FISM 2006 - DAY FOUR

Thursday, August 3, 2006



(By Tim Ellis & contestant reports by Sue-Anne Webster)


What a full day it was today! 9.00am sharp for another batch of stage competitors while Kevin James, Gazzo, Banachek, and Jeff McBride lectured, Juan Tamariz did a one-man show and the Cheating and Gambling workshop was presented.

In the main theatre the audience for the Stage Competition, though overly enthusiastic on Monday, had become much more fickle. Acts that were otherwise quite good seemed to have become "not good enough" for the FISM crowd and many dextrous displays of skill were greeted with courtesy applause. The second last day is not a day you want to be in the stage comp... on the other hand it was the last day of the close-up comp and the crowd there was really in the mood for magic. We saw every possible extreme from outstanding performances to disqualifications.






STAGE COMPETITION






61 - Jan-Thomas Loewe
Mental Magic/Invention
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)
A unique themed mental magic act. Jan-Thomas Loewe called himself a Mathematician. He said he predicted numbers the jury was going to select. They were to name six numbers, the seventh number the jury member changed from 33 to 43. A movie was played, the date of the movie being Saturday 26 Feb, 2006. The season was winter (unlike the summer the audience was experiencing at FISM, Stockholm 2006). All the numbers were correct, including the seventh number change from 33 to 43 as predicted. He even handed out photographs of the filming day to the jury for verification. A very clever performance.


62 - Kenneth Chan
General Magic
Hong Kong, China
Sponsor – Albert Tam Wing Cheun (Magician Association of Hong Kong)

The act was set in a bar with no bartender. Kenneth began with a bottle that he turned into a red ball to do a multiplying ball and manipulation routine ending with eight balls. A red silk was used to produce a champagne bottle. He drank from a Martini glass and rang for the bartender to pour him another drink, but no-one comes to the counter so he pours himself a drink and helps himself to a cigar. He blows smoke and his drink turns to confetti, then he did a card fan production, then multiplying cigars, produced a card fan, card fountain, and single card productions. He did a diminishing card effect, produced glasses for his eyes, took the drinks menu and a blue silk to produce a large fan of cards. He then took a picture of a drink and changed it to a real drink and used a large cloth to produce a waitress.


63 - Karim
General Magic
Spain
Sponsor – Josep Roma I Sainz De La Maza (Sociedad Espanola De Illusionismo)

A neat routine to the song ‘Sixteen Tons and What Do You Get’ where Karim produced bottles, did a thimble routine where the thimbles disintegrated into confetti. His red tie became animated, he tied a knot with it in his hands, it untied itself and very cleverly jumped back up to tie itself back around Karim’s collar. He produced a drink for refreshment, lit a candelabra, to tango music he did a paper flash to rose into nice rose productions. He then produced a card fan to confetti, cards to make a card fan, produced more bottles and more card fans. All clean productions.


64 - Paulo Maderal
General Magic
Argentina
Sponsor – Ray Francas (Entidad Magica Argentina)

Paulo was dressed in what looked like a school blazer and stood next to a lamp post. He used glass and coins to start his act which were hard to see. He produced a glass, then coins and notes to put in the glass as if he was collecting money. He picked up a large coin with his foot and made it bigger, made a red ball vanish and reappear a number of times using a silk, then used a white ball for a short multiplying ball routine. He made a hat appear, a lit candle appear then went into a card production and card scaling with random flights. He ended by doing an obvious steal for a large fan of cards that turned into an accordion.


65 - Jakub Kroulik
General Magic
Czech Republic
Sponsor – Frantisek Cacc (Cesky Magicky Svaz)

Jakub’s act was set in a producer’s casting room with an old movie style setting. He entered the stage moving in an eccentric way, knees out and bouncing around. He made a photo of an actress in a frame vanish and reappear and hung it up. He conjured a large fob watch and multiplies it. An actress entered his room and he put on some gloves. He tried to woo her and give her a flower, but she constantly rejected him even after giving her a present. She stomps out of the room, only to reenter to get her present. He performed multiplying cigarette boxes but his eccentric movements, cluttered set and small props made it hard to see what he’s doing. He continued with cigarette manipulation, produced lollies (candy) and coins at his finger tips. He produced money notes which interested the actress. She grabbed the money but it turned to plain paper. He threw more money in the air and stood in front of the lady so she could do an instant change of costume from a red dress to a red dress with money on it, they waved and left the stage. Jakub performed a completely different act at FISM 2003.


66 - Mann O Mann
Stage Illusions
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)

The set featured a street bench. A street cleaner walked past it with a load of cleaning equipment on a trolley. A the cleaner walked past the bench, another cleaner suddenly appeared sitting on the bench reading a newspaper, then had his head twisted around by the first cleaner who then took away the newspaper, so he gets revenge by taking the first cleaner’s head for an instant.. They put bottles in a ‘No Bottles’ box cleaned the rest of the set. One moved the bottle box and it fell apart, but there were no bottles in it. One cleaner put the other cleaner in the equipment box on the trolley and squashed the box, making it a smaller box. He puts a garbage bin through a hole in the squashed box to ceate a large hole so we can see the squashed cleaner wasn’t there. He put cleaning equipment through the box as well (like a sword box) such as a mop, broom and shovel. He took the cleaning equipment out of the box and the squashed cleaner appeared OK, but his work clothes were in tatters. The other does an instant change into casual clothes, a ‘Happy sign’ was held up to cover the park bench briefly to change it into a motor bike.


67 - Rolf Reiner
General Magic
Spain
Sponsor – Paschoal Ammirati (???)

Rolf wore a red tie that played up, sticking out the bottom of his vest, then it pops out of the top of his vest and caught itself on a black satin cloth from his bag, then Rolf performed a zombie routine. We slowly realise that he’s done it with his tie. The tie had a cold (known from the sound track). Rolf did a ‘tango’ zombie routine. He put sunglasses on the tie and gave it a lollypop, it choked so Rolf gave him some alcohol, then it burped and went to sleep. He put the tie in a bag and closed it. The tie woke up and knocked on the inside of the bag. Rolf opened the bag and the tie sat up. He turned his back and the tie appeared on his back. This was the same act but a better performance than at the last FISM.


68 - Cody Stone
Manipulation
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)

Cody entered the stage on a skateboard. A wrist band appeared on his arm, a screw driver appeared and a drink appeared on his skateboard. The wrist band changed colour and so did his drink. He did a thimble style routine with his wristband. He made a CD appear, then took off his skateboard wheels and produced a spanner to fix them. Sunglasses appeared. Cody did flip stick moves with the spanner and did ball moves with the wheels. A wheel turned into a silk which was use to make the wheels magically appear back on the axles of the skateboard.


69 - Zhao Yuying
General Magic
China
Sponsor – Lin Jian (China Magic Art Society)

The first moves Zhao made in her colourful traditional costume was to display a (real) fan with her foot in an impressive arabesque. She produced four fans on top of each other, collapsed them and split the remaining fan into two fans. She produced streamers which turned into a fan, then two more. She threw the fans away, took a green silk and made another fan. After making more fans (lots of them), she covered her face with a couple of fans to do a mask changing routine. She finished the act with a silk fountain that produced foil flowers, did a bad steal to produce two large fans and three or four extra scary arms appeared sticking out of her back also holding fans.

70 - Die Zauderer
General Magic
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)

The ‘Silk of Power’ returned for the second time!!! Two knights in shining armour entered the stage holding the ‘Silk of Power’ followed by a third knight stooped over aided by an old person’s ‘walker’. They entered playing the trumpet and drums. The old knight accidentally put a third instrument resembling a large stick (maybe his sword) through the top of the drum. From inside the drum, you may have guessed, a vacuum cleaner sucked up the ‘Silk of Power’. A funny piece of play with the knight’s visors occurred before their big, serious swords became musical instruments: a pipe, guitar and a microphone. The vacuum cleaner in the drum was pulled out with the ‘Silk of Power’ stuck in the end of it. It sucked the red silk down it’s ‘throat’, so the knights took it apart in the style of ‘nest of boxes’. One knight found a balloon inside the vacuum and blew it up, popped it and the ‘Silk of Power’ appeared. A bird flew past and plopped on the ‘Silk of Power’. They played the spoons on a knight’s helmet. The bird came back and was speared by a sword. They used detergent to wash the ‘Silk of Power’ and decided to wash their own clothes inside their armour as well. The silk shrank and as they wrang it out, it restored. They then split the ‘Silk of Power’ into three ‘Silks of Power’. The first two knights turned their silk the right way up to display crown emblems, the third turned their silk upright to display a McDonald’s emblem. It rained and the knights turned their ‘Silks of Power’ into umbrellas. They received a standing ovation. Die Zauderer competed in 1997, 2000, 2003 receiving 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd places prizes in Comedy respectively. This year the Comedy category has been removed (it will be back next year) and instead awards for ‘Comedic Presentation’ will be given out.


71 - Paolo Giua
Manipulation
Italy
Sponsor – Domenico Dante (Club Magico Italiano)

Academy Awards themed act. Paolo, dressed in a tuxedo, did an academy award production, then a card fountain. Some cards in his hand became smaller and smaller until they flashed into confetti and another Academy Award. He performed a red and yellow ball manipulation routine, a cigarette production using a silk, then produced another Academy Award that blew out a smoke pot. Paolo then did magic with a smoking cigarette, transferred the smoke into a container, produced champagne, a silver shower, glittery confetti and a confetti canon to end with a large Academy Award.


72 - Grupo De Teatro Magico Da Api
Stage Illusions
Portugal
Sponsor – Fernando Maques Vidal (Associacao Portugesa De Illusionismo.)

A parody act about magicians. Two boxes on stage were part of an illusion. Dressed in ‘typical’ magician and assistant garb, the magician produced spring flowers. His cane was wrapped in newspaper, vanishing as he unrolled it. He is confused. His assistant acts overly happy and excited, looking like they’re made the act up on the spot. They put one box inside the other and produced another lady. Two audience members (part of their team) yell out and came to the front of the theatre, protesting that the magic was old and the magic props could be bought at the supermarket. They asked to see the illusion done from behind. So, the performers prepare the act again. A cleaner came on and tried to sweep up the mess as they prepared to do the illusion again. The same effect was seen from behind. The magician produced a feather duster instead of his cane this time, his assistant got in the box, but in the end the two protesting audience members were found inside the box and the assistant ended up in the audience.


73 - Caesaral Magic
Mental Magic/Invention
Spain
Sponsor – Vicente Rafaeles Riera (As. Catalana De Mags Ill. Prof. Y Empr.)

The act began with three small tables on stage. The performer tried to mentally make something happen to things on the first two tables, but failed. Two pre selected volunteers took two watches from the judges. Mentalist asked for a torch and a ball. He performed an experiment of ‘energy exhaustion’. He transferred light from the torch to the ball while the volunteers were holding the items. He had to exchange a judge’s watch because the watch was too complicated. A volunteer changed the time on a watch and the mentalist changed the time on the other for his prediction.. He took a volunteer over to the third table to show the time was the same: 11:25.


74 - Fujimoto
Manipulation
Japan
Sponsor – Maki Kitami (Japanese Professional Magicians Association)

Fujimoto, with red eyeglasses and orange hair, took off a white glove, threw it to the floor and it became a ball. He took a cigarette out of his mouth and put it in a silk to vanish and reappear. He produced a small drink from the silk, drank it and doused out the lit cigarette he put inside his mouth. He blew smoke rings and pulled a white band from one of them with which he did some magic. He blew a bubble with smoke in it, then did a card production with card fans. From another smoke bubble he produced a silk, and another, wound them up and they turned into a cane. He used a rose as a microphone and sang into it for a while. He performed a rose manipulation, then a ball manipulation routine, turned a ball into a silk, then produced four red balls on his fingers and proceeded to do a thimble manipulation with balls, then a coloured CD production and manipulation. He drew a radio that became real and donned a head set to listen to the radio. A fire started in the radio and fire tried to run up the wire (flash string) to his ears, but it broke. An explosion in his ear pieces happened regardless and blew half of his orange hair blew half off. Fujimoto competed with different acts in FISM 2000 and 2003. This time his technique was marginally better.


75 - Marc Dosetto
General Magic
France
Sponsor – Jean Claude Crispon (Cercle Francais De L’illusion Jules Dhotel)

Sirens in the sound track started the act. Marc appeared on stage looking futuristic for a dove act. He took a CD which changed as he threw it into a bird. His bird flew off its’ perch and into the back curtains, but Marc was too concerned to do his act to notice. He produced sunglasses that transformed into a dove, poured liquid into a cocktail shaker and the contents transformed into another dove as he threw it into the air. He poured more liquid into the shaker which changed to yellow streamers, and from it another two doves. He threw a dove into the air transforming to streamers. Finally, Marc took out a huge gun and fired it. A Sulphur Crested Cockatoo came out of it and flew into the audience to stay. The doves in the cage on stage transformed to become a lady and her overly excited dog which jumped about the stage. The animals were not very well trained and Marc attracted whistles from the audience protesting that Marc didn’t stop to look after his birds.


76 - Duo Mira-Cool-X
General Magic
Switzerland
Sponsor – Ralph Kundig (Magischer Ring Der Schweiz)

Quite an entertaining and deliberately silly act. The magician in top hat and tails changed a cane to a red silk and calls for his assistant who didn’t come for a while. When she did, the assistant was a man in drag with great legs who wanted nothing better than to change the magician’s old classical music to modern hip music she could enjoy dancing to. The assistant grabbed the magician’s hat and pulled props out of it, gave it back to the magician who put it on, water splashing on his head. The magician left the stage to clean up, the assistant changed the music and turned up the volume. The magician returned, changed the music back, the assistant falls over the ‘sword’ stand, took a sword and scratched her back with it. She was given money as a bribe to perform, so she went to get into an origami box, slipping on the stairs. She tried to elegantly get into the box but her foot crashed right through the base of the illusion and she broke the side of the box. The magician accidentally pulled off her wig and her dress came off as he pushed her down into the box, folded up the box to make a small one, pushed swords through the illusion, went to display the illusion but two of the legs broke off, embarrassing the magician because it exposed a photo of a naked girl. He pulled out the swords, lifted the small box to the floor and reconstructed it, covered it with a black cloth and the assistant appeared behind it but wouldn’t get out until the magician gave back her dress. They bow and go to leave the stage as one of the swords she was wielding broke and the hilt gets stuck between the her legs in a revealing display.


77 - Chad Findlay
General Magic
South Africa
Sponsor – Christine Tait (South African Magic Council)

The set was darkened to reveal a screen that projected images of South Africa. Beside it stood a large lamp stand, a lit candle, a table and a mirror. Chad entered the stage singing. The magic echoed the sentiments in the songs he sang. He pulled a scarf out of an empty bowler hat which he flung onto the screen. He produced another silk and passed it through the mirror, then did a floating lit candle zombie routine. He took the silk away from the candle, still floating. Then the candle vanished. He covered the table with a cloth and produced a bowl of blue water. Blue was echoed in the screen behind. He went over to the lamp shade and the light goes out, he took the globe and poured water from the globe into the bowl. He picked up a top hat and pulled streamers out of it, then produced a silk. The white scarf came into view on screen and he plucked it out of the screen. Unfortunately, some of Chad’s props failed to work.


78 - Alex Ryazanov
General Magic
Russian Federation
Sponsor – Vladamir Rudnev (Moskovskiy Klub Fukosnikov)

Alex was dressed in shiny black tails with bright red trousers, lapels and hat. His assistant was dressed in yellow and black tails. Together they performed a light and happy routine. He produced two lard fans of cards and performed a strange card manipulation until he showed the cards were strung together. They did a colour changing cane routine, the cane changed into two silk. The lady accidentally knocked him in his private parts, a red ball appeared in his mouth. The lady changed a silk to flowers, the magician pulled off the lady’s shirt (her coat was still on). Alex poured a dink for himself and his nose turned red like a clown, then pulled the lady’s tuxedo off, but she ended up in a dress doing elegant tango moves. Alex’s black jacket turned into a glittery red jacket. He pulled a silk from the lady, but accidentally pulled off her dress, she ran off stage. She ran back in a little tails jacket, threw a cape over his face briefly to reveal him in a monkey mask, he carried her off.


79
Keiko Muto
Manipulation
Japan
Sponsor – Junichiro Sejima (Society of Japanese Magicians)

Keiko dressed in an elegant black and purple Kimono style outfit. To upbeat music she produced a fan, vanished it to produce a bell, then two silks and three (real) fans. The music changed as she performed a ball manipulation routine. The balls turned into earrings. She produced another bell, a wand with which she did flip stick moves, very clean and sharp. She produced mini fans, then a larger fan, colour changing fans, more fan productions, ending in a snowstorm and confetti canon, then produced an umbrella as confetti fell. Keiko has competed with this act at FISM 2000 and 2003.


80 - Illusionista Pedro III
Stage Illusions
Spain
Sponsor – Francisco Duaso Val (Asociacion Magica Aragonesa)

This act began with a lady switching channels on the TV to the magic programme, showing the act was about to begin. The TV flickers and turns off, then the words “PedroIII” appeared on the screen. As this happened, PedroIII appeared from an illusion. He then built the next illusion in front of the audience. It was a frame with two sides to it with a very thin base. Pedro III sat on one side of the illusion as his assistants erected the panels around him. As his assistants constructed the other side of the illusion, Pedro III seemed to vanish from one side and appeared on the other before they finished covering him up. Then Pedro III was tied up and put into the TV set. A lady gets on top with a large cloth and they do sub trunk exchange with the clothed being whipped away from the middle by Pedro III. It looked very fast. At FISM 2003 these performers presented an act with a haunted mansion theme so this was quite different.

CLOSE UP COMPETITION

41 - Shawn Farquhar
Micro Magic
Canada
Sponsor – Joan Caesar (Association Canadienne De Magiciens)

Shawn returned with the act that won him equal 2nd Place in FISM 2003. Brightly attired with an equally bright personality Shawn hand a volunteer choose and sign a card which was replaced in the deck which then resealed itself in it’s case. Shawn opened the case to revealed the deck was inside in new deck order and the chosen signed card was in its correct position. He followed this with his very entertaining cups and balls routine. Great moves, well performed, with the killer ending where the cups turn out not to be cups at all, but solid blocks of steel.

42 - Alex Stone
Micro Magic
U.S.A.
Sponsor – Richard Dooley (Society of American Magicians)

Alex Stone entered and began talking about magic and science. He looked extremely nervous and then proceeded to do the worst sequence of jumbo coin manipulations I’ve ever seen. He was either nervous beyond belief of simply not competent, either way he was below FISM standard. He even dropped one coin and said “S#*t!” as he picked it up. He did a matrix with jumbo cards that showed no skill whatsoever, then asked Rich Bloch to name any card and, while Alex told us what was going to happen, he basically looked for the card and reversed it in the deck. He then spread the cards and showed Rich his card was the only one reversed in the spread. When he took the shuffled deck and proceeded to give them one more shuffle himself, below the level of the table, the audience was laughing so much in disbelief the judges pressed their buttons, the red light lit up, and he was asked to finish.

43 - Kiko
Card Magic
Spain
Sponsor – Josef Roma I & Sainz La Maza (Sociedad Espanola de Illusionismo)

Kiko began with music and quite an unusual way of finding the aces. He spread the cards and blew on the deck, blowing the aces out of the spread. It was a little clumsy but very original and the audience definitely liked it. Next he had a volunteer choose a card (AS) and he found all of the spades one by one and laid them on the table. Next he changed the AS into the AH and then revealed that the cards on the table were no longer spades, but now all of the hearts. He had the four aces signed and proceeded to do a matrix type effect with the aces under a sheer cloth on the close up pad. Visually it was very effective as the aces seemed to simply vanish as he turned them over, but the method seemed to be quite obvious to a lot of people. Regardless, the audience loved him.

44 - Simo Aalto
Micro Magic
Finland
Sponsor – Robert Jagerhorn (Finnish Magic Circle)

Simo has almost been a fixture at FISM with his bell act which got him an equal 3rd Place in 1991, 2nd Place in 1997, and 1st Place in 2000. This time he presented cards and coins. He began by tilting his table forward so we could see and he did some very clean vanishes of a card using quite an innovative method. He manipulated coins, which got bigger, and he performed matrix, which he repeated with jumbo coins and cards. (It really is the year of the matrix!) He concluded with a production of giant coins.

45 - Joker Magic
Inventions
Hungary
Sponsor – Molnar Gergely (Budapest Magic Club)

This man presented his inventions to music and began by making a finger ring appear on a tray behind a large silk scarf. He took the ring and placed it on his finger, then proceeded to move it from finger to finger without taking it off. He showed a deck of cards which instantly became two decks, then took the cards out of a case and cut them to reveal a matchbox. Inside the matchbox was the ring and he proceeded to vanish the ring and cause it to reappear inside the case in several different ways. Finally he put all of his props on the tray, held up the large scarf and when he pulled it away they’d all vanished from the tray.

46 - VIP Magic (Emiel Lensen, Rob Mollien)
Card Magic
Netherlands
Sponsor – Ronald Moray (Nederlands Magische Unie)

Performed entirely to music this act was a mini-play as a smartly dressed gent sat down at the table and began reading a newspaper. He was joined by tough looking street guy who sat down, took out some cards and began flourishing them. From here they went into a duel of flourishes, cuts and ace revelations, each one trying to top the other. It was very well rehearsed and though there were a few fumbles they proved to be well prepared (one ace was dropped and immediately the performer pulled a spare out of his pocket).

47 - Martin Eisele
Micro Magic
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)

A voice over welcomed us to the children’s TV show ‘The little orange mouse and the blue elephant’ and introduced the guest performer ‘Martin the Magician’. Martin nervously entered carrying his close up pad and did some great comedy interaction with the voice over. He attempted to do his “four coin trick” but five coins kept appearing. He tipped the coins out of a glass and they became cards with which he performed matrix. The cards grew and he repeated matrix with the cartoon sound effects of the mouse and the elephant and, after the coins grew too, he did it one more time in fast forward. He finished by performing the most unbelievable matrix with dice. The cards were leaning against the dice so we couldn’t see them, yet when he lifted the cards the dice had vanished. Finally, with the cards flat on the table, the dice reappeared under each card. We saw the cards tilt up onto their edges by themselves and when he lifted to cards there they were! As he left he took his close up pad revealing stuffed toy versions of the little orange mouse and the blue elephant. Very funny presentation, great character work and a lot of skill and innovation. Martin received a partial standing ovation.

48 - Etienne Pradier
Card Magic
France
Sponsor – Guy Lamelot (Federation Francaise Des Artistes Prestidigitateurs)
Unfortunately Etienne was disqualified because he did not turn up. This was a pity as he did well at FISM 2000 and took 3rd Place in Card Magic in 2003.

49 - Rick Merrill
Card Magic
U.S.A.
Sponsor – Dale Hindman (Academy of Magical Arts)

Rick Merrill walked out carrying a pencil and began getting laughs before he even spoke. He plays a nerdish character who was “home schooled” and as he delivers a brilliantly scripted comedy routine he performs the most visual sleight of hand you’ve ever seen. He started by producing three coins, changing them into Chinese coins, then repeating the whole thing with jumbo coins. The coins seemed to appear and vanish at his fingertips effortlessly. He then went through a series of manipulations with a coin and a Sharpie that really has to be seen to be disbelieved. Finally, Rick whipped the audience into a frenzy with his “Sharpie impressions” (Penn, Teller, Uri Geller, Jeff McBride, Doug Henning and Shimada) and received a partial standing ovation.

50 - Jon Armstrong
Card Magic
U.S.A.
Sponsor – Dale Hindman (Academy of Magical Arts)
Jon began by having Rich Bloch and his wife both choose the same card as he riffled through the deck. Next he had Rich wrap a rubberband around the deck and Jon asked them both to choose a card as he riffled and looked away. He stuck a card to his forehead (2S) but it wasn’t either of the chosen cards (AS & 7D). In what appeared to be a very fast thinking “out”, Jon took his wallet from his jacket and inside were the two chosen cards. Quickly running out of time Jon had the deck shuffled and asked a lady for he phone number and then dealt it out, producing one card for each number, onto the table. Unfortunately Jon ran out of time and was disqualified.

51 - Hayashi
Micro Magic
Germany
Sponsor – Wolfgang Sommer (Magischer Zirkel Von Deutschland)

Hayashi entered into a long black leather jacket and sunglasses to music welcoming us to the matrix. He performed some effective coin manipulations climaxing with jumbo coins then went into a matrix routine. As a twist four more coins appeared, then another four. He presented several unusual variations of matrix including a very well received one-handed version. At the end he produced four more jumbo coins and then gave a brief demonstration of martial arts moved as he left.

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Stevie Starr followed the close up comp and word must have spread as his show was packed out. After his success what will they have at the next FISM? Mr Methane? Puppetry of the Penis?

Our group got to see the Stage Gala Show while others headed off for a serve of the Close Up Gala. We were really hoping the show would be a winner because FISM needs a real boost right now... and that's exactly what we got!

Frank Wilson provided music, energy and fun before the show (and during it too!) and Helge Thun as compere was superb. He opened the show assisted by Flicking Fingers and Friends by giving an hilarious pre-show safety demonstration before kicking it off with Jeff McBride (starting the show with Jeff? A bold move but it worked).

Jeff presented a selection of his favourites including his mask routine, lights and fans, the bowls of water and his astounding card manipulations.

Following Jeff Helge performed the sliding die box. Not only did he perform it, he sang the die box song too! I'd love to tell you about it, but it's one of those acts you really have to see for yourself.

Marc Metral was next and almost stole the show with his ventriloquism. His act was supremely polished with a crazy lion puppet, two dodos, a talking dog, and four volunteers from the audience who became dummies and sang 'Singing In The Rain' with him. I say he almost stole the show because the audience was on the verge of giving him a standing ovation when he asked if they'd like to see one more. He created a rabbit puppet with a napkin which was very sentimental and cute, but changed the mood and resulted in a long and strong round of applause rather than a standing o.

Vik and Fabrini did their now legendary robot act. It was their first time at a FISM since winning first place in General Magic in 1988 (and they've been working non-stop ever since) and it was great to see the act live.

Mark Karvo closed the show with an absolutely classical bird act, very reminiscent of Channing Pollock, refined, dignified, powerful... just like you'd imagine a "real magician" would be. His final effect, producing a huge parrot that flew twice around the auditorium, got a big standing ovation.
After interval Helge performed a sketch with Topas which began as two duelling card magicians, then got very poignant as the two magicians began to teach each other, then became a pretty blatant statement of what magicians really do when they get together... again, you should have been there but it was a superb example of theatre and magic woven together with real thought, intelligence, and intent.

Jerome Murat was next with a beautifully artistic piece where he was a living statue with a floating head... that really doesn't come anywhere close to describing the act.

The Evansons performed their two person telepathy and it truly appeared to be real mindreading. Tessa told people phone numbers from their mobile phones, their middle names, the serial numbers on bills, and even the names of people in other people's photographs.

Anthony Gatto stole the show (the juggler always does!) with his Las Vegas act which included juggling nine clubs. He truly brought the house down and, as Helge described him, he truly is a juggling machine.

Helge, assisted by Topas, presented his homage to an illusion performed by The Napoleon's at FISM 1991 (I remember it too!). Topas managed to magical vanish from one cardboard box and reappear in another. However, Helge has taken the gag further and proceeded to do a backstage version of it which ended with the surprise appearance of Anthony Gatto in one of the boxes.

The final act was Peter Marvey with his unique illusions. The last time I saw Peter performing illusions was FISM 1997 and he was sensational. Now he seems to have become more 'Vegas' with flashy dancing girls and special effects. Personally, I preferred his old style. He did a boxless 'Interlude' and followed it up by emerging out of his own body... not as amazing as it sounds. Next he did his flying illusion which results in him visibly shrinking then growing again in full view. Again, I preferred the way he used to do it, this version seemed way too much of a production. He also did a weird igloo levitation that was hard to see because of way too much fog, and he did a flaming spiker of death which concluded with the production of three girls.

He was the right act to end the show because of the scale of his props, but he was also the act that received the weakest audience response.

Regardless, it was a sensational show.