MAGIC
The Art of Making Things Disappear Is Now Disappearing
By Joseph Samuel
MAGIC! The word itself evokes feelings. Amazing … mysterious … spectacular … fantastic … wonderment … and of course “how do you do that?”
When I was about 8 years old, my parents took me to Fords Theater in Baltimore to see my first magic show. The magician was Harry Blackstone, Sr. I can still remember how amazing it was to see him make a woman disappear, then reappear. Then I watched him saw a woman and half. I found myself asking “how will you put her back together?”
Since that day so long ago, I have had the privilege of seeing many talented magicians. In addition to Harry Blackstone Sr., I have seen or met prestidigitators such as Dae Vernon, David Copperfield, Jay Marshall, Mark Wilson, Tony Slydini, Harry Blackstone Jr., and Sigfried and Roy. If you have ever seen a great magic show, you will understand how remarkable this art can be.
Magic has experienced it’s “up and downs”. In the early 1900’s, Magicians such as Howard Thurston packed “the house”.
Close-up magicians like Jean Huggard and Fred Braue astonished people with their close up card magic (and together they later wrote the “Royal Road to Card Magic”). And of course there was Harry Houdini, the most famous magician of all; thrilling the public with his “death defying” escapes.
After the depression we saw a resurgence in magic. In the 40s and 50s magicians such as Dante, Ed Marlo, Joseph Dunninger, Derek Dingle, snd Mandrake the Magician. Harry Blackstone Sr., would arrive in town with boxcars full of equipment.
Magic again dwindled until the late 1960’s. Performers like Doug Henning, who assured in a new “Golden Age” of magic, were on the stage. Other magicians such as David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone Jr., David Blaine, and Chris Angel made their appearances known. The Magic Castle opened in 1968.
Today, this art is slowly disappearing. The longest continued running magic show “Le grand David” closed their doors in 2012. This company of magicians had performed in the Beverly, Mass. area for 35 years. Now it is no more, and the Cabot Street theater is also closed.
If you want to see a great magic show nowadays, you must travel to where the shows are ... and Las Vegas offers more than anywhere else.
You can see David Copperfield performing at the MGM Grand, or Jan Rouvin at the Riviera. Chris Angel is also doing his show at the Luxor.
There are shows in New York City, such as Steve Cohens Chamber Magic and a Taste of Magic. In Chicago, the Magic Parlour would be a place to visit, If your travels take you to the Netherlands you would definitely want to see the magician Hans Klok.
One of the best places to see a variety of magic is the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. However, you need to be a member or a guest of a member. If you know someone who is a member, you can ask them to provide you with a guest card. If you have any interest in seeing excellent performances of magic … both stage and close-up magic … this should be on your list of prices to visit.
You may also find a magic shop near you where magicians will perform an illusion for you that you may be interested in purchasing. Magic shops such as Magic Inc. in Chicago, Tannan’s Magic in New York City, Daytona Magic in Daytona, FL. Hanes House of Cards in Cincinnati, OH or the Magic Warehouse in Owings Mills, MD are a few of the remaining great magic stores to visit.
If you want to see magic today, you will need to go to where it is. That art form which has amazed … entertained … and astonished audiences of ALL ages will most likely not be coming to a place near you.
I believe it was Jean Huggard who quoted “Magic is misdirection and misdirection is magic”
Are we being “misdirected” from the magic of magic by the new technologies? Will this this special form of entertainment also disappear?
