Wednesday, July 29, 2009
STAGE COMPETITION
(By Sue-Anne Webster)
33. JULIUS FRACK
Stage Illusions
Germany
Sponsor: Magischer Zirkel von Deutschland - Wolfgang Sommer
1st Stage Illusions, FISM 2009
Competed at FISM in 2000 & 2003 with different acts
Began act with a large metal circle with struts on this inside, forming geometric shapes. Julius fills in the shapes with metal blocks forming the image of a human. Lady gets out of it dressed in a long, light blue dress with a white shoulder scarf. Julius puts a table on two trestles (A-frame table supports) - lady lies on top - Julius takes away table and stands behind her. He drapes his coat over her middle section and walks right through her. Unbelievable! He then takes away both trestles so she levitates, then he draws her upwards and downwards by her scarf - still levitating. He uses his blue scarf like a hoop to prove there is no support. Julius dons a long shiny black coat to perform a bass drum illusion. Both Julius and the lady beat the drum in time to the music. He unlocks front of the drum and the lady (now dressed in a white dress) gets inside. He bangs on the drum, turns it around so audience can see she’s still there (drum skin was slightly transparent), then she disappears and reappears behind the audience, running to the stage blowing a whistle. Clever illusions… particularly the second one. Lovely looking couple.
34. DUO KYBALION
General Magic
Spain
Sponsor: Circulo Ilusionismo Malaga - Armando Gomez Bernado
Competed on ‘Tiene’s Talento’ in 2008
Use of media - screen with video of performer walking in an airport. Screen rises revealing the performer. He shows his coat, then does a costume change. Back on screen, a picture of Russia is shown and a lady appears on screen. Screen goes up revealing the lady. They both then do a sequence of costume changes depicting various countries that are shown on the screen. They both end up going behind the screen, their moving images are shown on screen as a plane shoots slowly up between then and explodes into fireworks along with two pyros exploding next to the screen. Screen falls to reveal they both vanished. Mediocre act.
35. MA YANYAN
General Magic
China
Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian
2nd General Magic, FISM 2009
This act is original, mixing two performance styles - magic and ballet. Performer does ballet - mainly posing on the points of her toes - whilst performing magic in a black leotard, red tutu and white stockings. She produces a fan on her foot that is raised at head height, then produces another fan, cards and glitter. The card spins in the air around her body and, upon catching it, changed into a long coloured silk. She then does a series of productions and manipulation of silks, fans, glitter, cane and cards… all with ballet moves on the tips of her toes. She finishes the act with card flinging and produces two large multi-colour flags. This seems popular with the audience.
36. SERGEY YANPOLSKIV
General Magic
Russian Federation
Sponsor: Russian Association of Magicians - Vladimir Rudnev
Black outfit and cape. Lights three large candles, attached to a round silver base, with a fire stick. Shows a big magic book, smoke and confetti come out of it, then fire, which is extinguished when he pulls out a large light blue cloth used to do a zombie routine with the three lit candles. He whips away the cloth and the candles continue to float in front of him, then uses the cloth to float the candles back to their stand. He lights another three candles and drapes a white sheer cloth in front of the them. When he slowly raises the cloth, we see the flames levitate up and off the candles behind it. The flames then gently bounce around and settle back onto the candle sticks before the cloth is whipped way. He blows out two of the flames, leaving the middle one to be captured in an opaque tube, floating up and then down the tube, then settles it back on the candle. Sergey produces a large red fan, taking the flame from the candle onto one end of the fan. The flame moves around the edge of the fan as Sergey walks over to light a seventh candle. He blows the candle out which changes to a long white silk and glitter. Shows a tube, pulls white silk through it and out the other end, turning purple. He then uses a red cloth with gold trim to produce a smoking gold vase. Another candle rises from it, lights it, takes it with the red cloth dangling from it, holds the cloth as the candle levitates for a moment (not very effective), then vanishes the candle. He takes a red fan and a flame appears in his hand, then closes hand as the fire turns to snow. Snowstorm. The candle flame effects were effective.
37. SEBASTIAN NICOLAS
Manipulation
Germany
Sponsor: Magischer Zirkel von Deutschland - Wolfgang Sommer
2nd Manipulation, FISM 2009
Competed at FISM 2006 with a similar act.
Performer begins by producing a clock (face) and vanishes it to confetti. Produces white balls - manipulation, until one ball left, tosses it into the air, changes to a clock. Back to balls, then adds one red ball, then eight balls. Keeps the red ball, changes to red silk with instant clock appearance - vanish - appear - vanish to silk, produce clock, changes to card. Produces more cards until they form a flower in one hand, then tosses them. Produces a card fan, then single cards, lights a card on fire, fire to hand which produces a clock, then disintegrates to confetti. Produces another clock, then more clocks to decorate his ‘time’ prop. Covers the prop with a black velvet cloth, changing it to an hour glass. He was easy to watch and very skilful.
38. NAKA KYOSUKE
General Magic
Japan
Sponsor: Society of Japanese Magicians - Junichiro Sejima
Black tails with red lapels. Fire to silk to red mask on face. White silk - fans - white mask. Does a mask routine with red, white and black silks, fans and masks. A bundle of silks become a big red and black cloak - coat tails change to white. Produces two red silks and four red fans, then does another mask routine. Average.
39. No competitor listed in the programme.
40. RED HAT
General Magic
Republic of Korea
Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar
Red outfit and hat, ‘playing’ the harmonica. Some bad basic manipulation of the harmonica, with a lot of stylised mechanical body moves. Produces red cane, red material to red ball, then confetti - a flash - and a mask. More mechanical body moves. Hat to mask changes, spins hat and it floats for a few seconds. More red and yellow mask productions and manipulation.
41. BRYNOLF & LJUNG
General Magic
Sweden
Sponsor: Svensk Magisk Cirkel - Per Ekland
2nd Comedy Magic, FISM 2009 (recategorised by the Jury)
They reached the Grand Final of ‘Sweden’s Got Talent’ 2009.
This act left us wanting more! It was too good to be such a short act. Two guys working in tandem describing how magic is ‘sleight of hand, misdirection and surprise’. They illustrate this in a comical and very entertaining way, leaving us wanting more. One takes a newspaper and produces a tennis racquet, the other produces and manipulates tennis balls, then has his pants pulled off by his mate who pulls out a tennis racquet from them. To Austin Powers, ‘Soul Bosanova’, the pants-less guy did the ‘bowling ball out of the big pad’ trick, then went back in time to show how it was done - in slow motion - to slow Austin Powers, ’Bosanova’ music. It shows that his friend actually did a costume change that we never saw in ‘real’ time, so he could secretly help with the trick. He comes out in what looks to be a parody of a tight fitting Flash Gordon super hero outfit, to put the bowling ball behind the pad - runs back behind the screen prop in slow motion to do a costume change back into his suit, while the pants-less guy produces the bowling ball which falls to the ground in slow motion. He then apparently nearly falls over (the lean) which we couldn’t actually see in normal time, his friend races over to help him back up, then time goes back to normal. Very, very clever!
42. QI YUANRUI
General Magic
China
Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian
This act is cruel to animals (fish).
Two men and one woman on a set with three small fish tanks, each surrounded with large lily pads. They dress in traditional style fishermen outfits. They catch small and large live fish from the air in nets and on fishing lines, putting them in two of the tanks. Bubbles float into the air - one bubble is caught resembling a white ball - production of balls and manipulation. After a ball spins around the performer, he produces a flower, then eight balls, then twelve balls. Produces another large fish in a small net. Covers third tank with a black cloth for a moment, then many small goldfish appear. Rope routine, then catches two large fish at the end of the rope. A low Chinese style table is brought out with a fire bowl made of sticks on top of it. Fire in the stick bowl, and a fish is caught from the fire. Some of the fish are floating on their sides, some regain consciousness. Produces a large flag wishing success to the conference, produces more flags and a large shiny Christmas tree, more fish in bowls are brought out.
43. AN HA LIM
Manipulation
Republic of Korea
Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar
3rd Manipulation, FISM 2009
Classical music. White silk to white card production to colour production of cards. Then up-beat music to more card productions and manipulation. Very skilful, but uses the same prop - cards - over and over and over…
44. ROB & EMIEL
Mental Magic
The Netherlands
Sponsor - Nederlandse Magische Unie - Ronald Moray
Equal 3rd Mental Magic, FISM 2009 - with Nicolai Friedrich Germany
2nd Mental Magic, FISM 2006 with a similar act - tied with Jean Thomas Loewe, Germany.
Team effort. One sits in a chair on stage, blind folded, the other goes into the audience to ask his blindfolded friend what the objects are in the hands of the audience. Then the blindfold comes off and the mentalist goes into the audience to prove he hasn’t got an ear piece, closes his eyes and announces the audience member’s cash note serial number. Fast pace mentalism. Absolutely amazing - but I preferred their autistic act at FISM 2006, because the use of autism gave the act more depth… although the use of autism also attracted a few complaints.
45. NACHO DIAGO
General Magic
Spain
Sponsor - Sociedad Espanola de Ilusionismo
Wardrobe set. This is act with no punch and very little magic, reminiscing about childhood. The performer does a few small tricks - too small for stage - and a lot of fiddling about with an umbrella that almost acts like a dancing cane. Plays with his big teddy and an old sling shot, tries to blow bubbles and produces a light bulb for his bedside lamp that moves and interacts with him like it was alive, as he balances a bulb on his hand. He plays with his imaginary drums to a drum beat for a while - then drapes a large cloth over his air drums, which hold a shape of a drum set under the cloth, and… well… that’s it. The audience waited for him to pull away the cloth to reveal a real drum set… but, he didn’t. The act just petered out to nothing.
46. AKUA SHIN
General Magic
Japan
Sponsor: Japan Professional Magicians Association - Haruhiko Nagisa
Tails outfit. Pours out streamer from his cane and produces two small silver flowers. Cane changes to red cane, then disintegrates into flowers. Produces glitter cards, then a card pattern top hat. Glitter card production, card fans, glitter, silks and streamers. Red silk produces red glitter balls - manipulation sequence. Large glitter flower to glitter streamers, more card fans and single card productions, glitter fans and streamers. Average.
47. JUAN ORDEIX
Mental Magic
Argentina
Sponsor: Club Porteno de Illusionism - Daniel Ulman
Disqualified at FISM 2009 - for using a stooge.
Winner: 2nd Mental Magic, FISM 2006 - tied with Timothy Trust & Julie
Fast talking performer. Aretha Franklin ‘Think’ music. Throws ball out to audience for four random volunteers. They all hold balloons - yellow, green. red and blue. Each balloon has something written on a small piece of white paper inside them - the predictions. They are asked questions… as well as an audience member. Their answers are written on a large white sheet. Yellow - represents jury; Green - May and 25 (number given by jury); Red - 3 and Clubs (was given by one of the balloon holders) and the number 872 given by audience member chosen by performer. So… answers: Green - go to 77 (page 77 of FISM souvenir brochure and there is a picture of the French flag covering the whole page); Red - 3 of Clubs; Blue - page from a magazine dated May 25; Yellow - $50 bill… 872 written on the bill. Received a standing ovation.
48. MAGIC SKY GROUP
Stage Illusions
China
Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian
2nd Stage Illusions, FISM 2009
Chinese style basket on a large stand. Large cloth covered the big basket with holes large enough to see through basket - levitates (very rough), then a lady in pink appears. Instant costume change for performer - a blue outfit, Chinese style. Chinese trunk with transparent front. Lady takes out cloak and head piece from the trunk, instantly a person (creature) in tight white and blue leotard appears in the cloak, takes off cloak and gets into the trunk. Cloak goes over performer who then disappears besides the trunk. Creature appears - girl vanishes - creature vanishes - Performer appears - creature in chest and comes out. Changes a black and white picture to a coloured picture, but too obvious. Last illusion looks like an enormous Chinese plate. Lady ‘defies gravity‘, all over the plate, but there was absolutely no mystery to this illusion what-so-ever. Hoop goes over her to ‘prove’ she is not hooked onto the prop, then the prop is turned around. She is unhooked, then hooked again. A large scroll of paper is unrolled in front of lady… and she vanishes. I was surprised they received an award.
CLOSE UP COMPETITION
(By Sue-Anne Webster)
127. GIACOMO DE CARLO
Card Magic
Italy
Sponsor: Club Magico Italiano - Domenico Dante
A card routine telling the tale of the last major famous French vs Italian soccer game, using a close-up pad in the guise of a soccer stadium. In the end, he takes off his jacket to reveal his UV yellow umpire shirt - blowing his tie, which is a whistle. On top of the table, he finds the silver medal under the French flag and the gold medal under the Italian medal - then inside a big chip packet, that was resting on a chair, he reveals a large gold trophy won by the Italians. Amusing.
128. SHOTA
Micro Magic
Japan
Sponsor: JCMA Japanese Close-Up Magicians Association - Tashiro Shigeru
Takes out a coffee cup, cards and water from a blue paper bag. Puts coffee beans in a wine glass. Volunteer selects a coffee bean - then turns some beans into coins. Coins across routine from performer to coffee cup. He does some business with coins - making real coffee. Two volunteers each takes a card and signs it - 3D and 5C - and places cards back into the deck. Shota shuffles the deck and does a series of card moves in an attempt to find the cards. He finds all threes, except the 3D - which he finds in the glass with the coffee beans. He changes the 3D to the 5C, visually in the glass.
129. KRISTIAN NIVALA
Card Magic
Finland
Sponsor: Finnish Magic Circle - Robert Jagerhorn
2nd Cards Magic, FISM 2009
Competed FISM 2006 with a similar act.
A nicely dressed lady plays a piano - complementing Kristian’s routine. Kristian mimes holding a deck of cards, taking the cards out of the pack and spreading them, selects one… which then appears in his hand. Another invisible card is thrown into the air - appearing, then another and another until he spreads a real deck. He gets the aces signed by audience members, loses them in the deck and finds them by doing card manipulation. Small ace to large ace. When large card appears, he taps the card case and it appears in the box. Red back signed cards turn to blue. All red back cards turn blue… so do the large aces, the box and the rest of the cards. Nice act.
130. LATKO
Micro Magic
Argentina
Sponsor: Entidad Magica Argentina - Ray Francas
3rd Parlour Magic, FISM 2009
FISM 2006 – Competed in Stage Magic (as he is again this year)
Sits at a desk with a lamp that doesn‘t work, cups and a box. Music. Wearing blue shirt and tie, the character learns how to do magic from an instruction manual, “Cups and Dice Tutor“. Does matrix with dice, ending in a cup load of mini sized dice and one large dice, proving it couldn’t all fit in the cup. Does cups and balls, producing a light bulb which he screws into the lamp… and a red ball to hang on the switch string. Then he produces pawns for a chess set - then instantly visually changes the mat to a chess board while cups are on it, then produces the rest of the chess pieces under the cups. Ends by producing a wine glass and a liquid load from the cups. Nice routine with some meaning.
131. LV SIYUAN
Card Magic
China
Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian
Music with good emphasis for his moves. Shows an empty card pack - tosses it in the air - then shows the pack full of cards. Spreads the cards. ‘Find the Aces’ routine. From the aces he plucks the four pips - Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds - all big enough to use for a matrix routine. Produces a wine glass, and another glass from a card, then another two glasses. Does a ‘pips-on-and-off-the-cards’ routine in various ways, until he produced a liquid load from hand, filling the glasses. Then the 10, J, Q, K of each suit is produced, ending in a mini snowstorm.
132. DAI HEWGA
Card Magic
Japan
Sponsor: JCMA Japanese Close-Up Magicians Association - Tashiro Shigeru
Winner of the European Magical Close-up Championship at Blackpool 2009.
Does a card routine using an iPod and speakers. Cell phone to new deck of red back cards in new deck order. Volunteer shuffles and touches a card - 7H - volunteer signs card that is then lost in the deck. Dai finds the card with the iPod to a drum roll and cheering sound effects. The signed card ends up between two other cards. Volunteer touches two other cards - KH and 8H and, with the 7H, all three cards are put back in the deck and shuffled. Dai finds all three cards as the music gets louder. One card, KH is found face down in the deck. The 8H is found in the iPod, then the music stops. Inside the iPod is the 7H with the volunteer’s name written on it. Now, there’s no music - so Dai goes back in time - restores iPod and starts again. He asks for the volunteers name again - asks for a pack of cards (a new pack is found on the table). He opens the card case - all cards in new deck order, with the signed 7H in correct position.
133. JOHAN STAHL
Micro Magic
Sweden
Sponsor: Svensk Magisk Cirkel - Per Eklund
Equal 3rd Micro Magic, FISM 2009 - with Simon Coronel
Coffee cup and sugar cube manipulation/cup and ball style routine with a black felt tip pen as a wand - all played to the volunteer for the audience. Sugar cube vanishes and reappears, changes into the pen and back again - sugar cube from pen lid, pen vanish and relocates in various places - pen changes into a chocolate bar. More pen appearances and vanishes - pulls a spoon from volunteers ear - cup cake under the cup - then larger cup cake appears under the cup. Johan removes his jacket and produces a drinking glass - pen reappears (bare arms, no sleeves). Taps the cup with spoon, stirs - then pours liquid load into the glass. Johan puts on a napkin, produces a jug and pours a second cup of coffee - then he gives the tray of food and drink to the volunteer. Nice routine, but misdirection didn’t always work, as the act appeared to be designed to play more to the volunteer than the audience.
134. SHAWN FARQUHAR
Card Magic
Canada
Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar
Grand Prix Close-Up, FISM 2009
1st Card Magic, FISM 2009
FISM 2006 – 2nd Place Micro Magic.
FISM 2006 - 2nd Place Parlour Magic with the same as Card Magic, FISM 2009
FISM 2003 – Tie for 2nd Place Micro Magic with Nicholas Einhorn
A smoothly presented card routine performed to “Shape of my Heart”, by Sting. Before the music starts, a brand new deck of cards - sealed in plastic - is opened. Performer goes to place cards into volunteer’s hands, but the deck has re-sealed itself. Shawn re-opens deck and volunteer shuffles the cards. Shawn shows cards and shuffles them. Volunteer chooses a card - 10H - and signs it. Shawn sits at a table and the music starts, showing the signed card, then proceeds to lose and relocate the card to the lyrics of the song - cutting, shuffling and fanning cards, showing the Aces and court cards with a faded King. When the song ends, Shawn goes to give volunteer her signed card, but the deck is resealed. It is inspected, reopened and the cards placed into the volunteer’s hands in new deck order, the faded King is located in its proper new deck order position - as is the volunteer’s signed card. Beautifully executed routine. Very well rehearsed.
135. VITTORIO BELLONI
Micro Magic
Italy
Sponsor: Club Magico Italiano - Domenico Dante
2nd Micro Magic, FISM 2009
Shows the four aces. Spreads cards on the table and leaves them spread. Shows coins and places them in a purse. Opens the purse to reveal the four aces. The coins end up under the spread deck of cards. Four coins go into the purse that is set alight - the fire burns the purse invisible, except for the metal frame/clasp. Vittorio pulls out invisible coins - uses four invisible coins and the four ace cards to do a matrix routine. The coins become visible during the routine. Four coins to one corner - click of the fingers and their back each under a card. He then makes the routine ‘more difficult‘, by doing the matrix routine with transparent cards. Then does it again with Chinese coins, then produces a large coin. Four cards over four coins, each vanishing. He takes a pair of scissors and cuts a card into four pieces, vanishing them one by one, but turns the last small card into a large card, which turns transparent along with the rest of the deck. He had a lot of energy and the crowd loved him.
136. ALEXANDER POPOV
Card Magic
Russian Federation
Sponsor: Russian Association of Magicians - Vladimir Rudnev
Competed FISM 2006 with a similar act.
Disqualified for being below FISM level. Volunteer checks a deck of cards and the packet. Volunteer selects a card and performer puts it back in the deck. Alexander manipulates the cards with difficulty… and mumbles constantly, completely confusing the volunteer and the audience. I couldn’t tell if this was a similar act to his 2006 performance at FISM, or not. He was at least fun to watch when he competed in 2006.
137. MARC OBERON
Micro Magic
Great Britain
Sponsor: Magic Circle London - Jack Delvin
1st Parlour Magic, FISM 2009
Competed FISM 2006 with a similar act.
Marc asks various audience members to name cards. He skilfully finds each one in various ways, including making a selected card rise from his pocket. Extremely clever. He then changes a card into gold and goes into a routine themed on gold, human nature and myth throughout history - producing a gold sphere, an Oscar trophy, an apple from the Garden of Eden - depicting sin, which turns to gold; a flat looking white rose, turns to a red rose, then to a 3D looking gold rose; produces a golden egg from a paper origami swan, which also turns to gold; Osiris’ feather turns to gold. He then blows a gold coin into existence, vanishes it, produces it again, then does a transference of it from hand to hand - then a ‘coins across’ using three coins from hand to hand. The three coins turn into a golden key, then to a large key. Then Marc produces a huge key to finish. Interesting routine, but the handling of loads looked a little awkward at times. His lovely English voice was very clear and measured; his fine use of pauses and intonation enriched his tales.
138. KATSUYA MASUDA
Micro Magic
Japan
Sponsor: JCMA Japanese Close-Up Magicians Association - Tashiro Shigeru
Katsuya begins his routine with a ball in a cube that lights up, then goes out. He twists the cube and the ball turns to metal. Volunteer holds one card and selects a card from the deck in Katsuya’s hand. He puts the selected card into his pocket. The card that the volunteer is holding is the 9D… the card in Katsuya’s pocket is revealed to be the 9D, as well. Katsuya punctures the card - threads a feather through the hole, which is then revealed to be sealed. He has the volunteer check that the card is back to normal. Volunteer selects a card, signs it - returns to the deck. Puts a card in the deck that is not the volunteer’s, but Katsuya uses a wand to visually change a different card to the chosen card, while it is protruding from the deck. I believe all three tricks will undoubtedly soon be available in your favourite magic shop.
139. KIKO PASTUR
Card Magic
Spain
Sponsor: Sociedad Espanola de Ilusionismo - Armando Gomez Bernardo
FISM 2006 – 3rd place in Cards, with a different act.
The theme to this act is to imagine a world with no time, only images. Four aces are used. Volunteer selects a random card - 10H. Performer changes some of the cards to be the tens. Tells his story with cards, changing the four aces to four tens, then to four Queens… describing them as images - memories, dreams. He turns cards back to the aces. Volunteer chooses the AH, then chooses the AS. He shuffles the Aces, finds the AH and the rest of the suit - donning a blindfold from the 5H onwards, finding the cards by ‘feel’. He ends the routine with all the Hearts and Spades in order.
124. MAGIC JULIAN
Micro Magic
Spain
Sponsor: Sociedad Espanola de Ilusionismo - Armando Gomez Bernardo
This performer’s props were damaged in transit. He tries to perform his routine, but his prop fails him. A shame, because it looks interesting. Coins and cards, appearing, disappearing and travelling… but the effect is ruined by the damaged apparatus/prop.
As an alternative to the competition and the Dealers Fair, today FISM offered lectures by Mac King, Lennart Green, and Miguel Puga.
Stage Magic Gala #2
(By Tim Ellis)
Tonight’s show started with a very clear warning, in English and Chinese, telling people not to video or to use flash photography. This simple warning resulted in a lot less photography than at the previous shows.
The extremely talented Topas came out as host and introduced the first act. Topas has “it” and from the moment he walked on stage the audience loved him. They knew they were in the hands of a professional who would guarantee them a good time.
He began with a song, a “FISM Anthem” which will undoubtedly hit the internet soon. It was hilarious as it spoke about things that only magicians would laugh at and, to cap it all off, for the final verse he was accompanied by “The FISM Choir” of Max Maven, David Williamson, Luis DeMatos, Eun-Gyeol Lee and so many others.
Omar Pasha was first up with his black art. Though we’ve seen the act many times before it was wonderful to hear the gasps and reactions of the hundreds in the audience who hadn’t. They were amazed by every vanish and transformation.
Topas returned and began his great finger manipulation interaction piece with the audience but, when the technicians didn’t bring up the houselights after he asked several times, he just dropped it and introduced the next act, David Sousa.
David Sousa performed his 2006 FISM award-winning act of very slow and deliberate card manipulations, which was so well received he was inundated by fans the next day after photos and autographs.
Topas returned with another MC bit and, because I can’t remember exactly which bits he did when, I’ll quickly go through them all here.
One was ball manipulation accompanied by himself on bongos, another was his combination of sound effects with specific movements, and his main spot was an illusion where he removes the centre of his arm – but repeated three times: first we saw “The First Rehearsal”, next came “The Opening Night”, and finally was “The 1000th Performance”. It had the audience in hysterics.
Topas had a few issues with the crew, which he handled beautifully.
They seemed to think that the best way to let him know the next act was ready was to just open the curtains before he even introduced them.
Another time, while he was doing his bongo routine, a stage hand pushed through the curtains and started sweeping up about six inches directly behind him. When he finally noticed, Topas turned this around and got a great laugh.
The next act was the hit of the night, about a dozen Chinese women doing the most astonishing diablo act this side of Cirque du Soleil. Somersaults, flips, multiple diablos.. more variations than you could imagine resulting in a prolonged standing ovation.
Peter Marvey returned with three illusions that he had to cut from the first Stage Gala Show because it was running too long. He pulled the skin off a girl in a box leaving only her clothes ala invisible man... didn’t really work. He did one where he pulled his own head off and it sat on a table in front of him. This was nice when he did it at FISM Dresden, but it just seemed to go on a bit too long tonight. Finally he was sawed in half riding a unicycle... yes, I know it sounds weird, it looks weird too. He gets into a very strange box with a crane thing grabbing his waist, then is sawed in two and then his lower half rides the unicycle around the platform of the box... personally I preferred the small trick he did as build up where he sawed a ten foot pole in four pieces, put the pieces in a small bag and restored them.
Shi Lei & Jiao Jiandong are very famous here for their bird impressions and hand shadows. After seeing their act I can see why. It was another highlight in the show.
Merok was dressed all in black with a sombre attitude (Craig Mitchell described him as “one of the Addams family”) and he performed manipulation and dove work. I enjoyed it and felt the odd character made the act interesting. Others didn’t.
I.Ma.Gi.A was another act that some people felt didn’t belong on a show of such a high standard. Again, I disagreed. Their act is set with cardboard boxes all over the stage with two guys moving the packages about. Lots of magic happens and the main effect is a levitating cardboard box with a girl inside. (If you were at Blackpool this year you would have seen the Dutch trio ‘Magic Unlimited’ copying it).
I.Ma.Gi.A provided yet another style of magic, a different colour, on the show and I enjoyed their act.
Victor Voitko however, was disappointing. He began with his award-winning floating linking rings from FISM 1994, but the end messed up. He then got a member of the audience up and had her go into a tent and change clothes and put a wig on. “She” did a sexy dance in the tent (we saw her in silhouette) and then went to a table and sat down where Victor woke her up and did a very long, sexy levitation before transforming her back to who she was... and then making the sexy girl appear too and sending the volunteer back.
Magic aside, what was the message he was sending in all this? The plain girl from the audience wasn’t sexy enough for him. And when he got his sexy girl he didn’t need the audience member anymore.
Yunke was the second last act with some interesting illusions. First he made his assistant appear from a chair, which was quick and effective. Next he had her lie on an ironing board, covered her with a cloth, and steamed her flat. I loved it. I thought it was completely original and box-free. Finally he did the “table of death” where he had to escape from the table before the spikes fell on him. They did fall on him (we saw it in silhouette) then he pushed them off him, whipped the front curtain away and jumped out of the box. Similar effect, with the same impact, as a finger chopper.
Jeff McBride closed the show with a long set beginning with his mask changing routine. Next came his miser’s dream and water bowl act, both of which were very effective and a change of tempo, and he sent the audience crazy at the end with his high energy card manipulation act. (He told everyone “If you have my DVD grab a deck of cards and play along.”)
Overall it was a sensational show and full credit to everyone on the bill.
Later in the night the magic continued in The Magic Salon. Here's a little taste:
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