* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #171 Date: Sunday 27th April 2003 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message 2. Paul Daniel's Master Class - Shear Magic - Peter Reveen 3. Lee Jacobs Passed Away Peacefully 4. The Netcheporenkos Are Coming! 5. Upcoming Vegas Show And New England Appearance 6. Bev Bergeron To Ireland 7. Magic Castle Award 2003 Nominees 8. Paul Romhany Upcoming Gigs 9. Abb Dickson Receives The Magic Circle’s Highest Membership Degree 10. Report From Sweden 11. Wanting To Purchase The Following Books 12. Magicians, Clowns And Twisters University 13. A Creative Magic Day - Tony Griffith 14. Tom Craven Lecture Tour 15. Free Magic To Professionals 16. Bill Fackler Passed Away 17. Asian Magic Association 18. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga - Vol. Two - The Australian Years Magic New Zealand 19. e-zine archives 20. Subscription Management ------------------------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One I heartily agree with Peter Reveen’s comments about Paul Daniels Masterclass lectures - see item 2. ---------------------------------- Bill and Mandy Reid (Napier, New Zealand) have set up a web page with photos of their new son Liam. Go to: www.godcentric.com/babies/liam/ ----------------------------------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ---------------------------------- 2. Paul Daniel's Master Class - Shear Magic - Peter Reveen ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Reveen (US) I had the privilege of attending Paul Daniel's Master Class in Las Vegas yesterday. In my opinion, it was the greatest sharing of a true professional's secrets of success, that any serious student or practitioner of the magical arts could ever hope to receive at any price. Solid gold all the way. All shared by one the most respected names and talents of the professional Theatre world. He did not duck or dodge any question fired at him by some of the biggest names of magic, in the Las Vegas scene. All of this given at a tuition price which was considerably less than most of us have paid for a useless piece of junk that we have kept hidden in a cupboard somewhere gathering dust. Bravo. ------------------------------------ 3. Lee Jacobs Passed Away Peacefully ------------------------------------- Message from Ramona Compton (Mrs. Lee Jacobs) This edition of Lee's Enews is a tribute to Lee Jacobs, who passed away peacefully at his home on Good Friday after a six month battle with a malignant brain tumor. Lee had a love of magic for most of his life. He gave his first magic performance at the age of 12 and I had the pleasure of being in the audience of family and friends gathered in his living room. (I married the boy next door--some of you may have seen the pictures of our 'first' wedding.) Taking time out to study his way through the doctoral program in English at Ohio University, and then to teach there, Lee never gave up magic. He even performed on stage at Ohio University while a student there. His path eventually led him to New York where he became friends with the great Henny Youngman and remained friends with him until Henny's death. Lee returned to his roots in Pomeroy to help his ailing mother and that is when he began publishing books for magicians and mentalists, combining his love of magic and his knowledge of English. Lee became fascinated with the beautiful posters of the early magicians and began collecting them. He realized that the posters were becoming so expensive that most people could not afford them and would never be able to enjoy their beauty. This realization gave birth to the idea of reproducing posters and he proceeded to reproduce the first magic poster-- Houdini's KING OF CARDS. This idea did not catch on at first, but eventually reproductions became quite popular. This may have been Lee's greatest contribution to the field of magic. And he had always wanted to be remembered for this contribution. Lee could be a little abrasive at times, but I have also seen a very soft side of him when he had helped people, especially the young and the very old, to acquire something they were wanting. He was one of the most honest, and stubborn, people that I have ever known and I have the greatest respect for him in building a successful international business from scratch. He will be missed by many people in the magic community. His business will continue to operate as usual at this time (with the exception that I do not have his extensive knowledge of magic and will be a bit slower and unable to answer many questions). My wish is that someone interested in magic would like to buy his business. If you are that someone, please contact me. Ramona Compton (Mrs. Lee Jacobs) ---------------------------------- 4. The Netcheporenkos Are Coming! ---------------------------------- Message from Jack Greenberg Past International President, I.B.M. The I.B.M. is very fortunate to have booked Russia’s Ivan Netcheporenko to perform at this year’s International Convention in Kansas City. I saw the act in China two years ago, and was highly impressed with its energy, originality, magical content, skill level, and “Eastern” charm. It’s quite clear that the FISM award was well earned here. At a more personal level, I found that the Netcheporenkos are most enjoyable people to be with; and if viewing talent were the only good reason to attend a convention ( -- it isn’t for me), I’d attend just to see this act. Of course, it’s nice to be able to note that this Convention is always much more than a series of great shows. It ’s a complete magical experience for the professional, for the amateur, and the entire magical family. It’s what the I.B.M. does best. If you can, come and be with us in Kansas City. We will have another great I.B.M. Convention. ---------------------------------- 5. Upcoming Vegas Show And New England Appearance ---------------------------------- Message from Steve Dacri (US) Hello from the road: I thought you would like to know about my new show that will be coming to Vegas... Also, if you are in New England, try to catch my one night of close-up magic when I will be testing out new material for my upcoming Vegas engagement. The shows will be presented at Chen Du, located on Route 9 West, in Westboro, MA for one night only, Saturday, May 3, 2003. Show times are 7, 8 and 10 pm and seating is limited. Tickets are $20.00 for general admission seating. A limited number of VIP seats are available for each show, priced at $25.00 each. Advance tickets available at Cheng Du, call 508-366-7489 for reservations. See you there! May 3rd, Cheng Du, Westboro... ------------------------- AN ALL NEW MAGIC SHOW CONCEPT ARRIVES IN LAS VEGAS ON AUGUST 4th Xtreme CloseUp Magic Starring Steve Dacri AT THE ORLEANS HOTEL & CASINO "Xtreme CloseUp Magic" is coming to Las Vegas. A refreshing,, new show for all ages that features in your face, under your nose, sleight of hand magic in an intimate setting, performed by the shows star, world-class sleight of hand performer and Vegas regular, Steve Dacri, known worldwide as the man with the fastest hands in the world. The magic happens up close, often at a table among the audience, as a roving camera lady follows Steve's every move which is beamed onto 17 TV screens for all to see. An International stage and television performer with a unique, comic style, Steve has been appearing in Las Vegas since the early 70's, first opening for Tom Jones, Bob Hope, Tony Orlando and others, and most recently starred for six years at Caesars Magical Empire at Caesars Palace. Considered to be the foremost sleight of hand entertainer by his peers, Steve Dacri's uncanny magic defies belief, and has earned him numerous awards and accolades worldwide. In 2002, Steve was awarded the highest honors ever bestowed in magic (Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star) by The Magic Circle in London, He has demonstrated his skills on the Tonight Show, Merv Griffin, Live with Regis Philbin, and hundreds of other television appearances during his 30-plus year career. He has written two best-selling books for magicians, starred in three critically acclaimed instructional video tapes, and lectured to magicians groups in over a dozen countries. Las Vegas' only close-up magic show, "Xtreme Close-Up Magic" is magic like you've never seen it performed, in a special setting that allows intimate viewing of the mind-blowing magic for a limited number of audience members. Full of laughs, surprises, audience participation and fun for ages 8 to 98, "Xtreme Close-Up" is presented in Brendan's Pub at the Orleans Hotel & Casino from August 4 - 29, 2003. Show times are 3:00 pm daily, Monday through Friday. Tickets are $24.95 and include 2 free drinks. A limited number of VIP seats are available for each show, priced at $29.95 include 2 free drinks. ---------------------------------- 6. Bev Bergeron To Ireland ---------------------------------- Message from Bev Bergeron (US) Will be in Limerick for the IBM Ring 85 53rd Annual Convention on May 2,3 & 4. Will lecture and perform at the event. After the conclave will visit the countryside from Killarny, Cork, Lawless, to Dublin. Hope to see and visit with magicians. ---------------------------------- 7. Magic Castle Award 2003 Nominees ---------------------------------- Message from Milt Larsen (US) Lecturer Jay Scott Berry Doc Eason Paul Green Shoot Ogawa Danny Sylvester Parlour Dana Daniels Andrew Goldenhersh Handsome Jack Whit Haydn Sylvester the Jester Close-up Aldo Colombini Doc Eason Andrew Goldenhersh Whit Haydn Shoot Ogawa Stage Mike Caveney Juliana Chen Aldo Colombini Dana Daniels James Dimmare Congratulations Each of the following performers has been nominated by Academy of Magical Arts magician members for a Magic Castle award. There are just five nominees in each category, making it a true honor to be among those listed. The awards will be presented when the winners are announced on May 6th, 2003 at a special dinner to be held at the Magic Castle. A great big CONGRATULATIONS to ALL. Good luck! ---------------------------------- 8. Paul Romhany Upcoming Gigs ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) On Saturday 27th April fly to Sydney to take out a new ship, the new Pacific Princess with an itinerary as follows: Auckland on the 1st May then Suva, Apia, Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea, Papeete, then heading up to Hawaii then Los Angeles. This will take us until 27th May. Then I will be cruising Alaska including the following ports:- San Francisco, Victoria, B.C, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau back down to San Francisco. This is an 11 day cruise. ----------------------------------  9. Abb Dickson Receives The Magic Circle’s Highest Membership Degree ---------------------------------- Message from Abb Dickson (US) Abb Dickson, International President of the World Alliance of Magicians and Past International President of the International Brotherhood has achieved another magical honor from the Magic Circle in London, England. “I am delighted to tell you that at the last Council meeting you were unanimously elected to Membership of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star. I was very pleased to recommend you for this elevation to the highest degree of the Society in recognition of your outstanding performing ability as a professional magician over many years and for all you have done to protect the Art of Magic through W.A.M. (The World Alliance of Magicians.) Please accept my personal congratulations on your well-deserved promotion.” – Michael Bailey, President of the Magic Circle Abb also is a Lifetime Member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, The Society of American Magicians, and a member of The Secret Six. ---------------------------------- 10. Report From Sweden ---------------------------------- Message from Curth Ekgren (Sweden) Latest news from the land of the midnight sun 28-30 March there was a Nordic conference in Oslo, Norway. 260 magicians and a few magiciennes had gathered to compete, spend time with each other, and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Norwegian Magic Circle. The competitions were lengthy with 36 registered acts. We haven't seen so many competitors in many years. Among the competitors in stage magic there were two women magicians: Malin Nilsson from Sweden and Kristine Hjulstad from Norway. When the competitions were closed and the protocols added, it turned out that the two ladies had seized the top positions. Five points separated the two. In first place, winning the Grand Prix, was Malin Nilsson from Sweden. In second place was Kristine Hjulstad from Norway. In addition to the trophy, the winner received one week's paid engagement at the Magic Castle in the US, including free travel and 5000 NKr of pocket money! The winner of the close-up competition was, not unexpectedly, Tom Stone, who in addition to his trophy received an engagement at the Magic Day in London. Both Malin and Tom are professional artists. They are also a couple! Additionally there were three shows: 1. Roberto Sweden, Simo Aalto Finland, Heinz Saxburger Denmark, and Ray Speedy Norway. 2. David Ginn USA, Sine (ventriloquism) Denmark, Paul Gertner USA, Kenny Quinn (manipulations) Denmark, and Peter Moretti Germany. 3. Herman Bertelsen Norway, Davido Norway, Kenny Quinn (pickpocket) Denmark, Roy Bjerke Norway, Paul Gertner USA, Peter Moretti Germany, Rosseau England, Erling Solland Norway, and Scott the Magician & Miss Muriel. A tip for conference organizers: Book Malin Nilsson and Tom Stone. And, in particular, I can recommend Kenny Quinn who also performs Viggo Jahn's famous manipulation act. ---------------------------------- 11. Wanting To Purchase The Following Books ---------------------------------- Message from Sefton Pryce (NZ) I would like to know is whether anybody is willing to sell the following books: Goldston, Will - Stage Illusion Will Goldston's Exclusive Magical Secrets Will Goldston's More Exclusive Magical Secrets Will Goldston's Further Exclusive Magical Secrets Adair's Encyclopaedia of Dove Magic volumes 1-4 e-mail spryce@xtra.co.nz ---------------------------------- 12. Magicians, Clowns And Twisters University ---------------------------------- Message from Tony Griffith (UK) MCATU stands for Magicians, Clowns and Twisters University - will be hosting a 3 day entertainment experience July 25, 26, and 27th 2003 at the Boston Marriott Hotel, Burlington Massachusetts. You will be allowed to mix and match lectures for three days - Featured is Kohl & Co, Ralph Dewey, George Saterial, Gary the Silent Clown, BJ Hickman, Royal Sorell, Steve Thomas, Bob "BB" Widdop, Donna Marie, Todd Neufeld, Sandy Snay and More. Check the web sight www.mcatu.com ---------------------------------- 13. A Creative Magic Day - Tony Griffith ---------------------------------- Message from Tony Griffith (UK) Tony Griffith will be hosting a CREATIVE MAGIC day long event at his home in Bristol, (UK) on Sunday 6th July 2003 The day will take the form of a LECTURE/TEACH - IN and will last from 11a.m. until 4.30 p.m. The cost is £35 (£25 if booked before 31st May), and includes Morning Coffee, Buffet Lunch and a Light Tea. Tony Griffith has considerable experience in the world of magic, having presented his commercial magic at a variety of engagements both in the UK and overseas. Tony has given 108 performances at the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, and is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle The material presented in this Lecture/Teach-In places emphasis upon sublety, routining and entertainment. Areas covered include Close Up Magic, After Dinner Speaking, Trade Shows, Promotion, Publicity and Organisation. SEATING IS VERY LIMITED Contact Tony for further details: E Mail tony@tonygriffith.co.uk His Web address is www.tonygriffith.co.uk ---------------------------------- 14. Tom Craven Lecture Tour ---------------------------------- Message from Tom Craven (US) My September lecture tour is finally all set and confirmed with the exception of one stop. It looks as follows: Sept. 11- Kansas City, Missouri Sept. 12 - Joplin, Missouri Sept. 13 - visit with my brother in Arkansas Sept. 14 - Ft. Smith Arkansas Sept. 15 - Searcy, Arkansas Sept. 16 - Memphis, Tennessee Sept. 17 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sept. 18 - Houston, Texas Sept. 19 - San Antonio, Texas Sept 20 - Ft. Worth, Texas Sept. 21 - Dallas, Texas Sept. 22 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sept. 23 - Tulsa, Oklahoma Sept. 24 - 27 Visit with brother in Arkansas Sept. 28 - Columbia, Missouri Sept. 29 - St. Louis, Missouri (still pending confirmation) We're making a nice giant circular loop which will take us to meet a lot of old friends again. If anyone reading this is in any of the mentioned areas, I'd love to meet you as well! ---------------------------------- 15. Free Magic To Professionals ---------------------------------- Message from Bruce Munton (UK) I am clearing out my cupboards and would like to give some stuff away. To give away free, preferably to a professional / working magician: Various magic props (roll-on table, plus some party packet give-aways, and also a few utility props, Run Rabbit Run, breakaway wand, some packet tricks etc etc. Plus a few close-up books, and some videos and a few other stolen goods to get rid of. Anyone interested please contact: Bruce Munton magic@brucemunton.com www.brucemunton.com (Based in London, England) ---------------------------------- 16. Bill Fackler Passed Away ---------------------------------- Message from Barbara Fackler Bill Fackler Passed away last night after he returned from his trip to Spain. ---------------------------------- 17. Asian Magic Association ---------------------------------- Message from Albert Tam (Hong Kong) Asian Magic Association was established in 28th April, 2003 in Hong Kong during the Hong Kong 2003 International Magic Convention. A press conference was hosted in the morning of 28th April for the establishment. The delegates of the founder members made a join announcement by 5 official languages in the establishment ceremony. The Association aims in promote and elevate the Art of Magic in Asia., and unify the organizations of magic in Asia zone. It is also planning to organize The Asian Magic Convention which like the FISM but only for Asia area. The Association was found by 6 Asian magic societies included Hong Kong Magicians' Association, Taiwan Black Hat Magic Club, China Cuang Dong Acrobatic Artists Association, Siam Magic Club of Thailand, Inner Magic Club of Philippines and Korea Alexander Magic Family, the Presidents of the societies are now the board directors and Mr. Ton Onosaka is invited to be the consultant. The membership of the Association is any good standing magic societies which represent a city in Asia zone, enquires contact the General Secretary Mr. Albert Tam in email mrmagicalbert@yours.com. ------------------------------ 18. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga - Vol. Two - The Australian Years ---------------------------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page – 4 The outcome of Bill Godfrey’s enthusiastic ‘get up and go’, together his wide ranging membership into scores of clubs, and Clive Herring’ s initiative in arranging Brian Fogarty to view our act, was that by September 6th, Monday afternoon, following a protracted meeting with Brian at his office in Milsons Point, North Sydney (which is across and almost under the famous Sydney harbour bridge), we were under exclusive management with our first Australian agent. Not bad, considering we had arrived in the country totally unknown only 36 days earlier. Without doubt, our coming to Australia, and choosing to make it our new home was a wise decision - and it wasn’t too far from N.Z., around three and a half hours flying time - things were starting to look up. Within two weeks – Sat. 18th of Sept, Brian had arranged our first job through his agency, at the ‘Catellezian Club’, which was on Anzac Parade, Kingsford, doing two spots, followed by the ‘Chesterhill’ RSL on the Sunday. All artists were required by most of the clubs to work two spots, except the main attraction, who would do at least an hour’s show on their own; I did the 20min. Sleight of Hand magic act in the first half of the concert, and performed our 22min. ‘Master of the Mystique’ act for the second, which was the: Fire-eating, Bed of Nails, Sword-Swallowing and Psychic Surgery (‘String Thing’) routine. Sunday the 26th, we were back at the ‘Wenty’ for Clive, but booked this time through Brian, consequently having to give him his 10% of our fee. Couldn’t really moan, if it wasn’t for Clive and Brian, we would have still been struggling to get onto the lucrative club circuit. Our next booking was a beaut. From Wed.29th to Sun.10th Oct - two weeks at the ‘Marrickville’ RSL doing just the one spot each night - the Fakir act, which made life just a little bit easier, and our fee remained the same as for two spots. Not only that, but on the Thursday (the 30th), Brian had got us onto the No.1 Daytime Television Variety show in the country – The MIKE WALSH SHOW which was broadcast from Ch.10 daily on a Nationwide live hook-up! You really have ‘cracked it’, to appear on his show! What a feather in our cap that was! There were literally hundreds of artists who had been working the Australian /Sydney circuit for many years, who would have given their right arm to appear on ‘The Mike Walsh Show’! All that publicity, and as a bonus, you got well paid into the bargain! No doubt about it, in a very short space of time we had – ‘ARRIVED’! Almost all of the club shows featured: a Comedian, who normally doubled as the compere and linked all the acts together; Two ‘Sight’ /Speciality acts, Two or Three Singers – male and female, and the ‘Main Draw’, who could be a ‘Big Name’ Australian singer or TV Star, or a Top Line overseas act who would be in Australia for a season; English singers and TV Stars, and many American artists. Also in the line-up was: ‘The Ballet’, a troupe of long legged, attractive dancers. Each week, they had new, stunning costumes, and rehearsed different and imaginative dance routines that had been devised by a choreographer, who quite often was the leader of the troupe. They would open the show, getting it off to a cracking start, and also opened the second half after the interval, with a totally different costumes and dance routine. They sure worked hard – very few appreciated just how much effort, sweat or the hours those girls poured into their dancing rehearsals, but they were sure delighted with the results! Many of the comedians on the club circuit were English. They had left for Australia during the early Fifties, when the country was trying to get more skilled workers and build up its labour force. They were, and still are, called ‘Ten Pound Poms’, because they immigrated to Aussie by ship for ten lousy pounds and started a new life. In case you didn’t know, ‘Pom’ or ‘Pommie’ is slang for an Englishman, or woman, ‘Down Under’! All the clubs had light and sound systems, with operators for both, and all clubs had a Live Band - Professional Musicians who could read music. Depending on the size of the club (some where absolutely massive), the line-up/instruments would include – well, here are three examples from the ‘ENCORE SHOWCAST VARIETY DIRECTORY’ - Edition No.18, 1979. ‘The Fairfield RSA’, Manager R. W. Vesperman, Agent: Lou Menser, Bandleader: Ed Bird, Instruments: Piano, Bass, Drums, Sax, Trumpet, or on Sat. Trombone - Sun. Guitar. ‘The Mt. Prichard Community Club’, Manager: M.P. Dubois, Social Sec: Clive Edwards, Agent: Ross Roland, Bandleader: Norm Faber, Instruments: Piano, Bass, Drums, Guitar, Teno/Alto Flute, Trumpet, Trombone. ‘The Tweed Heads Bowls Club’, Manager: Robert Watts, Agent: Ron Kitchin Enterprises, Bandleader: Ted Preston, Instruments: Organ, Piano, Drums, Saxophone, Bass, Guitar, Trumpet. Music-wise the entertainers, particularly singers, were well catered for. ------------------------------------- 20. Magic New Zealand e-zine archives ------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. ------------------------------------- Subscription Management ------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Magic New Zealand e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of Magic New Zealand. Neither Magic New Zealand or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand e-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree that they will not hold Magic New Zealand and/or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to Magic New Zealand for potential publication. Magic New Zealand welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand are fully protected by international copyright as provided by law, and articles cannot be published for profit by anyone other than the individual author without the written permission of Magic New Zealand. >>This publication may be freely redistributed (but not sold) to other magicians if copied in its ENTIRETY including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer.<< © Copyright 2003 Alan Watson