Anything Can Happen

I first saw the Orion count performed by Dan Garrett at lecture in Chicago. It’s a very pretty false count (think of a flourishy version of the flustration count) created by French magician Yves Dumerique which is explained by Reed McClintock on his video “The McClintock Twist” and in Dan Garrett’s lecture notes “2002 The Last Palindrome”. I saw this count...

Handling Humans

Grand stage illusionists, clever sleight of hand performers, mysterious mind readers, and wise guy stand-up performers are in many ways worlds apart in their approach to the art of magical entertainment. But all of these modes of performance share a common challenge. Humans. We all have seen shows ruined by a poor choice of assistant from the audience. We all have seen routines sent tumbling...

In Search of Better Magic

The scenario: Romany takes to Las Vegas to spend 3 months polishing her magic cabaret act ready to host and perform an evening show in the Las Vegas Wonderdome to be attended by some of the world’s most prestigious magicians. Eeeek! And cor blimey!!! One of my favourite magic teachers, Eugene Burger, says that good magicians are created one effect at a time. That’s one effect,...

Women and Children First

Excerpted from Brad’s new lecture notes. Check BradHenderson.com for more information. Whenever I go to a magic club meeting and watch the performances, I notice that in almost every situation where a magician requires a volunteer they inevitably pick a woman (or girl, if available) or a child. My heart goes out to every magic spouse/girlfriend who has ever made the mistake of sitting in...

The Snake Basket

I have loved the Khyber Cobra trick ever since I was a kid and saw it performed at the Boston Magirama/Magical. It is just one of those tricks that is so fun it just sticks in your head. It’s a classic. Collector’s Workshop makes a terrific remote controlled version of it. But since my lottery number hasn’t come up yet, I have developed this version. Its main advantage is that it is cheap to...

Audio Equipment Revisited, Part 1

Given the current state of electronics available to the average magician, this is a good time to revisit the issue of audio equipment. However, let me first restate that the purpose of our “Magic Tech” column is to consider some of the technical issues for a practical one or two person stand-up show. In several years of producing my own self-contained cabaret act for 50 to 300+...

“Astonish Yourself!” by Roger-Pol Droit

I recently had a magical experience while getting a haircut. Allow me to explain. I was sitting in the chair, absently gazing at my reflection in the mirror in front of me, while my hairstylist clipped away. My eyes idly wandered from the reflection of my face to the reflection of my torso, wrapped in a black apron to prevent pesky hairs from clinging to my clothes, down to my legs, clad in...

A House with Many Rooms

May I share some of my imaginings with you? I imagine that magic is very much like a house with many rooms. I imagine that some of these rooms are large and brightly lit and many people enter. Other rooms are smaller and darker and are inviting only to a few. I see a room for dove workers and another for magic clowns. There is a cheerful room devoted to Gospel magic and another, rather more...

Unfinished Pictures

It is a stormy night. Trees are bending in the wind. The sky is threatening. Occasional claps of thunder ring in the distance. The rain has come and soon the city will be washed clean. The sky seems to burst open, the rain turns into a storm, as we arrive at our destination. I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine – an artist, a painter. Together, we have come to his studio and,...

“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is something of a fantasy novel, but not in the usual sense of the phrase. There are no elves or dragons in this book. And yet, at its heart, the book is about the importance of magic and fantasy for their power to instill hope in the midst of suffering and loss. Josef Kavalier dreams of escape from the harsh reality of Prague under the German...