Magic is in the Details

This weekend, I was out in Uxbridge, Ontario — a quiet out of the way township which the residents described to me as their "own little piece of heaven" — for a private birthday celebration. Event planning is all about the details because that's what lends an event a feeling of authenticity that people will remember, instead of a cookie-cutter banquet which can be forgotten between desert and the walk to the car door. 

After my show, there was a lovely table laid out with dozens of handcrafted magic-themed cookies. (I actually think the birthday girl made them all herself... so much for a relaxing birthday.) Always be on the lookout for small details that will make your next event magic!

On The Meaning Of Magic

Recently, magician Derek DelGaudio was interviewed by The Creative Independent about his thoughts on magic. Derek recently received the $15,000 Allan Slaight Award for "Sharing Wonder" and his show in New York, In & Of Itself, directed by Frank Oz, has been extended. 

I don't want to quibble over what is otherwise an extremely thoughtful and insightful interview from someone who is doing very interesting things with the form but there is one line:

“I think the word “magician” immediately implies that I’m here to deceive you, which is literally the opposite of what I’m doing. I’m using illusions or sleight of hand magic concepts to deliver truths and communicate the way I see the world.”

"Deliver truths" is a weird expression. I think it's our own insecurity which forces us to wrestle with the word "truth". There are things we want to be "true" that aren't in the literal sense and we recoil. There is a desire felt my many (even me sometimes) to say that the works of Shakespeare contain "truth" even though the events in them aren't real. They aren't true, they are insightful. We already have a word for that.

I cringe slightly the tendency, particularly among those in the arts, to take liberties with the definitions of common words. It's a hop, skip and a jump from dishonest politicians and pedlars of pernicious woo. If words stop meaning what they're supposed to mean, then no one can really take you at your word when you say anything.

Magic is an inherently dishonest endeavour. We portray things in a way that is not as they truly are. Trying to pass this off as a "kind of truth" is weaselry. Now, illusion has its value and place, so you don't need to shy away from deception. You can embrace it. It's an honourable thing to sacrifice a bit of your honesty so that others can experience a moment of mystery and amazement. I lie so you can experience an instant of childlike wonder that I no longer can (because I know how the trick works)... at least until someone comes along and does it to me.

Photos from Magic & Martini in Toronto

Last night at SpiritHouse in Downtown Toronto, we hosted a sold-out Magic and Martini. Thank you to everyone who attended. We had a great night of magic and mystery. Here are a few photos from the evening from Tyler Sol Williams.

Our next couple of Toronto shows are already sold out, but we have performances scheduled through the end of September 2017. Readers can use the code shaken for a special discount on the price of tickets when purchasing online. 

Illusions at the McCord Museum

Last weekend, I was in Montreal at the McCord Museum. A group of magicians gathered because the McCord Museum was opening a new exhibit dedicated to the (literal) art of magic. In this case, this means Magic Posters.

In the so-called "Golden Age" of magic, travelling performers would have enormous promotional posters which would announce their appearance in a given town. The posters were mainly produced by a technique called stone lithography, which allowed for stunning multi-coloured billboard-sized images to be produced. One of the largest collections of these posters was donated to the McCord Museum by La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso. These posters were recently put on display in Illusions: The Art of Magic. 

It's difficult to get a sense of the size and vibrance of the images from photos. The collection really needs to be seen in person to be believed. (That's magic for you!) Here is a small preview courtesy of the McCord:

There's also a gorgeously produced catalog reproducing 230 of the posters in the collection along with historical essays that I'm in the process that I'm in the process of working through. 

The Allan Slaight Awards

Saturday night, as part of a special gala show concluding the 44th Magic Collectors Weekend in Montreal, Magicana presented the Allan Slaight Awards. The awards, now in their third year, were created by the Slaight Family Foundation to honour Allan Slaight. A deeply passionate magician who is better known to the world at large through his work in broadcasting, he is now in his eighties, his idea of a quiet Canadian retirement involves quietly donating millions of dollars each year to various healthcare and arts organizations. 

The awards recognize the best in magic with $50,000 a year in prizes. There are awards for performances for the public and also those who advance the craft, publishing reference material within the field. In the two years the awards have been given previously, some of my favourite magicians have received the awards, including Penn & Teller. 

For the first two years, the awards were presented a private dinner. This is the first time they have been open to see. The winners were:

Max Maven
Lifetime Achievement - $15,000

Derek DelGaudio
Sharing Wonder - $15,000

John Lovick
Sharing Secrets - $10,000

Edward Hilsum
International Rising Star - $5,000

Eric Leclerc
Canadian Rising Star - $5,000

David Ben, John Lovick, Max Maven, Edward Hilsum, Julie Eng - Photo by David Linsell

This year, I was backstage for the show, so I had a slightly different perspective. For example, here is John Lovick who won the award for Sharing Secrets for a book he wrote in collaboration with Handsome Jack, the world's foremost male model magician. He's having a slight wardrobe malfunction.

Handsome Jack with his pants down... don't ask. 

Tickets are selling for Magic Tonight

There is no Magic & Martini this weekend as I will be in Montreal for the opening of the Illusions exhibit at the McCord Museum in Montreal. (More on that later.)

But we do have one special performance coming up in a few weeks and tickets are over 40% sold out. On Saturday, June 17 we're bringing back Magic Tonight for one night, thanks to the Soul City Social Club and the Social Capital Theatre. This show ran weekly with dozens of special guests over a period of 28 months, but has been on hiatus for the past year. I'll be joined by the hilarious and zany Rob Testa and Canada's foremost theatrical pickpocket James Harrison. 

We have limited seating. Tickets are available below:

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