This week has been a bit of a crazy one for me. The first Lands End gig of the season saw the new ‘illusion’ based act that I was asked to put together for the venue.

It’s a 45 minute piece containing, amongst other things a ‘Cube Zag’ illusion.

Ok OK , so what is a mentalist doing performing illusions?

Well you must remember that my business card say’s ‘Enigmatist’ and whilst I am mostly a purveyor of mental enigmas I do like to extend myself.

For the first public outing of this new show there were the inevitable teething problems BUT things will improve the more flight time we have. Bejazzled is the name of this specially created magical interlude and on stage I am supported by two ‘new to magic’ assistants who do a great job.

So, if you’re in Lands End (Cornwall) you might like to pop by and say ‘Hi!’.

The magic show is there every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon throughout August, with additional Bejazzled shows on 11th, 18th and 27th August.

The approximate show times are:-

Merlin Day Thursday August 11th.
Punch 11.30 – 1200
Magic 12.30 – 1.15
Punch 1330 – 1400
Magic 2.45 – 3.30
ILLUSION Show 4.00 – 4.45

Pirate day Thursday August 18th

Punch 1230 – 1.00
Magic 1.30 – 2.15
Punch 2.30 – 3.00
Magic 3.30 – 4.15
ILLUSION Show 4.45 – 5.30

Air Ambulance day Thursday August 25th
Punch 12.30 – 1.00
Magic 1.15 – 2.00
Punch 3.15 – 3.45
Magic 4.00 – 4.45
ILLUSION Show 5.00 – 5.45

All other Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout August No Illusion shows and following times:
Punch 1.00 – 1.30
Magic  2.00 – 2.45
Punch  3.15 – 3.45
Magic  4.15 – 5.00
Magic  5.45 – 6.30

The Punch and Judy Show is from Mr Tickles – a great Childrens Entertainer.

The Magic Show is a family show featuring Mr Tickels and Myself

The Illusion Show is BeJazzled

Tonight we were treated to a good selection of magic which included:-

High Jinx – Illusion Double Act

Nice illusion, loved the design of the prop but I guess not the easiest of guys to fool. I actually liked the styling, the look and the illusion itself.
Jon Allen
Jon performed a version of smash-and-stab in which a spectator made choices of which bag was to be crushed.
I remember Jon from years and years ago when I was Secretary of The London Society of Magicians and he was a brilliant young magician. Over the years I’ve noted his work and enjoyed his quirky performances. He’s a really amusing and entertaining guy. I was a bit surprised to see him in a ‘more serious’ mode. It was a nice presentation – superbly paced, but Penn & Teller caught ‘the moment’ and a great idea was ‘blown out of the water’
Graham Jolley
No here’s a performer I really admire. He manages to bring mystery, mind magic and comedy together in a seamless way. Opening with a billiard-ball selection routine, it was his card effect that actually fooled the American duo. It was a superb card prediction effect, only to call it that really understates its directness and effect.
With John Archer fooling the guys last time and Graham Jolley doing so this time it really seems that comedy-mentalism is hitting the mark!
Penn & Teller’s contribution – an escape from a helium filled oversized refuse sack which as you’d expect was sharp, original and entertaining, A lovely twist on a mail bag escape, and I seem to recall reading somewhere in an old book an escape from a paper bag … yes the point of that effect, and of course of Penn & Tellers is that the bag remains undamaged!

Again, so nice to see a good magic show on prime time TV without the celebrity hangers-on!

More please ……..

Hezi Dean is pictured in the ice block as he tries to set a new record

So Israeli Magician Hezi Dean beats David Blaines record for being ‘sealed’ in a block of ice!

Well not wishing to take anything away from this guys achievement, but the current cold-snap in the UK could well cause one or two folks to feel something less than admiration.

“Bloody stupid if you ask me”, blurted out one of my non-magical acquaintance’s who then went on to make some point about UK fuel poverty and people ‘having’  to be cold rather than ‘choosing’ to be!

The magician in me is, of course, impressed with Hezi’s stunt. It’s been a promotional coup and of course will do fairly good things for his reputation and 2010 date book.

I guess the question of course has to be …  IS IT MAGIC?

The problem when feats of endurance are coupled with the words ‘magician’ and ‘illusionist’ is that its not really clear what is being said or being claimed.

Magic is the mos honest profession there is. The magician tells you she or he is going to lie to you and then they do!

An illusionist is simply a magician who lies about the reality they create!

So, when folks like David Blaine or Hezi Dean perform these incredible feats of physical endurance and then the press talk about them being ‘magicians’ and ‘illusionists’ there has to be a ‘conflict of claim’.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if magicians spent a little more time thinking about the degree of congruence between what they say, what they do and how they choose to have it reported.

A number of years ago I remember sitting in a pub talking to Tony ‘Doc’ Shiels about magic and magicians and how we, as performers, fail to create a congruent and meaningful frame for our performances. We came to no real conclusions then and I have no real ones now save for the thought that magicians who THINK about the way they frame their art have a longer lasting impact with what they do.

But back to Hezi…

66 hours in an 8-tonne block of ice certainly beats David Blaine”s 63 hours – not sure what that really means save that Hezi will probably not achieve the longer term kudos he may well deserve. Blaine did it first and maybe Blaine did it bigger!

… and yes, within this post are some very serious considerations for the younger conjurer, the magicians of the future, and it’s not just about some crazy dudes being ‘trapped’ in a block of ice!

Alan