Clowning Around With Magic

When I was a kid my parents always took us to the Circus. Unlike today’s circus, it was full of lions and tigers and bears and horses and elephants and dogs. It was usually at the old Forum in Montreal, famous for its Hockey Games with the Montreal Canadians in their heday. I’m going back to the days of Rocket Richard, Guy Lafleur, Floyd Currie and Dickie Moore to name a few, but I digress. The thing about the circus was there were two things that made me nervous, the guy being shot out a cannon and the clowns.

Funny thing is, one of my favorite tricks in the magic shop is Card-toon, especially Card-toon 2, whereby the spectator names any card which is then located face up and removed from the deck and placed on the table so that we remember the chosen card. Then the magician shows his audience the back of the cards, which has a cartoon drawing of a little stick man with  a deck of cards at the circus. The magician tells the audience that he didn’t mix the deck because each back has a slightly different picture and by his flipping the cards they will see an amination. As the magician flips though the deck the spectators see a little stick man climbing into a cannon, lighting the cannon, and then he goes flying into the air with his cards flying all over. He manages to grab one of them and turns it over and guess what! Its the same card as the one on the table that the spectator chose. I much prefer this delightful little effect than the terrifying one at the circus.

If I was nervous about the clowns, its because they weren’t like the two charming young ladies that were here today. I know I would not be afraid of them as they were so sweet and thoughtful. They bought a lot of magic stuff, but not before they figured exactly where it would fit into their shows. They were studying theatre arts. They are working clowns and do well, and I can see why. I guess clowns don’t have to be scary.

Many years ago Phil did a lecture for Clowns Canada in New Brunswick and it was a real hit. Many of the clowns had never thought of using magic in their act. He still  has some lecture notes on the subject, Clowning Around With Magic . It is informative and deals with stage clowns, birthday party clowns and walk around clowns and how and what is suitable for each one. Check it out! By the way, Clowns Canada is having a Clowns Canada Carnavale 2013, September 27 and 28th in Mississauga, Ontario.

And then there are the magicians that do a lot of clowning, but that’s another story!

Another Look At Linking Rings.

The Chinese Linking Rings. As they say, a classic in magic. There is much controversy as to its origin, but wherever and whenever it originated, it is one of the more popular effects. Solid steel rings  link and unlink and the magician forms different designs  with the rings. At one time it was a stage trick, usually consisting of 8 rings being as big as 12 inches in diameter, it now comes in 10″, 8″, 5″ 4″  and even in bracelet style so it can be done close-up for walk around and restaurant magicians. There are many books, DVD’s, and lecture notes on the subject with many variations, moves, stories and plots. We sold our last set of Mikame Rings, 11″ consisting of 9 hollow rings, at the CamJam Festival at Niagra Falls. Unfortunately there are no more available. They were gorgeous and light weight.

If you go to our catalogue and click on our google search (beneath our regular seach) you’ll get 10 pages of rings, books,  DVD’s and routines,  serious, comedy, artistic, you name it. Jeff McBride’s DVD On Stage Vol. 1  has a wonderful section on the Linking Rings. Jeff was in Montreal for a 6 month gig at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel many years ago, and all the magicians went to see his show and then came to our shop and wanted the same rings as Jeff used. I pointed to a set hanging on a hook and they said, no no, not those, the one’s Jeff used. They could not believe he used regular Linking Rings to achieve what he did. One Saturday morning (back then we used to be open on Saturdays) he walked into the shop. All the magicians used to congregate here on Saturdays, and I took down the rings and asked Jeff if he would do some of his stuff. He obliged and all you saw was dropped jaws.

After being in the magic business for over 35 years and seeing lots of ring routines in shows and DVD’s I thought I saw it all. But at one of the lectures at CamJam Oscar Muñoz showed us unbelievable stuff which he shared. Just when you think you’ve seen it all. Thanks Oscar!

The Magic Connection

We went to the one day CAMJAM  2 week-ends ago at Niagra Falls and had a great time. Shawn Farquar and Perfect Magic were the only dealers except for the fabulous lecturers. Romaine’s wife Joan said at the end of the day that all the years she has been going to conventions with Romaine, she never went to the lectures as she was not a magician and thought it would be boring for her. After going to the lectures of  Oscar  Munoz from Texas , Michael Dardant from New Orleans, and Vincent Hedan from France, she said “I ‘m sorry I missed the lectures all the years we’ve been going. I never realized how fascinating they were.” (or something to that nature). They had a good turn out and there was a lot of comeraderie. Then in the evening we saw Greg Frewin’s great illusion show at the Greg Frewin Theatre, a feature event in Niagra Falls.

Another event of CamJam was the presentation of the Magician of the Year Award which went to Mike Segal of Sorcerers Safari Magic & Performance Camp, which has been in operation for over 15 years. We met Mike a number of years ago, ten maybe 15, and although he is living in Toronto, his mother is from Montreal, and guess what! She was Phil’s ( yes my husband Phil) first girlfriend. He thinks he was seven at the time. So everytime Phil met Mike, he would ask how his mother was.

After we left Niagra Falls we spent  5 days with Romaine & Joan and then went to Toronto to visit my Aunt and other relatives. At the CamJam Phil told Mike he was going to Toronto on the way home and Mike said to give him a call. Phil told  him he was going to be at the Browser’s Den (a magic shop in Toronto) at noon on Saturday and we could meet there. Then Mike suggested he bring his mother and Phil thought that would be a great idea. The plot thickens!

We got to the Browser’s Den. They weren’t there yet, but I had shopping to do, after all, it is in a shopping center so I left. When I got back Jewish geography was in full swing. I met his first girlfriend, who was very sweet, and we got to talking and this is the magic connection! When one of her brothers was little he got a Magic Kit  at one of his birthday parties and his mother, Mike’s grandmother, went into another room, opened the kit, figured out the tricks and did them for the kids at the party. Phil was one of the kids and it was the first time he saw a magic trick. That was 70 years ago!

Greg Kramer: Gone but not Forgotten

The passing of Greg Kramer, actor, magician, writer, musician was a tremendous shock to us because it was sudden. He was young, vibrant and brilliant.

Even when I heard it and knew he was gone, it didn’t sink in.

We had just seen him recently and his friend Peter Snow was in the shop one day and saw a set of linking rings that he knew Greg would love, and told us to  email Greg about them, which I did but he didn’t answer, which was unusual for him. I figured he was out of town and busy. Maybe Stratford, you never knew with him. Later Phil told me he knew he was busy at the Segal Center with his new play that he wrote, Shelock Holmes.

We missed the announcement of his death in the Gazette, which is strange because that’s the first thing Phil looks at every morning. Then Peter called and gave us the tragic news.

The other day we received an invitation to a gathering of Greg’s friends and family and were given an adress in the Plateau. We went, of course, and walking along the street flooded my mind with childhood memories, when we lived in the Plateau, with the winding staircases and three story flats. After the flats there was one small building, a synagogue, with Hebrew writing engraved in cement over the double door, and it had the address we were given. I stood at the door bewildered thinking, I didn’t even know he was Jewish. Then I pictured him with a skull cap and prayer shawl and thought, why not. Its possible. That’s what went through my mind as I stood at the synagogue door. It was locked. . I rang the bell. A man came to the door  and asked, Are you here for Greg? We said yes. He said come in, come in. It was someone’s home,  a beautiful home and it was full of people. I said,  ”For a minute I thought Greg was Jewish.” No, he wasn’t Jewish. There were a lot of theatre people there. The host and hostess made us feel very welcome.

The guests were invited to speak if they wanted or show how they felt. It was clear to see how much he meant to so many people. He will be sorely missed.

Magic Lessons For Kids in English

If you are a regular reader of my blogs, I think you’d agree that I usually do not use the blog to push products.  However, two weeks ago I mentioned that there would be magic lessons for kids in English and got such a tremendous response that I couldn’t believe it. Its a four week program given at the Cote St. Luc Shopping center by The Amazing Todsky.

I realize that many children are interested in magic and also that many parents like the idea that their children are interested in magic, as it develops many traits that are important to have to succeed in life. Its good to be able to talk to an audience, to impress them… it gives the child confidence, and he grows up with it. It also ensures they practice something until they get it right, as they don’t want to look like a fool. It improves their dexterity, gives them a new way to think, encourages creativity and all sorts of side benefits. There are magic kits, but usually there are a few props with many ways to use them and the child loses interest. Many however get started on kits, as we saw in the movie The Incredible Burt Wonderstone ( which we thoroughly enjoyed).

Back to the lessons. Everyone has busy schedules these days, especially with kids;  soccer, skating, ballet, scouts, swimming, and those are just the ones my 2 grand chidren are involved in. Even if you didn’t have any activities, the lessons which were advertised couldn’t handle hundreds of kids. There is an alternative solution. We just happen to have a series of DVD’s MAGIC TRICKS R4 KIDS. The series consist of 4 DVD’s each one costs $16.50, and there are 20 kids on the DVD also learning the magic.  It is geared for age 7 and up. In some if not all, a prop is included and in one, juggling lessons are included. Most of the tricks are done with everyday objects so it seems to me to be something worthwhile trying out. They teach about performing as well as just tricks which is important, most important! If they like the first one, there’s 3 more. If they don’t it’s not that great an investment, and you may learn a thing or two. If you have kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews of that age, it makes a great gift.

Check it out!

Peter Reveen

It is with great sadness that we received the news Monday, that Peter Reveen had passed away. We knew him well. He and his wife Coral came to my 40th birthday party in the early days of Perfect Magic. We first met him when he was performing in Quebec City. Fantasio and his his wife Monica were in Montreal for Magie Montréal and Reveen phoned from Quebec and asked him come to Quebec to see his show. We told Fantasio we would gladly drive him to Quebec, so we were invited to the show as well and also invited to a gala dinner given by Reveen at a wonderful old restaurant in Quebec  City. There were about 14 to 18 people at that dinner and Reveen picked up the tab. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

From Quebec Peter came to Montreal to do the show. It happened to be my 40th birthday and I had a big party in our home and we invited Reveen and his family. One would think that a celebrity like Reveen, and he was big at the time, wouldn’t think that much of an ordinary party in a duplex on Kent, but he was excited as a kid. He said to me, “This is so fanastic. These are real people. I’ve never been to a party with real people. And he was gushing over, “I met an accountant, a salesman, a dentist, and so many other regular people. I’m used to stars who are so full of themselves.” This is so wonderful.

He happened to mention that his assistant hurt her eye and he tried to get an appointment with a doctor and they told him he would have to wait 6 months.  Steve Fichman was at the party, an opthamologist, and  Steve told him to send her to his office first thing Monday morning. Peter was impressed.

As a birthday gift, Peter gave me three of the long playing  records he was selling at his shows. Study and Concentration, Relax and Gain Self Confidence, and Stop Smoking and Over Eating. These recordings are still available, In CD format now, not Vinyl, as well as other Reveen memorabilia. Click here for all the info.

Unfortunately his show did not  do that well. He had a bad luck in Montreal as there was union strike at the time at the movie theatre next door and  the picket line extended to the front entrance of the St. Denis Theatre, where he was performing. At one show we attended, one of the picketers threw a stink bomb into the theatre and the show had to be stopped and the audience cleared out. Another setback was the fact the the posters advertising the show had the wrong dates printed on them and it was too late to have them re-done. So after one thing and another, he closed the show. He asked us to keep his doves, which we did. That’s a whole story in itself but eventually we gave them to Parc Safari.

When I needed tickets for someone in Las Vegas for Lance Burton, I  called Peter  and told him I didn’t want free tickets but they were all sold out and my son’s friend was on his honeymoon and was so disappointed. He made sure there were two complementary tickets waiting for the couple and a fuss was made on stage over the fact that they were on their honeymoon.

One day about 8 years ago, maybe more, he told me he converted to Judaism. I couldn’t believe it. Why?, I asked. We were born into it and have to bear the slings and arrows…but you weren’t, so why would you put yourself through that?

His answer. Some people need religion. Some don’t. I do. All my life all I heard in church was fire and brimstone and felt no comfort in it. One day I went to synagogue with a Jewish friend of mine and I was at peace. I felt at home. I wanted to be a part of it. I told the rabbi. He invited me to a Friday night dinner at his home. It was wonderful.

Judaism does not seek out converts. Usually someone converts when they fall in love and want to marry a Jew. The Rabbi’s don’t make it easy for you. There are a lot of classes to attend and lots of things to do. Peter made sure to tell me he went the whole nine yards.

Peter was a force. He was a generous person with a quick wit. We knew he wasn’t well and was sorry to hear what he went through. We will miss him. We extend out deepest sympathy to his family.

Where Magic Is Born

Where does magic come from? Who thinks these things up, anyway? That’s so clever. Why didn’t I think of that? How often have you had some of these thoughts?

There are some people who have magical minds. I remember many years ago sitting in Steve Dusheck’s house in Pennyslvania, and he was showing Phil and I some of his latest inventions. How do you think of these things? I asked. His answer? I go to bed at night and when I wake up in the morning I have so many new ideas, I don’t know which to tackle first. 

We sell magic. We really don’t have time to sit around and think of things, look for materials, put them together, etc. It’s an achievement to come up with something that is good magic.

And yet, a magic trick was born a few weeks ago on my kitchen table. Not by me, not by Phil, but by my seven year old grandson, who was not even doing magic at the time, although he does do magic. He was working on an arts and craft project that involved nails. A particular type of nail. The problem was I had a box full of nails and screws and nuts and bolts all mixed together, even though the box had compartments. I did not want him to turn the box upside down on the table, so I told him to take out all the stuff one compartment at a time. The next problem was that he couldn’t get his fingers into the compartments to empty them. So I gave him a magnet. Mixed in with all the stuff were some black objects made of rubber that looked like short pieces of licorice sticks, about 3/4 ” long with a hole running down the center just like licorice. He emptied the compartments, one at a time, taking the black things out with his hands because the magnet wouldn’t pick them up, of course. And then a strange thing happened and I heard him say,

“But that’s impossible.”

“What’s impossible?” I asked.

“The magnet is picking up the rubber tube.”

And then he looked closer and saw the was a nail running through the hole in little black tube, and was hanging on to the end of it, with the head at the other end..  After fiddling around with it for a while he discovered that the magnet didn’t have to touch the nail at all, but would hold the nail though the rubber.  The he looked for a tiny nail to put right inside the rubber so it was completely hidden. Then he took a tube without a nail, and figured out a way to switch them. He then jumped off his chair and made a dash for the computer room, where Phil was busy working and I heard him shout, “Hey, Grampa, wanna see a magic trick?”

As I said, a magic trick was born on my kitchen table.

Finding Magic at Perfect Magic!

So you saw a magic trick being performed on Youtube  or on TV and thought it was great. The problem is, they didn’t tell you the name of it.

We usually get a call from the viewer saying, “I saw this great trick on TV. They did …..whatever. Our response generally is “What  is the name of the trick?” and of course they don’t  know. The person would tell me they tried to find it on our web site but couldn’t. If you are computer savvy, then you will know this. I thought I was the only one in the world not to know this, but I get such “thank yous” from people after giving them this little tip, that I think I should share it with you, just in case.

When you go to our little search box  under Perfect Magic and you write in the word “mental”,  it will list every trick that has mental or mentalism in the TITLE. BUT if you go to the perfect magic Google search box beneath it and click  on the magnifying glass at the right, it will give you every trick, book,  DVD, and accessory, that has mental or mentalism in the description as well, and many mental items do not have the word mental in the title, like Electric Touch for example, and there is also a line or two from the description. If you click on a title you like, the  item comes up complete with photo, video if there is one, and full description.  I use it all the time and  it cuts down on a lot of frustration.

I hope the info will be helpful to you, and will make your navigation through our site a lot easier.

Another Treat at Perfect Magic – Mike Close & Family

Wednesday March 13th, 2013 Mike Close, his wife Lisa, and daughter Ava, walked into our magic shop. They are to blame for my blog being a day late. We had such a great visit reminising. Mike was here in 1994 , that’s almost 20 years ago, and when they were walking in I thought it was just a family looking to get some tricks for their little girl , who is 6 years old and very cute and smart. He came over and said, Hi, I’m Mike Close. It took but a second to adjust my lenses and of course it was Mike close. Just because the hair changes colour (as did mine) and gets a little thinner, is no reason not to recognize someone immediately! Shame  on me! There was so much to talk about.

Mike, for those of you who are unaware, is the editor of M.U.M. magazine and his wife, Lisa, is the graphics designer. M.U.M. is a monthly magazine that goes to some 6000 plus members of the Society of American Magicians. They are doing a remarkable job with the magazine. If it wasn’t a Magic Magazine, it would surely be worth of a prominent place in any store, supermarket and anywhere magazines are sold.

Mike was a featured performer at the 1994 Magie Montreal. Apart from doing CloseUp and a Lecture, he was the M.C. for the gala stage show SUnday afternoon, when Simon Lovell went a little over time, (like  doing 32 minutes, when he was supposed to do only 12), not that he wasn’t hilarious but Juliana Chen, the next performer, was waiting in the wings, fully loaded with costumes, masks and cards waiting to go on and like a true por, she waited patiently all that time. Phil was beside himself, not to mention Mike. They had to restrain each other from going out on stage and bodily dragging him off. (In retrospect, Phil wonders why they didn’t). It took a long time, but Phil forgave Simon when he was a last minute substitute for a performer who had to back out, and Simon behaved and did exactly 12 minutes.

Besides all the magic stories Mike is also a top notch  piano player and musician. Lots of stories from both Mike and Phil. It was a great visit and Ava was patient, all things considered. It was the first time we met Lisa and the whole visit was a delight. Our blog is called Perfect Magic Then and Now, so we took a photos of Now, and and also added some from Then. Were you there? Do you remember? Mouse over the photos to enlarge and see the names.

Jose de La Torre

The Winners

Carl Cloutier

Simon Lovell

Rafael & Elena

Mike Close

Mike Again

Mark Trimble

Julianna Chen

Phil, Mike. Lisa, and Ava

A Treat At The Magic Shop

Last Friday was not our ordinary day at the magic shop.  It’s spring break. We had a visitor for the day, my grandson, who is now seven years old and has been doing magic since he is two. The last time he was here was about a year ago and by chance David Acer came into the shop and 5 minutes later Richard Sanders came in. Not planned. It was a riot and my grandson was doubled over in laughter with their antics. This time he came to the shop well armed with his magic case, under lock and key. We picked him up at his house and when he got to the shop he read the sign outside the door. Open 10-3 on Fridays.

“What time is it?”

“Ten past ten.”

“It says you open at ten. Where are the magicians?’

We had a good laugh and told him with the internet, sometimes we don’t see a magician all day. So he got busy checking everything out hoping a magician would come in. Finally one did. Someone we know well. Jonathan Levey.

I thought he would be excited to see a magician so that he would see some tricks, but no, true to form, he wanted to do tricks for the magician. He actually did a coin trick  with a penny (Miracle Coin Block)  for Jonathan that fooled him and  in the reciprocal manner of a magician,  Jonathan took the penny to show him a vanish. He vanished the coin from one of his own hands  and made it appear in the other. The most magical thing of all  happened when Jonathan opened his hand, expecting to see the coin he had transfered there. Instead, there were two coins in his hand, a dime and a penny and his jaw was hanging open, as he had no idea how the dime got there. We all had a good laugh.

Last year, when my grandson was here, there happened to be a huge box in the shop, so I cut out a door and windows and he played happily in and out of it. When he left I got rid of the box, but another came in a few weeks ago, and I saved it for him. Being busy with other things, I left him to his own devices. Then he called me and told me to watch. At age 7 he devised a manner of visibly getting into the box, and invisibly escaping from it. I had watched Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde from Paris and, to my amazement, the escape the magician used on the show was very close to the one my grandson came up with.

My grandson had a treat spending the day in the shop. We had a treat, because he was there and Jonathan had a treat because he managed to fool himself.