Stupid Internet

We've been having some difficulty managing our online ticket sales for Magic Tonight. Eventbrite, who's been our paperless ticket provider for over two years went through a major systems upgrade to improve their service. Unfortunately, the transition process has been less than smooth and we've had intermittent service with odd error messages, especially for people accessing the site on mobile devices. The problem is, for the moment, fixed. So to make up for the hassle, for the next 48 hours (until Tuesday at midnight) you can get 65% off tickets and dinner for all our shows at www.abracadabaret.com/purchase-tickets. Just use the code stupidinternet at checkout. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Our sincere thanks to those patient customers and friends who were able to help us troubleshoot the issue.

    

Deception on The Infinite Monkey Cage

There is a delightful BBC Radio Podcast called The Infinite Monkey Cage, with theme song by Eric Idle and hosted by Robert Ince and Brian Cox (the guy Stephen Hawking pushed into the river on the Monty Python reunion show.)

This is the episode from January 19, 2015, entitled Deception. It's available on iTunes or from the BBC.

No one does the panel discussion as well as the Brits and it's a very interesting discussion. And includes a magician and respected academic, Richard Wiseman.

One of the most intriguing things they mention, which I don't hear discussed very often, is that we are not very good at knowing when we are being deceived. There is a natural tendency to both accept things at face value, and to assume others will accept things at face value.

It also turns out that many of the "tricks" you are supposed to be able to use to detect deceptions (facial ticks and other visual cues) don't really work.

I guest listener be warned.

This week on Magic Tonight

This week, we're packed with magic with three performances of Magic Tonight. Thursday, January 22 @ The Franklin House - Mississauga Sleight of hand magician, and generally charming trickster, Ben Train. In addition to performing, Ben is also a creator and magic consultant and has spoken across Canada, the US and parts of the UK. He is the co-founded of Five Academy Magic which provides educational and professional development resources for magicians around the world. Read more...

Friday, January 23 @ The Bear - Pickering Mystery Entertainer Lukas Stark will push the limits of perception and do otherwise strange and unusual things. Previously on the show he has swallowed razor blades and escaped from straight jackets (not at the same time.) Who knows what he has in store for us next. Read more...

Sunday, January 25 @ The Crimson Lounge - Toronto Some guy named Ben Train that I've never heard of before. No idea if he's any good or not. Read more...

Performances start at 7:00 PM with seating for dinner at 6:00. Our shows are continuing to grow, thanks to your support. We appreciate all the wonderful word of mouth and referrals. Readers of this blog can use the code reality when purchasing tickets online for a special discount!

Jan 22 Train

Jan 23 Stark

Jan 25 Train

Last time on Magic Tonight

Last night on Magic Tonight in Toronto, there was something in the water. We had the most splendiferous audience who were reacting and laughing all the way through the show. In fact, they spent so much time laughing, we ran nearly 30 minutes longer than we planned. Magic Tonight happens every week in Toronto (Sundays), Mississauga (Thursdays) and Pickering (Fridays). Readers of this blog can use the code reality for a special discount when buying tickets online.

Magic Tonight Toronto Poster sm

MORE Magic Tonight

After months of plotting and scheming, I'm thrilled to announce the launch of two new shows with Magic Tonight. We've been running weekly events in Toronto for the past sixteen months. Now we will be appear every week at The Franklin House in Mississauga and The Bear in Pickering. Both locations, in addition to being in historic local buildings, have exceptional food and are easy to get to, close to the highway. So if you've enjoyed the show in the past but didn't want to face Toronto traffic to come see us, there are two great new locations to consider!

We hope you'll help us spread the word as we build these two new performances. You can visit the gallery to see highlights from our earlier shows.

Tickets are available on our site for the new shows. Readers of this blog can use the code secrets for a special discount when purchasing online.

Pickering ♦ Mississauga ♦ Toronto

    

This Week on Magic Tonight

This week, we are continuing to perform in Toronto and are also launching the first of our new shows in Pickering at The Bear. The Bear is a historic building (Formerly the Liverpool House) just off the 401. We'll be there on Friday nights doing our typical show augmented by authentic British Cuisine. For the first show this Friday, I'll be joined by the hilariously adorable Chris Mayhew, who recently performed at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and premiered his new one man show, Mayhew Mayhem, in the vicinity of Broadway.

On Sunday at the Crimson Lounge inside The Cage 292, I'll be joined in Toronto by Jason Palter, named "Entertainer of the Year by the Canadian Event Industry.

Magic Tonight happens every week. Tickets are $35 or $65 with dinner. Readers can use the code secrets for a special discount when purchasing online.

Toronto ♦ Pickering