magic is about honesty
everything here is true
except for the bits I made up
This weekend I appeared alongside Mark Clearview and The Sentimentalists (Mysterion & Steffi Kay) in a wonderful live comedy magic show hosted by Ben Train.
Ben shared his magical origin story. The Sentimentalists invaded the dreams of an unsuspecting audience member and Mark managed to complete one trick in twenty nine minutes. Thank you to everyone who came out to share some live magic and great laughs.
Here are some pictures from the evening courtesy of Max Minuzzo.
Ben Train
Ben Train
James Alan
James Alan
James Alan
Steffi Kay
The Sentimentalists
The Sentimentalists
Mark Clearview
Mark Clearview
Mark Clearview, Mysterion, Steffi Kay, James Alan, Ben Train
I was recently honoured to be invited to write the cover story for the February issue of Vanish Magazine.
It’s a profile of two Toronto based performers and friends The Sentimentalists. They began performing together in 2015. I actually have photos from one of their earliest performances on my old show Magic Tonight which ran from 2013-2016 in Toronto. The pair is made up of Steffi Kay and Mysterion the Mindreader.
ca. 2016 - Photo by Ahmed Alexander
Recently they’ve been taking the world by storm with appearances on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and America’s Got Talent and at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. The article talks about how they met and began performing together and how they became a magical odd couple.
Vanish Magazine is a free electronic publication with tens of thousands of subscribers. The full issue is available online, with the article beginning on page 8.
It is the worst possible scenario for a variety performer. You arrive in another city to perform, but your props and equipment do not. (Thank you Airlines.) It’s a situation no one would want to be in, but we’re inflicting it on ourselves in Cheap Tricks. We tried this earlier in 2017 and are at it again, putting performers in awkward and unpleasant situations for your entertainment pleasure.
All participants are given a small budget, location to buy what they can find, and have to come with 10 mins of amazing material on the fly for the audience.
Featuring John Roldan, Poppa, Jimbo, Beyond Mental Borders, Jonah Babins, The Wanderer, Jacque Swan, James Harrison, Shamus MacGregor and some guy named James Alan. Judged by Ben Train, Steffi Kay & Chris Westfall (the returning champion from the first Cheap Tricks in 2017.) With a performance by The Sentimentalists.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
8:30 PM
Revival
783 College Street, Toronto
We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a very unusual night.
A last-minute public appearance. I’ll be appearing on The Art of Magic along with Ben Train, Jonah Babins and The Sentamentalists. This is the fifth show in the series and all of the previous shows have sold out. So if you’re in Toronto, please join us for a night of magic & mindreading.
This weekend's Magic & Martini is sold out. But I'll be appearing on this month's Tricks In The Six, put on by the Toronto Magic Company. Tickets are now available for Thursday, July 27th at 8PM at the Paintbox Bistro (555 Dundas Street East.)
I'll be joined by their founder, Ben Train, and a mind reading duo, The Sentimentalists.
From the Toronto Magic Company:
"Tricks in the Six; featuring The Sentimentalists, James Alan, and host Ben Train
Toronto’s Premier Variety is back with a BRAND NEW show!
Tricks in the Six is Toronto’s premier magic variety show, featuring incredible magicians from around the world, mind-blowing illusions, and non-stop laughs in the intimate and beautiful Paintbox Theater. Every show is different, so this is your ONLY chance to see this lineup of amazing talent.
This month’s headliners, fresh back from The Magic Castle in LA, are The Sentimentalists; two real life clairvoyants. Is it a trick or do they have real powers? The only way to find out is to experience it yourself!
Opening is the star of the sold out show Magic and Martinis, James Alan. With his sophisticated and classical style of magic James will transport you back to the 1950s and then back to the 21st century with his modern twists. You’ll see it but you still won’t believe it.
And of course Ben Train, founder of The Toronto Magic Company, will be hosting the show. Using psychology, influence, and good old-fashioned sleight of hand Ben will read your mind, predict the future, and make you question your every thought. Are you brave enough to let him try?
This is a once in a lifetime combination of incredible entertainers. Seats will sell out fast so act quickly so you don’t miss out (and to take advantage of our awesome early bird special)!
Be sure to grab your tickets before they disappear!"
Tickets are $25 but you can get discounted early-bird tickets if you order before July 20.
It's been a while since I've posted one of these compilations. Most people don't realize how difficult it is to take photos of live performance. There is no chance to go back and try it again, the moments are gone forever. But what that also means is that sometimes the moments you capture are truly strange. So take a look at some of the funny faces performers made so far this year on Magic Tonight. Enjoy the lovely faces of Glenn Ottaway, Ben Train, David Merry, The Sentimentalists (Mysterion & Steffi Kay) and me:
Magic Tonight continues Sunday nights in Downtown Toronto at the Crimson Lounge. Readers of this blog can use the code reality for a discount on the price of tickets and dinner when purchasing online.
