Diary

Ricky Jay: NY, Boston, NY, Boston, NY

12/30/2018

With the recent passing of Ricky Jay, I want to document in this diary the number of times I saw him perform live: Five.

And the cities I saw him perform in: New York and Boston.

The first time I saw Ricky Jay perform was in New York City during the 1994 run of his, Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants show. With all the good buzz surrounding the show, it was difficult to score tickets, but I did. I remember it was a very cold day as I entered the theater with my girlfriend. I had bought whatever tickets I could manage, but that ended up with the two of us sitting in the very last row, up against the side and back walls. I was still excited beyond measure, but my girlfriend was fuming about the seats. The show blew my mind, but her agitated demeanor almost spoiled the experience.

The second time I saw Ricky Jay perform was in Boston during the 2001 run of, Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants. A different girlfriend and I were meandering around Cambridge when I saw the marquee at the Market Theater. I was thrilled to see that this show was around again, and when I approached the box office to inquire about tickets for future performances, I was bowled over to discover that there were two tickets available for the next performance in hour! Our seats were not as “bad” as the last time, but we were still close to the back. The big difference was that this girlfriend didn’t care about that at all. On top of that, who should be sitting right in front of us but none other than David Mamet!

The third time I saw Ricky Jay perform was in New York for his On The Stem show in 2002. Still with the same girlfriend from Cambridge, but now living together in Brooklyn, we were lucky to get tickets to what ended up being my favorite Ricky Jay show. I was in the beginning stages of developing my Suitcase of Wonders act, and Jay’s performance (especially his version of the flea circus) really jacked up my inspiration to another level. It was after that show that I resolved to create something original and meaningful to me. It was also my good fortune that my girlfriend had a five dollar bill in her purse that evening, as that was the cost (exact change only) to purchase one of Ricky Jay’s Treat boxes that he was hawking in the isles during “intermission.”

The fourth time I saw Ricky Jay perform was in Somerville, MA for his, Ricky Jay: A Rogues Gallery show in 2009. My girlfriend from the last two Ricky Jay shows was now my wife, and we (and our young son) were now living in Boston. I had performed the Suitcase of Wonders in New York at various locales, but since having a family and moving away from the Big Apple, the act had been stowed away for the most part until, once again, a Ricky Jay show got my creative juices flowing. Although Ricky Jay: A Rogues Gallery was not the best Jay show I’d seen, he had taken chances and tried new avenues, and that was more than enough to inspire me to pull out my act and try some new things as well.

The fifth, and last time I saw Ricky Jay perform was in New York City at the Paley Center for Media in 2015. This wasn’t a show, rather, it was a talk (with a few tricks) for the premiere on PBS of Jay’s documentary, Deceptive Practices. Now with a second child, my wife and I had moved our family back to New York a few years before. The Suitcase of Wonders came with me, with my intention to perform more often, and create more and different material. I can’t say seeing Jay this final time inspired me like his previous performances. Instead, it kind of felt like a book was being closed on something, although I couldn’t put my finger on what that was. Certainly, Jay’s physical condition at the time contributed to that feeling; He seemed tired, and he had had a recent injury to his hand. However, his appearance was memorable for me, and not just because after the talk I finally managed to snag a playing card he had thrown (after seeing him all these times). After the talk, I posted a summation of the evening to an internet magic forum. I reproduce it here in this diary, for posterity:

Last night I attended a reception and Q&A with Ricky Jay about the upcoming premiere of his film on American Masters. It was at the Paley Center for Media in NYC.

After a showing of a snippet of the film, Ricky came out and performed some Cardini-ilke card manipulations. I have to say that while the audience seemed to enjoy watching the film, there was a palpable uptick in energy when Ricky came out and began performing. It underscored for me (as has been pointed out here in the forum before), magic is best seen live.

Ricky then sat and took questions. I will offer some highlights as best as I can remember them:

In response to a question about keeping his hands limber beyond direct practicing, he informed us that recently he injured his hand pretty seriously in a kitchen accident involving a knife. He said he just took off a "band" from his hand that evening. The kitchen accident sent him to the hospital, and there was plenty of blood. While there he and his wife told the doctor to please be careful because they said Ricky was a slight-of-hand artist. The doctor didn't know what that meant. Later on another third-year resident was preparing for stitches and they told her the same thing. Again, the doctor didn't know what a slight-of-hand artist was. Frustrated, Ricky's wife said, "He's like a surgeon!" I did notice a little stiffness in his hand, and Ricky apologized for not being able to shake hands that evening.

Somehow from that question Ricky also told a great story about an aptitude test he took when he was thirteen years old. One of the tasks involved placing blunt needles into small holes. Apparently, Ricky was the only one who could do it correctly. The overall results suggested he should become a surgeon.

I was lucky to be able to ask Ricky to give some thoughts about Doug Henning. He explained that Doug was not the only long-haired magician at that time, that his hair was even longer! Ricky expressed respect for him and sadness concerning his untimely death. He also talked about the last time he saw Doug.

A question was asked about women in magic, and Ricky bluntly stated that there were very few and he didn't really know why. He offered that it was perhaps a cultural thing with boys getting magic sets and girls getting other things...
Ricky did say that his talented wife (she wrote the Ellen "coming out" episode) was an excellent card manipulator but that she eventually decided she didn't want to perform magic (even just for fun) because she didn't enjoy the feeling of fooling people.

There were other questions about what he thought of current magicians ("I hate them all", then mentioning Tamirez and Levand among many others he said he respected, what he thought of exposure (it's been going on since the beginning of magic), and the internet. On that subject, he admitted that there was more magic learning material available than ever before, and that he knew excellent young magicians who learned from YouTube videos, but he thought there were no more better young magicians today than any other time.

It was nice to hear Ricky say that he loved the questions and that it restored his faith in these Q&A sessions, which he said he was just about to stop doing because all the questions were "sad."

He finished up with throwing cards into a watermelon and left to thunderous applause.

Four by Houdini

11/7/2018

I am very excited to now be actively developing a Houdini-themed show (called Four by Houdini), featuring a performance of Walking Through A Brick Wall.

The other three Houdini stage illusions I’ll perform will be the Substitution Trunk, Water Cell Escape, and Vanishing Elephant.

The miniature cinder blocks for the Wall have arrived from Florida, and they are wonderful to behold. They stack beautifully and look great on the stage. I can’t wait to build a trial wall with them using real mortar and a mini trowel. In the performance of this illusion, I plan to construct the wall, brick by brick, on the stage before dramatically walking through the final structure. During this time, I’d like some live musical accompaniment, perhaps a Cellist. After the trick, I will auction off the finished wall along with a signed poster from the event.

The Substitution Trunk (based upon Houdini’s first original breakout stage illusion), will use apparatus created by Angelo Carbone, and manufactured by Tenyo. This trick is no longer being sold by the company, but it is a sought-after item by collectors. Consensus among magicians who own the Sub Trunk is that while ingenious in it’s method, the trick is challenging to perform consistently well. I don’t believe it has even been performed for the general public (outside of kitchen table and office desktop presentations). I look forward to bringing this gem to life inside the Miniature Magic Theater.

The Water Cell Escape is my interpretation of Houdini’s infamous Water Torture Cell. I have performed this illusion off and on since the beginning of the Suitcase of Wonders. I created the water cell myself based on a slightly modified Tannens version of a mini magic classic. I hope some of the drama and excitement of Houdini’s original illusion is represented in my interpretation, even if it is somewhat tongue and cheek. More about this trick is can be found in my book, found on this website.

The Vanishing Elephant remains in my current rotation of magic that I perform in the Suitcase of Wonders. Again, this is an artistic interpretation of Houdini’s stage illusion that he performed at New York’s Hippodrome. My version features an amazing walking automaton elephant, and a bamboo box based on a utility magic trick that nevertheless is strong enough to be a featured fooler. It is consistently a crowd favorite.

These four illusions will make up the Four by Houdini program. I’m in deep development of this show right now, and I hope to bring it to the public at some point in the coming year.

A Performance at the Magic Castle

10/11/2018

Ectoplasm over the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA

Last week the Suitcase of Wonders (featuring myself, Smallini: The World’s Tiniest Magician), appeared at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Ca. I was invited to perform at Erika Larsen’s “Spookfest,” which featured, “maniacal magic, eerie entertainers, and ghost stories” down in the Inner Circle sanctum of the Castle. This was a members-only event hosted by Rob Zabrecky. The eclectic lineup of performers included mentalist Max Maven, ventriloquist Jay Johnson, and magician/singer Liberty Larsen.

I performed pre and post-show for guests in the back of the room, as is my specialty. Throughout the night, people would gather around as I performed a set of four, two-minute stage tricks. As the evening wore on, individuals would also stop by to see me perform, saying they had heard about the Suitcase of Wonders by word of mouth. In all, I think I performed close to two hours; It was exhausting but thrilling!

The response to the act was very positive, and Mr. Zabrecky had some kind words, saying it was a “big hit.” I felt the same way, although at the start I was nervous, especially when my very first trick was performed with the legendary Max Maven watching. Of course, I fumbled it a bit in the beginning, but I recovered and finished the trick. From then on there were only a few minor problems. Later in the evening, a magician told me that I was one of many who had fallen to the “Max Maven Curse,” whereby magicians who perform for him tend to screw up. Ha!

After Mr. Zabrecky told me I could wind it up for the evening, he graciously took me on a tour of the Castle. This was the first time I had been to the Magic Castle, a place Mr. Zabrecky called his second home. It was dream-like as he showed me all the various rooms throughout the building. In one ornately decorated and cozy room adjacent to a bar, was the famous player piano haunted by the ghost of “Irma.” As guests lounged, the piano took requests and played them instantly. One young fellow shouted, “play somethiing by R.Kelly!” and the piano did, without hesitation. Later, a slightly tipsy elderly gentleman requested the Armenian national anthem, of which Irma played obediently as the man solemnly held his hand over his heart.

Another highlight of the evening was meeting Thomas Kuntz, the famous automata artist, who had two of his creations on display in a room adjacent to the Inner Circle. His magnificent and eerie “Soothsayer” told my fortune as it whirred and clicked through it’s finely articulated motions. Another automaton had part of its interior visible, so you could see all the hand-crafted brass gears, pulleys, and cams in action.

Finally, some appreciative comments: I would like to thank Rob Zabrecky for inviting me to perform at this event. I would also like to thank Mr. Zabrecky’s wife, Tommi, for making me feel welcome at the Castle. Thank you to BJ Rubin and Martha, for putting me up in their home, and thank you to Arlene Deradoorian, who helped me with a nice breathing exercise. Lastly, thank you to Derek DelGaudio, who seven months ago enthusiastically mentioned that Rob Zabrecky would like my act, thereby setting in motion the events that would lead up this performance at the Magic Castle.

The Suitcase of Wonders, courtesy of The Magic Castle

Peter Ross, Arlene Deradoorian, and BJ Rubin

Fake Cigarettes

9/18/2018

I don’t smoke.

But I like fake cigarettes. Not the kind that are sold to wean you off smoking, or any of those vape devices. I’m talking about the cheap novelty cigarettes that are sold in magic shops (if you can find one of those). They’re the ones that come in blister packs that hang off the rack and look astonishingly like a real lit cigarette. They contain a little powder substance in them, kind of like the white sugar dust found on Bazooka bubble gum pieces. When the fake cigarettes are in your mouth and you gently blow, a puff of the white powder comes out, looking pretty much like a puff of smoke. You can get about thirty or so “puffs” out of one fake cigarette. The “lit” tips of the cigarettes are made of a red crinkly foil that’s very realistic, especially if you keep the cigarette in motion (waving it around with your hand, for example).

I don’t walk around with fake cigarettes in my day to day life. I’m not interested in making people think I smoke, nor am I using them to satisfy an oral craving or calm my nerves (like a fidget spinner). No, I mostly use fake cigarettes precisely as intended by the manufacturer - as a joke.

It started back when I was working at a costume and magic shop in Manhattan called Abracadabra. Bored one day, I opened a pack (two per package) of Puff Puff brand fake cigarettes and popped one in my mouth. I kept it there while I gave over the counter demonstrations of magic tricks. Every now and then I would take a “puff” while showing a trick to a customer. Some people were surprised, wary, or a little incredulous (“Would you please put that out?”), and some people didn’t even mention it. Personally, I thought it added a little old-school New York charm to my magic shop demonstrator persona. Many times I would sell a package of fake cigarettes after someone started asking about mine. You’ve got to demonstrate the joke in order to sell it, right?

One day, I saw in the news that the mayor of New York City had finally outlawed smoking in all restaurants, bars, and most public spaces. A light bulb went off in my head - “Hey, now would be a great time to run a promotion on our fake cigarettes!” I made small, two-sided paper flyers that I put inside the free weekly newspaper boxes around town (Village Voice, New York Press - both publications now extinct). I didn’t notice an increase in sales of fake cigarettes, but then again, that wasn’t really the reason I made the flyers. The whole thing was always about fun.

My fake cigarettes mostly sat in a drawer for years after that Abracadabra job, occasionally coming out if I was going to some event that I wanted to provoke a little reaction for laughs.

When I built the Suitcase of Wonders and started to practice it, I pulled out the Puff Puffs again. I thought it fit the character of P.T. Widdle, the “owner and operator” of the miniature magic theater to have a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he maneuvered the props within. The fake cigarette signals that this is not really a children’s magic show, and it lends the character a sort of weary gravitas; He looks like he’s been doing this act for a long time. That was the sense I wanted to convey, so that the action of what was happening inside the theater seemed even more fantastic.

Now when I perform, I wait until between tricks to pull the fake cigarette from a side drawer of the Suitcase and pop it in my mouth, apparently already lit! It hangs from my lips for the two minutes or so as I set up the next trick. If there are children watching, I may leave it out of the act, but sometimes I don’t, as I believe the cigarette is part of the character, and I feel weird censoring myself for the sake of political correctness. I’ve never had a parent say anything; I think they recognize that it is part of the performance.

Magic using real cigarettes used to be a staple among sleight-of-hand magicians for many years. Obviously though, cigarette magic has long since been retired from magicians’ repertoires. That’s a shame, as it is mesmerizing to watch the manipulations of a master magician using this small cylindrical object, especially when one end of it is dangerously hot! I believe the magician Teller still does a smoking routine with real cigarettes, but I am not aware of any magicians using Juuls in their act these days, at least not yet. Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone eating cigarettes for years either, and I don't expect to ever again.

I am not in any hurry to add fake cigarette sleight of hand magic to my act, but I might someday, if only as a nod to the forgotten art, but also because it seems like something the character P.T. Widdle would do. Until then, I’ll continue to use fake cigarettes as a simple prop, and as the occasional joke at a dinner party or in a public space. Those looks on people’s faces - priceless.

Feats With Rope

8/21/2018

[Editor’s Note: I, Smallini, am handing over this diary entry to Mr. Widdle (the owner and operator of the Suitcase of Wonders), so that he may talk about his recent magic performance while on vacation. Take it away, Mr. Widdle!]

Last week I had the pleasure of performing a small set of rope magic for a group of about eighty campers at a bucolic family campground in Acadia, Maine. This one-week retreat was the highlight of the summer as my family and I enjoyed hiking, camping, and lake and beach activities in this wonderful environment. At the end of the week, there was a talent show with acts including singing, ukulele-playing, a trombone and piano piece, Haiku reading, a comedy sketch, and myself performing, “Feats With Rope!” This routine is made up of four small, old rope magic tricks that I strung (Ha!) together for this occasion. On their own, these tricks aren’t very strong, but performed together as part of this theme, they each came off very well, garnering “Ahh”s and much applause throughout.

Feats With Rope!

I am seated at the front of the room facing the audience. I am holding a two-foot long piece of rope between my hands.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Peter Ross and tonight I’m going to show you some feats with rope!”

With that line I stick out out my legs and toss the rope onto my ankles. Some groans from the audience at the pun, but also much laughter.

“Ok, let’s begin for real.”

I take back the rope and hold it between my two hands again.

Feat Number One

“Let's’ say you’re in a canoe and you have a piece of rope and you need to tie a knot in it.”

I tie a simple knot in the middle of the rope.

“Ok, that’s easy enough. Not very remarkable.”

I untie the knot and drape the rope over my left hand in preparation for the classic one-handed knot maneuver.

“But let's’ say you only have one hand to tie this knot. The other hand is otherwise occupied holding a book.”

With my right hand I pick up a hardcover book off the floor and hold it open.

“Ok, so you’re in a canoe, you’re reading a book, but you also have this knot that you have to tie. I know, this is a common predicament.”

I am sitting in the chair with my left hand raised holding the rope draped over it, while my right hand is holding an open book.

“And not only do you have to tie this knot with one hand, you also need to do it quickly because you’ve just reached an exciting part of the book and you don’t want to stop reading for too long.”

“So let’s see how this might happen.”

I look back and forth between the book and the rope three times. There is much laughter from the audience as they imagine me sitting in a canoe in this ridiculous situation. On the third time I look at the rope I pause and then commence with the lighting-fast, one-handed knot. Cheers and applause erupt from the audience. I toss the rope to a boy in the front row and shout, “Feats with rope!” He passes the rope around for people to see it’s a real knot.

[Editor’s Note: I really like how Mr. Widdle turned the old one-handed knot stunt into a fleshed out, funny little piece. And by the way, Mr. Widdle tells me that it is a bit harder to execute the one-handed knot sitting down (while holding a book with the other hand) rather than the common standing position.]

Feat Number Two

“Let’s say you’re standing on the swimming dock holding three pieces of rope. First, you have this tiny, splindly piece that’s really no use for anything. Then you have this medium-sized piece that could be pretty useful. Finally, you have a long piece of rope that’s maybe a bit too long for what you want to do.”

I am standing now, holding three pieces of rope of different lengths in my left hand, in preparation for performing “Professor's Nightmare,” a classic of rope magic.

“So you’re standing on the swimming dock, holding three pieces of rope. Why you’re standing on a dock holding three pieces rope, I don’t know, but there you are.”

“The thing is, the ropes are different lengths, and you need them all to be the same length for what you will be doing. Again, I don’t know what you’re going to do with the ropes, but I’m sure it’s an important project.”

“You don’t have scissors to cut them all to the same size, so you have to try it another way. You bring up the ends of the rope into your hands like this...then, and this is where you need some strength, you stretch all the ropes to be one length.”

I perform the “stretch” showing all the ropes to be the same size. Gasps of astonishment are heard from the audience. I then “count” the three ropes to again prove they’re the same length.

As I ball up the ropes in my hands, I say,

“Just remember if you happen to ball up the ropes and toss them aside, they will return to different lengths again.”

More “Ahh”s from the audience. Applause.

“Feats with rope!”

Feat Number Three

“Ok, let’s say you’re walking on the beach and you have this piece of rope.”

Laughter from the audience at yet another ridiculous scenario in a setting that they’ve all experienced this previous week. I am holding a coiled three-foot length of rope.

“You’ve got this rope, but what you realize is that you need a long stick instead. And you don’t see any sticks on this beach. So what you can do (which many people don’t realize is possible), is that you can hypnotize rope. You do it like this.”

I slowly uncoil the rope so that I am holding it horizontally by the middle of it. It is perfectly straight, like a stick [Editor’s Note: Magicians will recognize this trick as the old “Stiff Rope”].

“Ooo”s from the audience.

“Please don’t try this with a snake.”

“You see? The rope is perfectly straight now, and useful for whatever you need it for. I’m not really sure what that is.”

“But remember, in this hypnotized state the rope is sensitive to loud noises.”

I snap my fingers and the rope returns to its coiled up original state. Applause.

“Feats with rope!”

Feat Number Four

“For this last feat I need the assistance of two volunteers.”

I call up two people who stand to the left and right of me, each holding an end of a twelve-foot rope.

“Ok, let’s say you’re on a hike and you see some blueberries on the side of the trail. You want to pick those blueberries, but for some reason there are two people holding a rope blocking your way.”

“So what do you do? Well, of course, you politely ask the people to please lower the rope so you can get to the blueberries.”

I ask each person to please lower the rope and then I step over it and pretend to pick some blueberries.

“Ok, now you want to get back on the trail, but the rope is blocking your way again, and you don’t want to draw attention to yourself again because really, you’re not supposed to leave the trail on a hike, right?”

“So what you can do (and this can be a bit dangerous, but with practice it can work), is you can slowly...pull the rope...through your body.”

I pick up the rope in the center from behind and pull it through my torso to the front. [Editor’s Note: Magicians will recognize this trick as, “Rope Through the Body”]

Gasps of amazement from the audience and then applause as I gather the rope up, take a bow, and say,

“Feats with rope! Thank you!”

[Editor's Note: I must commend Mr. Widdle on this routine, as he took several rope tricks that many magicians would consider too old or too corny (One-Handed Knot, Stiff Rope, Professor’s Nightmare, Rope Through Body) and combined them into one presentation that was well-suited for the audience and setting at which he was performing. In addition, this routine allows for the switching out of rope effects to perform again for the same or similar crowd, as almost any rope trick can be considered a “Feat with rope!” For example, next time, he might consider using the Linking Ropes, as that also has comedic possibilities within this routine.]

Magic At Coney

8/2/2018

Last month, I had the pleasure of performing once again at the Coney Island Museum as part of their wonderful Magic at Coney!!! Sunday afternoon magic series.

This steady program of magic seems to fly under the radar in terms of showing up on weekly lists of magic shows in New York City. However, they do seem to fill up their modest house of fifty or so patrons every week.

Once again I was positioned in a corner of the museum where I performed pre-show, during intermission, and a little bit after the main show. The host of the festivities, magician Lee Alan Barrett promoted my appearance by declaring,

“Please visit the back of the museum at intermission where Smallini, the world’s tiniest magician, will make an elephant disappear!”

This being a summer month meant that the famous Coney Island Sideshow was performing on the floor right beneath us, and that patrons of the magic show received a discount to the sideshow. Not a bad deal.

I loved arriving at Coney Island (early, to get a good parking spot), and having a snack on the boardwalk before the museum opened to the public. At that hour the beach isn’t crowded yet, and you can see the the workers getting the rides and attractions ready in Luna Park. It just gave me a nice feeling going in to the show.

Performing the Suitcase of Wonders at the Coney Island Museum is really a special experience that always makes me feel the rich history of that place.

Mini Mirror Box

7/23/2018

I am happy to report that the first version of a Smallini-sized mini mirror box has been completed, and I am intrigued with the results. As readers of this Diary may recall from a very early entry (now accessible within the pages of the "Look Into My Act" book), I wanted to build a box to vanish the head of a decapitated princess for my Princess and Magician illusion. The classic and simple mirror box magic prop seemed to be the answer, provided I could fabricate one for my small scale.

I designed the box in the Tinkercad software and 3D printed it in solid white plastic. After several tries, I laser cut a correctly sized piece of mirror for placement in the box. I then experimented with different interior fabrics and papers until I came up with the black walls with gold stripes. The illusion of emptiness looks great even at that small size. Lastly, I decorated the exterior of the box with patterned paper and a white bead on top.

I can now postulate that at roughly one inch square, this is most likely the smallest mirror box in the world. Under the lights of the Suitcase of Wonders miniature magic theater, the tiny mirror box looks terrific. It is a welcome addition to the revised Marie Antoinette-themed illusion piece that will have its debut sometime soon.

With how well the mirror box turned out, I am contemplating building a miniature Proteus cabinet next, using modified dollhouse furniture and lighting.

An Evening With David Copperfield

6/17/2018

Last night I attended the kickoff event to the Summer of Magic, a wonderfully promising three-month long program of talks, workshops and films presented by the New York Historical Society here in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the opening talk, An Evening With David Copperfield, turned out to be a disappointing, awkward, and somewhat embarrassing affair.

The evening began well enough, with a stroll through the magic history exhibition. Several dozen pieces from Copperfield’s massive personal collection were on display in the museum’s lobby area. Along with Houdini classics such as the Metamorphosis Trunk and Milk Can, were other crucial historical objects from magic’s golden age, including Thurston's playing cards, Kellar’s Nest of Boxes, and one of Chung Ling Soo’s Bullet Catch rifles. There was even Alexander’s (“The Man Who Knows”) turban. Though small in scope, the exhibition provided an amazing (and rare) glimpse into what is purported to be the largest and most important magic history collection in the world, and privately owned by Copperfield.

A nice touch was a separate “magic shop” area containing a re-creation of a magic display counter that would have existed during Copperfield's youth. Also on view was a balsa wood Floating Cane, made by Fantasio, that was Copperfield's trademark trick when he was a youngster performing as “Davio.” There were even some of his early business cards he used as a kid.

Last, but not least, on display, was Copperfield's imposing Buzzsaw apparatus from one of his TV specials - the circular blade slowly turning and threatening a cardboard cutout of the magician.

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The talk with Copperfield was held in an intimate theater with a full house of about two hundred people. The audience seemed a mix of wealthy New York museum circuit-goers, Copperfield fans, (both young and old, including a few fathers and sons), and general interest magic history buffs. Before entering the theater I met an elderly gentleman who told me he had seen Blackstone Sr. perform! He was delighted when I informed him that I had seen the son, Blackstone Jr.

The stage was the usual interview set-up with two-chairs and a small table. An associate of the museum introduced the moderator, “Congressman Mark Pocan, who represents Wisconsin's 2nd District, has performed magic since the age of 8 and, most recently, has worked with David Copperfield to pass a “Magic as an Art” resolution in Congress.” I knew that Pocan would be moderating, and it was one of the reasons I bought a ticket to this event, thinking that the two of them would discuss this fascinating new magic resolution.

A small red flag of what was to come occured when the museum associate described Copperfield as having sold, “billions of dollars” worth of tickets. She laughed, and said, “I guess that’s history, in a way.” Pocan then came out and said some kind words about Copperfield before showing a little video meant to illustrate how David Copperfield's name has entered into the pop cultural lexicon. There were a few clips from movies (Ant Man) and TV where an actor said something along the lines of, “He pulled a f*cking Copperfield!” or “He Copperfield the sh*t out of it!” I don’t know why, but several of the clips used foul language in conjunction with the lines. There was even a clip from an Apple developers conference where Jony Ive, or one of those guys, said, “I’m gonna pull a Copperfield here,” as he whisked away a cloth to reveal an Apple product. The whole video seemed kind of like a tacky way to begin the talk. Just as it was ending, Copperfield himself bounded onto the stage as (some) people cheered.

Without being prompted by Pocan, Copperfield launched into a monologue about being happy to be here, and some generalities about magic. And then began what would turn out to be the format and content for the entire talk - Copperfield bringing up one of his famous illusions, and then narrating over a video of the illusion from his TV special or Vegas show. At first, I thought, “OK, we’re going to get some background on Copperfield and see a few of his illusions - this will probably last for twenty minutes or so” (of the one-hour talk). For instance, clips from the famous Disappearing Statue of Liberty illusion were shown, including also, ones from The Americans TV show, where an entire episode was based around the trick. Copperfield was rightly proud of this homage, and he told the story of how he co-wrote the “liberty” speech from that trick with Frank Capra (no mention of the illusion’s creator, Jim Steinmeyer).

There was a lot of what seemed like name dropping, including mentioning how Copperfield met with the actor Christopher Reeve to ask him for tips on “flying” for his upcoming TV special (The crucial tip: know how to “land” properly), and how Ronald Reagan gave him permission to vanish the statue. Other tricks Copperfield narrated over included the “One” illusion from his Vegas show, a motorcycle disappearance, Snowstorm in China from a TV show, the Buzzsaw illusion, and of course, his famous Flying illusion. All of these were interesting to some extent, but as the evening progressed, it became clear that this was the talk. At some point, Copperfield did speak a little about the treasures he brought for the exhibition, but even then, it seemed more about him than the artifacts or history. For example, in talking about the Houdini memorabilia in the museum’s lobby, he brought up that Houdini’s house in Harlem was recently sold, and that he, Copperfield, had purchased Houdini’s bookcases from the home. He said that was “cool” because he also owned Houdini’s books, and that once the refurbishments on the bookcases were finished in a week or so, the books would go back onto their original bookcases. He received a smattering of applause for that.

At no time during the entire hour was the “Magic as an Art” congressional resolution even mentioned. And after the “Flying” illusion and narration ended, so did the talk, with no question and answer period.
When the lights came up, I turned to the two gentlemen who were seated next to me. Before the talk I had learned that one of them was a magic collector and fan of Copperfield, and his friend was a professional magician who worked in Long Island and Queens. They were as shocked as I was, with one mentioning, “It was a history of Copperfield rather than a history of magic.” Indeed it was, and that wouldn’t necessary be a bad thing, except that this was the opening talk for a summer-long historical magic event at the New York Historical Society. It was just outright odd and awkward for the talk to be completely centered on Copperfield himself. After all, the description for the talk was described thusly in the museum’s brochure and website:

“Magic has the power to inspire, amaze, and make the impossible a reality. How did sleight of hand and grand illusion evolve into one of the most fascinating and intricate performance arts in history? In an illuminating conversation with Congressman Mark Pocan, the world-renowned magician David Copperfield uncovers the history of magic from its origins, including well-known figures such as Georges Melies and Harry Houdini.”

Finally, I don’t want to judge Copperfield’s character or motives, but I would be remiss not to mention that everything that came out of his mouth sounded practiced and staged. It was kind of eerie. Every story seemed like he had told it a million times before. What should have been a casual conversation came off as a performance. I’ll just say it: Copperfield seemed very vain and fake. It was uncomfortable to watch, and you could feel the uncomfortableness in the audience as well, especially during the second half of the hour when it became apparent that this was the Copperfield show, not an intellectual discussion of magic history or magic’s place in the arts.

I have seen David Blaine being interviewed live at the New York Public Library, and Ricky Jay being interviewed live at the Paley Center for The Arts. Both were sincere, thoughtful and spontaneous (and both performed magic, by the way). Copperfield, speaking at an event with a clear historical theme, was the opposite of those magicians. Sadly, he comes across as a very wealthy, kind of over-the-hill, highly vain entertainer, who still performs, “660 shows a year,” including, it seems, this one.

A Music Box

6/13/2018

In between illusions performed by me, Smallini, in the Suitcase of Wonders, there is usually a brief period of one or two minutes during which the previous illusion is struck and the next one is set up, all behind the lowered curtain.
During this time there is an easel with a title card set out front announcing the next piece. Sometimes I will also leave program cards out and an open box of candy for the audience to help themselves while they are waiting.

In the past I have had some music playing through the theater's speakers during these brief intermission periods. But now I am going to try something a little different. Mr. Widdle will be placing a music box out front with the other items. After winding it up, the box will play a little tune while a turntable on top slowly spins. A curious object of interest will be on the turntable to view during this time.

Mr. Widdle and I have designed and crafted our own music box for this purpose, as we saw nothing like it available on the market. We are fortunate to have access to an astounding new piece of equipment called a Glowforge laser cutter that we used to create the wooden enclosure for this music box. The actual music box was purchased as part of a set of eight that play different tunes. We attached one of them to the bottom of the box using velcro so that we can switch out music boxes from the enclosure when it suits us. In addition, we replaced the winding key with a turntable that fits into the music box's winding shaft. Finally, we added a little red velvet on top to finish it off.

This arrangement not only allows us to play different tunes, but to also display different objects as we see fit. I think this custom music box will provide an additional amusement during magic intermission periods that audiences will hopefully appreciate.

Symphonie Fantastique

5/28/2018

The other night myself and Mrs. Smallini attended a performance of Basil Twist’s Symphonie Fantastique at the HERE Arts center in Soho. We were both thoroughly entertained by this masterly display of abstract puppetry, conducted entirely underwater.

I had once performed the Suitcase of Wonders in the lobby of HERE back in 2005. It is a wonderful institution that nurtures, as their website states, “innovative hybrid live performance in theatre, dance, music, puppetry, media and visual art.” That same year I appeared at HERE, I also remember seeing, “The Fortune Teller,” an amazing marionette play by Eric Sanko (with music by Danny Elfman). HERE is a small cultural treasure in New York City, and I vow not to let so much time pass again before attending another performance there.

Symphonie Fantastique was truly a sublime joy to behold. We sat in a small darkened theater facing a lighted crushed red velvet curtain measuring only approximately five feet by five feet. This is the kind of scale of theater that I, Smallini, identify with, and enjoy watching. The only other object visible was a Steinway grand piano set off to the side of curtain.

The evening began with the entrance of a man clad in black - the esteemed American pianist, Christopher O' Riley. As he began playing, the red curtain rose to present (from Mr. Twist’s website):

“...an intimate show set to the five movements of Hector Berlioz's 19th century classical composition of the same name. The hour-long Symphonie is performed entirely in a specially constructed water tank. The puppeteers manipulate feathers, glitter, plastics, vinyl, mirrors, slides, dyes, blacklight, overhead projections, air bubbles, latex fishing lures to deliver a concert of forms, shapes and moving colors.”

As Basil Twist, the creator of Symphonie Fantastique, mentioned in the program for the show, it is a challenge to create an abstract puppet show. What would that look like? How would it be experienced? Having seen this performance, I find myself asking the same questions about an abstract magic show. What would that look like? Are all magic shows inherently abstract to begin with because the performance of magic is an inherently abstract experience? When I vanish an elephant, or produce rabbits from a nondescript cabinet, what is that if not abstract live theater? I love that this show is causing me to think along these lines.

Photo: Richard Termine

I was reminded of conjuring-style magic more than once during Symphonie Fantastique. A large part of the visuals consisted of colorful flowing silks. Silk magic! Part of the experience of a typical magic show in the 19th century was the aesthetics of the production items. Audiences marveled not only at the deception of the illusions, but also at the variety and bounty of the items produced out of thin air: silks, flowers, flags, (fake) snow. There seems to be less of that these days, as more magicians look to simplicity and realism to make connections with their audiences.

Of course, I was reminded of one magic item in particular - the Dancing Hank, performed memorably on stage and on TV by legendary magicians Doug Henning and Blackstone Jr. Magicians, imagine the Dancing Hank performed underwater! An in multiples. Add some well-lighted globs of mylar, and you have a weird, spooky, magically abstract scene. But description really don't do justice to the poetic imagery of Symphonie Fantastique. Or the music.

I cannot imagine this show without the piano virtuosity of Christopher O' Riley. Looking like a twisted musical twin of actor Victor Garber, the silver-haired O’ Riley provided more than just live musical accompaniment to the show. More than once I found myself looking at O’ Riley madly playing the keys, instead of gazing at the water tank. And in between acts, when the curtain was lowered, O’ Riley commenced with some strange silent, acting-type movements. He was like a character out of a David Lynch movie, sometimes grinning disturbingly at the audience, sometimes pantomiming to the air.

Photo: Carol Rosegg

When the show ended, and O’ Riley, perspiring and hair askew, took his bow, the puppeteers came out, and joined him for the applause. They were wearing black wetsuits. Why? Were they in the tank at times during the performance, and we didn't see them? How did they accomplish some of those amazing synchronized underwater puppet dances? We could have left then, asking ourselves those questions, like at the end of a magic show. But to our surprise, the audience was immediately invited for a quick tour backstage! Single-file we were led up and behind the water tank, where puppeteers proudly showed us some of the methods used to create the effects in the show. They answered questions as they cautioned us to take care not to slip on the wet surface. I, for one, was surprised to see the elaborate harness hook-ups used by the puppeteers to move above the tank. The peek backstage was a delightful and surprising ending to the evening’s performance.

Again, I found myself wondering what if a magic show did the same thing? To offer a peek tour backstage immediately after a performance? For some magicians, that would simply be unheard of. Preposterous, they would cry. But would it be, really? The Symphonie Fantastique puppeteers gave the audience a choice, after all. Some did leave right away, without going backstage. I find myself pondering and admiring that artistic choice. So much of what magic is, is forever unseen by the audience. For those that choose to, a peek behind the curtain could enhance the appreciation of the art. But the secrets, magicians will point out. They will be revealed! Secrets over art. Is that a dictum no audience member of a magic show is ever allowed to challenge? Something to think about.

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