternative email box easily: mrs.***@yahoo.com

I await your soonest reply as you could.

Inside Magic’s Reply:

Dear Mrs. *****:

Although we did not know your husband all that well – in fact, we barely remember him from our days in your home community but that is no doubt the regrettable effect of our weeks of hard work and tireless efforts to do noble things in that strange land he called home – we are happy to accept your offer of $5,000,000.00 for our yet to be formed Church. (We will start the forming as soon as your funds arrive, don’t you worry your little head about that).

We certainly agree that the funds should not be used for our personal vanities but dedicated exclusively to The Church of Inside Magic® and its dedicated staff of very pious clergy; with a special emphasis on improving the lives of those who would travel so far to worship at our yet to be built gold and ivory altar.

As you know, The Church of Inside Magic® emphasizes the inner-being and eschews those in this sad epoch who worship the outer, false entities. Consequently, you are no doubt aware we do not permit our clergy or the lay ministry to carry any form of identification including a drivers’ license (or licensce) and certainly would never allow our images to be captured for the purpose of recordation through the alleged “passport” system foisted upon the clueless masses as a means of emphasizing the outer, shell of humanness to the detriment of the inner soul of personness.

We suspect your request that we send our drivers’ license (or licence) and international passport was merely a test to see if we were indeed true to our faith. We were and remain so.
Continue reading Letters to the Editor: Church of Inside Magic®

April 10th, 2013 | Tags: , , , | Category: Letters to Editor | Comments are closed

Sad News: Peter Reveen Passes

Inside Magic Image of Peter Reveen - The ImpossibilistPete Reveen aka “The Impossibilist” passed away Monday morning at his home.

He was far more than just an outstanding magician, international star, Vegas icon and manager of Master Magician .

We will remember him as a considerate gentleman who loved magic and was willing to give a boost and kind word to a work-a-day magic news source located in a fictional midwestern town.

We have been ignored by lesser magicians and their public relations folk and so when someone of Mr. Reveen’s status takes the time to pass along a kind word and unsolicited encouragement, we become fans for life.

He was a true gentleman who cared deeply about his craft and our art.

Lance Burton knew Mr. Reveen well and benefited from his counsel and friendship over the years. Mr. Reveen negotiated the Master Magician’s record-breaking contract with the Monte Carlo Hotel in Vegas.

Mr. Burton issued a short statement to the press Monday afternoon.

was a giant in the world of magic. His illusion shows were lavish and innovative. As a stage hypnotist, he had no peer; he was simply the best in the business. As my manager for 20 years, he was my most trusted adviser. Reveen was my very close friend for 30 years. I am sad today. I will miss him.

Mr. Reveen leaves behind his four sons and his wife, Coral.

We join the prayers of his family and friends and mourn his passing.

April 9th, 2013 | Tags: , , | Category: Latest Magic News, Magician Feature | Comments are closed

Houdini Mystery House Still Not Found

Inside Magic Image of Location of Houdini's Stamford Home? has been gone (some say) for a long time.

We have had two comings of Halley’s Comet since he shuffled from this mortal coil.  (See what we did there, “shuffled”?)  Yet stories about the magician continue to grab the attention of readers and, apparently, assignment editors.  Some of the stories clearly strain to make Houdini relevant but that is okay with us.  We just like reading about Houdini no matter how tangential to current events.

Today’s article in Connecticut’s The Southington Patch gives a nice biographical essay combined with two local ties.  According to the story, Houdini owned a retreat in the Nutmeg State — a seven-room home in .  (Interestingly, “the Nutmeg State” is also the third level of consciousness in a therapeutic hypnosis session properly administered).

The Patch says “despite all of Houdini’s notoriety, there is no known photo of his Connecticut home; furthermore, no one seems to be able to locate the actual address of his home there.”

Strange, no?  One wonders how one knows Houdini actually owned such a home if there is no known address other than “Webbs Hill Road.”

We did a check of Webbs Hill Road in Stamford and searched for seven bedroom homes.  We found none.  But, we did find two six bedroom versions and both were pricey (close to a million dollars) and neither were for sale.

Perhaps the person or persons who purchased Houdini’s retreat converted one of the bedrooms into a library, a den, a knick-knack room, an extra kitchen, a billiard parlor, a theater or theatre, an indoor pool with either an in-ground pool or an above ground pool stuffed into a former bedroom, a yoga and/or Pilates center, a very small ice rink, a home planetarium (to chart the comings and goings of a certain comet), a not-so-free-range poultry farm, a sublet apartment complex for down-on-their-luck magicians (it could easily accommodate seven in one room if properly constructed and fire codes were ignored), a holy shrine to a saint or a deity or several deities, a handball or squash court (assuming European rules dictated the size and not the unwieldy Asian dimensions), a séance room, or even a laundry.

We did a quick check of the construction permits pulled for each home on Webbs Hill Road in Stamford from 1926 forward to identify renovation or construction on any of the residences that would explain the apparent loss of at least one bedroom.
Continue reading Houdini Mystery House Still Not Found

March 28th, 2013 | Tags: , , | Category: Magic History, Magic News | Comments are closed
« Newer Entries  
  Older Entries »