FISM 2009 - DAY THREE

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

STAGE COMPETITION

(By Sue-Anne Webster)

17. WANG QIMO

Stage Illusions

China

Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian

This was a totally weird act that went nowhere. Back screen projects a picture of the universe. Wang appears on screen, walking in the universe, then ‘jumps off screen’ and is lowered to the stage from top the rafters. Wang meekly walks forward, with his shoulders slightly hunched, and does the lean. He gestures to the screen and the scene changes to a cartoon picture of a bridge over water with cars driving on it. He tries to do something, like sit on air - but it didn’t work. Then we wait while he gestures about the stage and at the screen. We finally figure out that he’s trying to hitchhike. He makes a car on the animated screen stop with his ‘magical powers’ (with a click of his fingers) and ‘pulls it off screen‘ (the car just drives onto the stage). Wang offers money to the driver, but the driver refuses to give Wang a lift and drives back off the stage. Wang brings a helicopter from the screen to the stage. A lady gets out and gives him a lift, so they climb into the very big toy-like helicopter and it takes off and ‘flies into the screen‘. Wang comes back from the audience to the stage, waving and slouching as he did throughout the performance. His white satin shirt hadn’t been ironed. He climbs the stairs back onto the stage to a small burst of glitter confetti from the wing. Big ideas that don’t deliver.

18. SIEBENSINN

General Magic

Germany

Sponsor: Magic Ring Austria - Rudolf Heuer

3rd General Magic, FISM 2009

A lot of thought went into this act. This performance was a story about mastering your own ‘puzzle of life’. The performer does this by firstly telling the spooky story of Fletcher Robinson - implying he was the real author of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories. He told the story of the way he died… and the way Arthur Conan Doyle - referred to as Arty - died. He starts with a wine glass smashing in his hands, then shows his fob watch, which vanishes as we go back in time to 1896. He uses a cloth to produce another wine glass that fills with liquid of its own accord. As he talks, smoke fills his hand, a picture of Fletcher Robinson is taken from its frame, crushed, but returns back in the frame. He takes out the picture again and burns it up, but it returns and cracks. His next story is about life and love, being poetic - the puzzle of life. Shows a wooden puzzle in a frame. He takes away the frame and rearranges the puzzle in a different order, then adds a couple of extra pieces, but it all goes back together - again in a different order, but still fits within the original frame. All costuming and props were properly themed for the act.

19. ROMAN BURENKOV

Comedy Magic

Russian Federation

Sponsor: Russian Association of Magicians - Vladimir Rudnev

An exceptionally neat and tidy chef in a gold, shiny outfit who dons an apron dotted with fruit pictures, and a chef hat lined with hearts. The performer’s stage skills were very good, but this was a children’s act with elementary magic. Cracks an egg into a glass. Shows a cookery magazine, folds it and throws in the egg, lights it, opens the magazine and shows a rubber fried egg. He takes out an apple from a paper bag before doing a vanishing bottle trick. Takes a red silk, polishes a tea pot, puts part of the red cloth in the pot, pours water in the pot, lights a fire under the pot to boil the water and then pours the now red liquid into a glass. He takes out the silk, which is now half red and half white (because the dye ran out into the water), then proceeds to do a dove pan cooking routine that ends up producing a string of rubber bagels.

20. TROND HAGEN

Manipulation

Norway

Sponsor: Magic Circle of Norway - Henning Warloe

Disqualified for performing at a level way below FISM standard.

21. Rescheduled to perform on Day 4

22. JIANG QIWEI

General Magic

China-Macau

Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian

This was a colourful, but awfully unrehearsed act lacking any sense of magic. Lady in a dress, holding a basket. Takes red head band silk and changes it to a flower for her hair. Pulls feather flowers out of her sleeve. Takes earrings, turning them to paper flowers and confetti. Plucks a couple of leaves off prop plant, turning them to flowers. Did some sort of paddle move with a leaf, then pulls out a vase full of paper flowers from the plant. Takes a mirror, brushes her hair and tries to pull out paper flowers from the back of her neck, fumbling. Mirror to paper flowers and throws them in the air with confetti. Cuts out a paper butterfly, stands awkwardly close to her fence prop so lots of paper butterflies could fly into the air. Pulls out a big yellow flower from her dress. Plucks yellow flowers from plant, so new red ones could ‘miraculously’ bloom. Reaches for her basket and tips it towards her so lots of paper flowers spring forward like a flower fountain. She then does a really slow costume change behind a large cloth that also strangely changes its pattern, then reveals her new outfit and a new tree. Produces flowers for her ears and lets go of a few wind-up paper butterflies.

23. TONY MONTANA

Mental Magic

Argentina

Sponsor: Red de Magos Solidarios - Jose Luis Bory

3rd Mental Magic, FISM 2009

Two volunteers, pre-selected by jury, each had to wear a sign - their names and favourite number. “Ellis 22” and “Eric 6”. Ellis drops a magazine on the floor to a random page advertising a watch. Eric opens the prediction to show the selected page. The volunteers are given two sets of three different large photos of the performer in different poses. All the photos are put into envelopes and sealed. Each volunteer shuffles their set of three envelopes - and each volunteer is told to drop two envelopes, of their choice, to the floor, leaving Ellis and Eric with one envelope each. They open their envelopes and they are the same images of the performer with a cigar in his mouth. Then a prediction in a glass tube reveals a message “Thanks to Eelis 22 and Eric 6”. It would have been even better if “Ellis” was spelled correctly.

24. THE TRAMP

General Magic

Switzerland

Sponsor: MRS Magische Ring Schweiz - Sven Bolliger

Competed FISM 2000 with a similar act.

An potentially effective piece. Bit slow to start. Backdrop of city landscape. Sound effects of birds and cars. Fog. Tramp lies on a park bench near a light pole and a bin full of rubbish. Tramp wakes up, sits up, pulls out a string, lights it - flame to watch. Pours a drink from his thermos, levitating his cup. Puts tobacco in his mouth, then small paper, spits out a cigarette and lights it, coughs and stubs it out. He finds one bill in his old bag, then shakes his bag to reveal a load of bills filling it up and falling out. Picks out a banana skin and black tape from the bin before picking out bits of newspaper - restores it, showing pieces stuck together by black tape. Picks out a beer bottle, opens it with his teeth, nothing in it so he rolls up paper and crushes the bottle. Takes light bulb from lamp, bulb lights up in his hand. Zombie light bulb… then he had technical problems and couldn’t finish the act.

25. AVON LEE

General Magic

China-Hong Kong

Sponsor: Magicians Association of Hong Kong - Albert Tam

A clone of Eun Gyeol Lee, but his timing was off through most of his act. Upbeat music. Flame to silk to fire sticks - produces dove, but dove flew away into the rafters. White rose to confetti, flash to dove, white silk to candle (drops one), then two candles and dove. White ball, then small magnifying glass to large magnifying glass that he uses to heat up the ‘egg’ to explode into a bigger egg with a dove inside. Cane to fire string, confetti to steel ring set alight to produce a dove. Yellow silk to yellow dove to yellow confetti. Sets cage on fire and doves disappears. Produces a couple of bird cages from a burst of smoke, then a dove.

26. YO KATO

Manipulation

Japan

Sponsor: Junichiro Sejima, Juno Kim, Pairuch Trarasansombat

Equal 1st Manipulation, FISM 2009 - with Han Seol - Hui

Smart shiny black suit, red tie and wand. Skilful and relaxed performance, nice to watch. Colour changing wands - manipulation and juggling. Wand to streamer. White thimble routine with wand tips - manipulation. Colour changing thimbles red/green… and thimbles and wands. Then elegant colour changing thimble routine, then colour changing wands again - productions and manipulation. White silk to tie. He received a standing ovation.

27. LIAO XIAORUN

General Magic

China

Sponsor: China Magic Art Society - Lin Jian

Traditional colourful warrior outfit on an elegant lady - purple with red cape. Bow weapon and multiplying arrows. Produces a sword and a shield, then did a mask changing act. Produces a flag and does an awkward costume change behind a screen to a yellow and green elegant dress. Feather flowers from head dress. Trouble with loads. Mirror and comb from silk. Combs hair, throws out flowers. Takes a red fan - colour change. Produces flowers and puts them on her shoes. Red card production, including a tassel for her dress, then more cards and card flinging, changing the set design through her act. Yellow to red flower, produces lanterns with obvious loading. Another costume change to red outfit with head dress and umbrella.

28. NICOLAI FRIEDRICH

Mental Magic

Germany

Sponsor: Magischer Zirkel von Deutschland - Wolfgang Sommer

Equal 2nd Mental Magic, FISM 2009 - with Rob & Emiel

Competed FISM 2006 with a different act.

3rd Place Mental Magic FISM 2000 with a different act.

Talks about how photography captures and holds living memories. Images hold emotional value. A lady volunteer has a picture with personal meaning - of a loved one. Photo is placed in an envelope and mixed with other envelopes. Another volunteer shuffles the envelopes again and gets audience members to pick an envelope. They are told to stand and hide the envelopes behind their backs. Lady writes what the picture is about on paper, folds paper and is asked to concentrate on what she wrote. Nicolai describes the look of the person, names them and tries to ‘channel’ their date of birth and mentions they were creative with origami. This was a clever effect, however Nicolai exposes his ‘channelling’ technique. He then tells the standing audience members, one by one, to tear up their envelope, leaving two audience members standing. Lady volunteer gets the last choice in which of the envelopes to keep safe. The envelope she chose was the right one and the picture survived.

29. JEIMIN

Stage Illusions

Republic of Korea

Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar

An act with a bit of abuse thrown in to spice it up. White Elvis Presley style outfit. A cage illusion is brought on stage and a cheeky cartoon girl with a mask appears from it. JeiMin hits her over the head and she leaves the stage. Another girl appears in the cage. She is ‘normal’ and pleasing to the eye, so was spared a slap to the head. JeiMin does a floating guitar illusion. He puts on a plastic Elvis wig and gyrates to ‘Twist Again‘, by Chubby Checker. Cartoon girl comes on to dance with him, but JeiMin hits her over the head again - she exits. Pretty girl enters with a guitar. They dance. Girl leans on the guitar. JeiMin hits her in the head with his wig to ‘put her to sleep’ and does a levitation with her on the guitar. More dancing and gyrating. A large flimsy cage is brought on and covered with a pink cloth. A box appears inside the cage and out comes the cartoon girl again. JeiMin hypnotises her to take off her mask, but the girl is revealed to be a man. Cartoon girl puts her mask back on. Another large flimsy cage is brought on. Cartoon girl gets into the cage, the door is closed and opened. Cartoon girl gets out again, but when the mask is taken off, it is revealed to be the girl in the costume. He levitates her without any props - just himself, the girl and the stage. I’d slap JeiMin in the head, if he dared to slap me like that!

30. ALAN

Manipulation

Chinese Taipei

Sponsor: Society of Japanese Magicians - Junichiro Sejima

Cards, confetti, fans and silks were produced and manipulated in a red and white colour theme - along with the prop table and clothing trim. As these items were produced and manipulated, they slowly all turned to blue and white - along with the prop table, costume and table set. The act ends with a blue and red theme. Blue and red confetti to end performance. Obvious loads.

31. BERK ERATAY

Mental Magic

Turkey

Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar

Winner of Turkey’s version of ‘Phenomenon – The Next Uri Geller’

A ‘freak’ from the forest, chained and clothed in a white restraint type suit, is brought on stage by an old professor. Volunteer, separated from the ’freak’ by a screen, is told to stick large pins in a rag doll representing the ’freak’ - voodoo style. The ‘freak’ starts bleeding supposedly where the pins are stuck in the doll… but, the wounds did not match where the pins were stuck. The act could have some sort of potential… except for the fact they use an electric chair on the volunteer! I WAS THE VOLUNTEER WHO GOT SNAPPED IN THE BUTT BY ELECTRICITY… AGAIN!!! (see close-up reviews).

** INTERMISSION **

I want to pause here to tell anyone who uses one these stupid electric chairs, that it’s INHUMANE!! It HURTS!! You are HURTING your guest on stage who is good enough to play along with your act to help you look good! People don’t like creatures being hurt… so, WHY HURT A HUMAN??!!

People disguise their hurt through humour. The volunteer might laugh it off for the time being, but it hurts both men and women. I will tell you how it hurt me. I have a good sense of humour, I can laugh at myself and I can take a bit of teasing… but, when I am electrified without knowing it will happen to me, I will finish my job on stage, leave and sit quietly - because my mind goes blank. I can’t think about anything. I begin to realise I was abused. I feel humiliated. I feel used and discarded for the entertainment pleasure of the performer and the audience who do not know what actually happened to me (non magicians do not know chairs are electrified). The pain stays for hours. It may not be the result of the physical electric slashing across my backside that I feel for hours afterwards, but I still feel a stinging sensation, which reminds me of the abuse and humiliation I endured on stage. Then, when I have a private moment to myself, I cry.

How do you know this does not happen to your other lady volunteers? How do you feel now, that you know? Will you still use that ‘nice’ little implement of torture you thought would enhance you and your act after knowing you have hurt and humiliated somebody? What if it was your loving wife, girlfriend, mother, grandmother, aunty or daughter that some thoughtless performer zapped and abused? Your volunteer has a right to choose whether they will participate in anything that will harm them before they help you.

Some people asked me why I didn’t walk off stage, kick the chair, hit the performer and sue him. Well, I didn’t think to do that at the time, especially when I was trying to help a FISM competitor do their best… but, I warn you, I will do all of those things if it happens to me again.

I have a solution to zapping. Cue your audience members. I do! I secretly ask them to pretend the seat is hot. Simple. It works every time… the audience love it… and your volunteer is happy to be involved with you on stage. You make them look good and feel good… and in turn, they will make you look good!

The electric chair should be banned from FISM. I’ve been informed that FISM rules are changing to disqualify any performer who hurts a living creature.

*******

32. P J WEN

General Magic

Chinese Taipei

Sponsor: Black Hat Magic Association - Kai-Fu Wang

Dressed in a black suit, yellow tie, and yellow glasses he began with colour changing light bulbs. He gets a phone call to meet a girl. He does a costume change to a white suit. He takes a silk and changes it into ink underpants. Flower appears from another silk. Flower to silk sequence. Gets a phone call - the girl has been caught in a big traffic jam so he makes uses a huge silk to make her appear holding the steering wheel of her now abandoned car.

CLOSE UP COMPETITION

(By Sue-Anne Webster)

114. CHARMING CHOI

Parlour Magic

Republic of Korea

Sponsor: Korean Magic Society - Eun-Sun Chung

Most Original Act, FISM 2009

Competed FISM 2006 with a different act

Competed FISM 2003 with a similar act

“Charming, charming, charming Choi” dresses in a white outfit with blue trim. DVD prediction. Shows different DVD’s - of magicians, porn and The Little Mermaid. Volunteer secretly selects The Little Mermaid - ‘prediction’ was correct. Pulls out a red silk from the cartoon picture hair of the Little Mermaid from the DVD cover, produces a straw from it, then blows bubbles into a fish tank of water to produce the balls for an underwater cups and balls routine performed to the music, ‘Under the Sea’, the end load of goldfish fills the fish tank. The volunteer is given the DVD as a present… but, it is only the box and cover… it does not contain a DVD. Tsk, tsk, tsk - naughty!

115. DALY TANG

Micro Magic

China-Hong Kong

Sponsor: Magicians Association of Hong Kong - Albert Tam

Performs the “two coin” trick that keeps ending with three coins, so tries the ‘three coin’ trick, but ends up with six. Puts coins in a chequered purse and vanishes. Background piano music. Card trick - a four Ace routine. Ace transference from hand to hand, then hand to table. Aces turn into Queens. Spreads cards, now with blank faces. Turns over Queens to show black stripes on the faces of the now blank cards. As he places the striped cards on the all-blank cards, it creates the effect of a piano keyboard. Nice visual surprise ending. Average.

116. MARTIN LUBCKE

Card Magic

Germany

Sponsor: Magischer Zirkel von Deutschland - Wolfgang Sommer

Card to object routine. Ice-cream treat in a box produced from flash string. Ice-cream goes on display stand, while volunteer checks and shuffles cards. Martin cuts cards and has volunteer sign a card. Red felt pen changes to green. Puts card back in deck, cuts cards again and shuffles. Asks a spectator for a number between 1 and 20. Number chosen is 17. Martin asks volunteer to flick over some of the cards in the pile. Exactly 17 were flipped. Shuffles signed card back into deck. Volunteer checks the deck, but her card has vanished from the deck. Then Martin makes all cards vanish from his hand. Volunteer checks ice-cream treat and sees a corner of her signed card, 8D. Martin breaks ice with a wooden mallet. The card inside is the signed card. Martin closes up the ice treat package, then opens it again to reveal a real ice treat for the volunteer. The ending was the highlight - at least the volunteer received a real prize this time.

117. NEKTARIOS

Micro Magic

Greece

Sponsor: Academy of Magicians - Gousis Christoforos

Phone rings, we hear a lot of babble. He changes cell phone to cards - produces a ‘smiley face’ coin from card, which ends up blank. Produces more coins with smiley faces. He finds the court cards (couldn’t tell which ones, because the camera didn’t zoom in). Does a matrix style routines using cards and coins - cards change into smiley face cards. Cell phone rings again - more babble. Changes cell phone to a smiley face. Vanishes coins and his shirt changes to a purple top with a big smiley face. The smiley faces brightened the act.

118. SHO ARAI

Card Magic

Japan

Sponsor: JCMA Japanese Close-Up Magicians Association - Tashiro Shigeru

Suit and red tie. Shows a blank card and changes it to the AS - then produces 2S, 3S and 4S. He drops one card - then ’magically’ pulls it up from the floor. Changes cards into a pack, then opens it, showing a full deck inside. Takes out cards and finds the AS, 2S, 3S and 4S again, all in different ways. Audience member shuffles the cards, then he shows the cards in new deck order. More fancy moves to produce AS, 2S, 3S and 4S again by flicking them from the deck, then the rest of the spades - sticking them all over his jacket and arm. Shows all cards are in order. Shows AS, then takes out the large, middle spade logo as a pin to stick on his jacket… then tosses a bit of glitter.

119. ROD CHOW

Parlour Magic

Canada

Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar

This act is the story about the performer’s life in magic - starting with his first pay cheque - a Canadian $20 cheque. Shows more pay cheques from children’s shows, then turns them all into cash - all $20 bills. His shows price increases - showing $20 to $50 to $100 and then to credit card. He starts to enter competitions, dreaming about winning a gold medal (which he produced). Produces a ring (accidentally dropping a big ring) and went to turn it into a big gold ring (but couldn’t, because he dropped it earlier). He says how he wants to go to Hollywood, producing gold bars and American money, then pulls out a line of US $$ all strung together. He then talks about going to Las Vegas, pulling out a cape of cash, then changes his shirt to cash with a light-up green $ sign on his cash shirt. But, he says that magic - to him - is not about fame or fortune, but to make people happy… so changes all the money back into his old pay checks - because he doesn’t really want it. Hmmm.

120. RAMON RIOBOO

Card Magic

Spain

Sponsor: Sociedad Espanola de Ilusionismo - Armando Gomez Bernardo

Volunteer selects a card, but Ramon holds tightly onto the cards, even when the volunteer signs the selected card. The card is lost in the deck, then found. Volunteer chooses a card, again. She takes it, but Ramon takes it back (looking dodgy). She signs the card, which is revealed later - stapled. Then a hard to follow sequence with a blue card/red card prediction. Another hard to follow card routine, where another card is signed. Ramon selects a card, revealing it to be the same card. Very confusing.

121. KIF

Card Magic

China Hong Kong

Sponsor: International Brotherhood of Magicians - Joan Caesar

Competed FISM 2006 with a different act.

Kif ate mints to ‘help his memory.’ Three volunteers each choose a card from a spread deck. Performer memorises the pack in less than five seconds and bets a volunteer keeps his money if he fails to memorise it correctly. Kif seems a bit rough and rude to his volunteers. He then gets his volunteers to remember the cards, too… by giving them mints to help their memory, then gives the volunteers instruments to mark when their card colour is shown, indicating which cards they want by sounding their instruments, until the whole deck is dealt. The routine is confusing.

122. CHARLIE CAPER

Parlour Magic

Sweden

Sponsor: Svensk Magisk Cirkel - Per Eklund

2nd Parlour Magic, FISM 2009

Winner of ‘Sweden’s Got Talent’ 2009

Charlie is dressed in old style street attire complete with braces. Changes a cane to a black silk tie and produces a fob watch. Uses a red silk to vanish fob watch. Silk to glass to wand - vanishes silk, then vanishes wand. Takes out a purse and pulls out the fob watch on its chain, then pulls out the red silk which changes into a flower that he places on his coat. Then pulls out the wand and his black silk tie (that we only just discover went missing). He brings a volunteer on stage (me) and offers me a chair joking that he couldn’t find the extension cord (joke about my electric chair experiences) which got a huge laugh. He produces a can of Coke from his shoe. He then he does a cups and balls routine - the cups and the balls are wearing bowties (like him). Takes rose from his jacket and a ball from his pocket, drinks coke from a solid glass… then the ball appears under the clear glass, puts ball under his hat. Wraps the glass in newspaper and places the newspaper in the volunteers hands, then crushes the volunteers hands together, vanishing the glass. Then the ball is shown under the glass, under the hat. Oranges and lemons appear under the cups, then an onion, a watermelon, wearing a bowtie appears under his hat. A fun routine… especially for the volunteer.

123. MIN HYUNG KIM

Card Magic

Republic of Korea

Sponsor: Korean Magic Society - Eun-Sun Chung

Music. Funny, light and happy performance. Shows a small soft drink bottle with some clear water inside. He shakes the bottle and the liquid turns red. The bottle lid keeps going missing throughout the routine. Card trick - spreads cards, then does a ‘find the aces’ routine. Audience member chooses the AD. Finds all Aces in different ways to sound effects and funny facial expressions. Sad music plays when he can’t find the last card. So, he brings out his He thinks all is lost, so he brings out his mechanical Barbie doll to help him. Then he finds his lid to his drink bottle again, hope is returning when he sees his Barbie doll. He winds up the mechanical Barbie, it twists around to the audience showing his face on the doll and the KD in it’s hand as the sound effects of a hallelujah choir singing play.

124. Damaged props in transit. Will attempt to perform on Day 3.

125. MAGO BRUNO

Micro Magic

Peru

Sponsor: FLASOMA - Hector Carrion

A theatrical performance… something different. Performer plays a character who is late for work. A white phone rings. A sticky note is found attached to his head. Phone rings again, he answers - his boss is angry with him. He must get to work or he loses his job. A small lighter is changed to a big lighter, lights a candle on his desk. He puts on his coat, but a big button goes missing. He goes to thread a needle, but the string flashes and vanishes - producing a large needle and a button. He does a series of cup, needle and thread manipulation. His desk clock ends up where his button should be on his coat. Phone manipulation, then multiplying alarm clocks appear everywhere. Clocks even end up on his glasses. Then his phone turns into clocks.

126. RYU HYUN MIN

Card Magic

Republic of Korea

Sponsor: Alexander Magic Family Korea - Juno Kim

A letter inside an envelope reads that the sender sent cards. He produces a deck of cards from the envelope. Volunteer signs the card and is put back in the deck. Then, inside the deck is an envelope - in the envelope is the signed card. Volunteer signs another two cards - so he ends up with a signed 9H, 3C, 6D. From the beginning of the routine, on the table, there is an envelope on a stick. It is revealed to hold the volunteer’s three signed cards. Ace routine - the aces transfer from the close-up mat to the envelope on the stand… and then the three signed cards in the envelope appear on the table.

113. YVES DOMERGUE

Parlour Magic

France

Sponsor: Fédération Française des Artistes Prestidigitateurs - Peter Din

This act woke everyone up! Yves talks about the nightmare he dreamt - sitting on stage with everyone looking at him. He describes how everything in the dream was fake and not real, showing the chair he sitts on is just paper. Three volunteers are brought up on stage to play a “dangerous game” with firecrackers. Each volunteer is given a different colour t-shirt to wear for a prediction (in his dream). Everyone on stage puts on ear muffs. Performer blows up a firecracker in a small bin, which produces an enormous BANG - deafening the audience. The performer then plays Russian Roulette with firecrackers. He gives the volunteers a choice of firecracker to take. One is real. Performer leads everyone to believe that he has taken the real one… and so puts it in his mouth - and lights it. It turns out to be a dud… but he slaps blood on his face in an attempt to shock the audience, dramatically stating, “Don’t worry - it’s just a nightmare!” Then envelopes are revealed on the back the volunteer chairs, containing a dream prediction stating what each volunteer did on stage - like the red t-shirt being put on backwards. Well… the routine certainly went off with a bang… and deafened everyone in the process.

Those not interested in the competition attended lectures by Victor Voitko and Juan Tamariz.

Close Up Magic Gala Show

(By Tim Ellis)

Tonight there was a delay in opening the doors to the 2,500 seat theatre where the Close Up Gala was staged. Once inside, Hank Moorehouse announced that the cameras had not been available earlier in the day, but they were going to do the best they could without any camera rehearsal.

So, with a camera on stage, one on a crane, three on a huge podium (and at least another thousand in the laps of disrespectful registrants) the show began.

David Williamson kicked the show off as MC and immediately put everyone in a good mood with his charm and spontaneity. He ran through the crowd and selected two volunteers to sit at the close up table on stage (directly under a big screen with two huge LED screens on either side) and introduced the first act.

FISM award-winner Henry Evans performed some of his trademark card effects including the inimitable ‘Ten Exact Cuts’ and though a lot of the card work was hard to see, it was still very enjoyable.

David returned to perform ring and rope and while he did he’d arranged a Chinese tailor to come on stage and measure him up for a nice cheap jacket. You can imagine the comedy than ensued climaxing with David throwing the guy over his shoulder and walking off with him as he introduced Shoot Ogawa.

Shoot suffered the worst at the hands of the TV. First he had to remove his white jacket because it was too bright on the screens, then his dark shirt and pants made him blend into the background. He performed several effects including his ‘Ninja Rings’ but when he did a very nice coins to glass effect, some of the magic was completely missed because of poorly composed camera shots.

David returned in his new suit, which look comically awful, and kept the show pacey by introducing Miguel Puga.

Miguel began with a great synchronised audience-clapping bit (which would have been more effective if the video screens didn’t have a one second visual delay on them) Next he did some nice card work, but his act really went up a notch when he got two volunteers on stage performing signed card to pocket with him. At one point he asked the cameraman to move back a bit. He didn’t. So Miguel physically pushed the camera back about 15 feet. The cameraman just moved back much to the audience’s amusement. Obviously the director was speaking through his headphones and overruling the performer’s request...

Next up was Hernan Maccagno who looked like a cross between early Juan Tamariz and current Weird Al Yankovic. He started with a ‘Zone Zero’ type effect where oranges where produced and thrown to the audience, but then he talked – a lot – and English is not his strong suit. By the time he sat down and began a trick with four cards that went on for quite a long time, the audience had already grown very restless. In the end he performed a very nice routine to a music box, but he was the low point of the show.

David introduced Lennart Green next, and everyone was very excited. He sat down and began with a trick with a glass of drink, but the camera angle from the side exposed it. He also had some serious trouble with his deck which caused him to toss the deck and start again with a new one. His finale, blindfolded with gaffa tap while his head was wrapped in tin foil, was sensational and even though he seemed a little off form, the audience loved him.

David Williamson returned with Rocky (and the crowd went wild!) He found possibly the cutest kid in China sitting in the front row (and he spoke English!) and did an hilarious Rocky routine that really got the show back on the rails.

Rick Merrill, World Champion of Close Up Magic (for the next three days), closed the show. He began with some coin magic and went into a six card selection and revelation that included some gags and one Pendragons joke that pretty much crossed the line. Rick then went into his award-winning coin and sharpie act and got a sensational reaction.

Still no standing ovations, and this time it looked like the lights, sound and video people had better things to do than support the magicians (maybe they spent all day tech rehearsing the acts for the Thursday banquet show?) There were many instances of audio feedback, the lighting was too dark in many places, house lights did not come up when they were asked for, and the camera work (essential for such a huge crowd) was very poor compared to the Opening Show.

Maybe next FISM we’ll get back to a more traditional size Close Up Gala of say, only 700-800 people?

After the show, close up fans headed to The Magic Salon where the experience close up magic in a more suitable environment, while others preferred to let the rhythm take control.

(Photos on this page by Detlev Drenker)