12 days of Christmas - the final day!

In the run up to Christmas 2012 I take great pleasure in sharing with friends, colleagues and contacts a selection of fine magic tricks and Christmas cracker jokes that have the groan control turned up to at least 11. 

Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman MIMC (Member of the Inner Magic Circle) says that jokes have to be bad jokes because it is impossible to tell a joke that will appeal to all age groups within the family; with bad jokes, however, it becomes a case of ‘us against the joke’, so it unites everyone.  So if it has to be bad jokes, you might as well go for the best bad jokes available – which are all available for the legendary Tommy Cooper.  Finally, a tip: Jokes from the Cooper canon do not have to be told or read in a Tommy Cooper voice, but it often helps!

A trick from a member of The Magic Circle and a joke from Tommy Cooper will be posted here every day in the run up to the Christmas break, so keep coming back and have a terrific festive break.

Nick 

Day 12 - Hans Klok – with an abundance of Las Vegas-style illusions

This is the sort of thing for which you normally have to go Las Vegas, but this year Hans Klok brought his show to London and visited us at The Magic Circle on his night off.

As he seeks to break a record for the number of illusions performed in a fixed time, there is almost too much magic going on to take it all in. 

Have a very happy Christmas!

I said to the waiter: "This chicken 
I've got is cold". 

He said: "I should think so. It's been dead for two weeks". 

"Not only that", I said, "It's got one leg shorter than the other". 

He said: "What do you want to do, eat it 
or dance with it?" 

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 11

Day 11 - David Copperfield defies the Death Saw

–      probably my favourite illusion

I don’t normally approve of magic that plays of the possibility of anyone getting hurt, but this is extraordinary and combines scary drama with playfulness.

Two are cannibals eating a clown.  

One says to the other: 

“Does this taste funny to you?”

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 10

Day 10 – Piff the Magic Dragon – magic with comedy and a persona

One of the most memorable moments of Penn & Teller’s ‘Fool Us’ TV series was the night that Piff the Magic Dragon stole the show and rapidly went to win an even bigger audience on YouTube.

Piff is the alter ego of John van der Put, a former winner of The Magic Circle’s Close Up Magician of the Year, who went from jobbing magician to internet and Edinburgh Fringe phenomenon when he combined his magical creativity with his skills in stagecraft to create Piff.

“Doctor, doctor I feel like a pair of curtains”.   

“Then pull yourself together”. 

Day 9 - Kevin James – a very modern take on ‘sawing in half’

As one of the classic illusions, we see a lot of sawing in half at The Magic Circle but, so far, not quite like this.  It’s quite extreme and just shows what you can achieve if you take a classic and bring it up to date.

The waiter brought me a lobster.  
I looked at it and I said: “It’s only got one claw”.  
He said: “It’s been in a fight”. 
I said: “Well get me the winner”. 

12 days of Christmas magic - Day 8

Day 8 - Shawn Farquhar

–      the magician with a cupboard full of international awards

Shawn Farquhar is a Canadian who has probably won more awards than any other magician – or so he keeps telling us! 

Here he performs his signature trick, which is another take on the Reformation theme.  When he visited The Magic Circle he told us that this was the trick that got him re-booked on a regular basis by one of the world’s richest men. (The parties were usually on the client’s yacht but apparently he had built a big house with a lot of Windows). Then he showed us how to do the trick – so I sometimes perform a version with a Tommy Cooper theme.

So I said to the taxi driver, 'King Arthur's Close'. 

He said, 'Don't worry, we'll lose him at the next set of lights' 

Day 7 - Guy Hollingworth

–      possibly the greatest card trick you will ever see

Known by magicians all over the world – and especially renowned in America and Japan - Guy Hollingworth now practices as a barrister, but is occasionally tempted out the Temple to work some close up miracles. 

One of my most memorable nights at The Magic Circle was appearing in the close up section of a Saturday night show – sandwiched between the great Ali Bongo and Guy.  He performed this, his signature trick, ‘Reformation’, which my wife - who generally hates magic - declared “the best card trick I’ve ever seen”.

I was cleaning out the attic the other day with the wife. 

Filthy, dirty and covered with cobwebs.... but she's good with the kids 

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 6

Day 6 - Laura London – yes The Magic Circle has women members too!

As one of the most glamorous magicians around, Laura travels all over the world working her own brand of magic.  Recently she caused a bit of a stir at The Magic Circle by staging a show with a selection of her friends from the world of cabaret, including – for the first time at the Circle – burlesque dancers!

And the back of his anorak was leaping up and down, and people were chucking money to him. I said: 'Do you earn a living doing that?' 

He said: Yes, this is my livelihood.' 

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 5

Day 5 – Alan Shaxon

–      The Magic Circle’s most elegant performer remembered

Former President of The Magic Circle Alan Shaxon passed away just recently and will be much missed by members as one of the nicest people in magic, as well as one of the most skilled and knowledgeable.  The elegant way in which he moved while on stage, always knowing exactly where the next prop was positioned as he disposed of the previous one without you even noticing was always a great lesson to any magician – or anyone else who stands up in front of an audience. 

Here Alan performs the ‘Zig Zag Lady’, the classic created in the 1960s by his friend Robert Harbin.

“Doc, I can't stop singing the green green grass of home.” 

“That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome.”     

“Is it common?” 

“It's not unusual.” 

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 4

Day 4 - Mark Shortland takes control of the Penn & Teller Show

One of The Magic Circle’s most cheery members – Mark really knows how to amuse as well as amaze.  This is how he stole the show one night on Penn & Teller’s ‘Fool Us’ TV series.

I went into the library and cut off the bottom of one of my trouser legs.

Then I went up to the librarian and said: “that’s a turn up for the books”.

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 3

Day 3 - Marc Paul with the mind boggling Berglas effect 

Marc Paul was one of my early influences and he provided great support when I first introduced magic to the training field.  He performs extraordinary mind reading feats and is highly accomplished in many other areas of magic.  Here he appears on the Parkinson Show with his version of The Berglas Effect, created by the legendary David Berglas, past-President of The Magic Circle

Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. 

They charged one and let the other one off.

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day 2

Day 2 - Fay Presto – Queen of restaurant magic

I am often asked what inspired my interest in magic.  The answer is very simple – Fay Presto, queen of restaurant magic and current Magic Circle Close Up Magician of the Year.  I hired Fay back in 1991 to entertain my staff at my PR company and was immediately hooked.  I had to know more – I started seeking out the shops, the conventions and any show I could get to.  Eventually I became a member of The Magic Circle and was able to refine the thinking that led to my coaching courses and my book Presentation Magic.

So I was in my car, and I was driving along, and my boss rang up, and he said “You've been promoted.” And I swerved.  And then he rang up a second time and said “You've been promoted again.” And I swerved again. He rang up a third time and said “You're managing director.” And I went into a tree.
And a policeman came up and said: “What happened to you?” And I said “I careered off the road.” 

12 days of Christmas Magic - Day One

Day 1 - Harry Potter gets decapitated!

In 2010 I was PR Officer to The Magic Circle when the team at TV quiz show Qi contacted me for help in putting together their Christmas edition - on the subject of magic.  We started by identifying the oldest magic trick of all, which involved the decapitation and re-capitation of a live bird.  “You couldn’t get someone to come on the show and do that could you?”, they asked.  “Of course” I replied, “Scott Penrose is you man; he’s the best magician with birds, the best with illusions and he’s also our Vice-President”.  Once Scott was on board they enquired as to whether he could help with some finale pieces; in particular they wanted something spectacular for special guest Daniel Radcliffe. “I’ve got just the thing” said Scott, “we’ll put him in my guillotine”.

 

I was clearing out the attic and I found an old violin and an oil painting. 
So I took them to an expert and he said to me: “What you’ve got here is a Stradivarius and a Rembrandt.  Unfortunately, Stradivarius was a terrible painter and Rembrandt made rotten violins.”