President Hunter Gaul filled us in on the final plans for this year’s Cavalcade of Magic fund raiser show. We’ll share the profits with our host, the Hancock United Methodist Church on November 16th. Should be a great night of magic.
Then we welcomed a true gentleman of magic, Jay Scott Berry. Starting with wonderful background music, he produced large coins, made them vanish and reappear effortlessly. He then made something from nothing, a long silk streamer from his bare hands. He tied two silk scarves into knots, and then had the knots switch places onto the opposite colored scarf. Jay explained that the experience of live magic makes it real. The magician is an artist, who “paints upon the imagination.” He takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.
Jay explained that the magic he shared this evening can be done on stage, or in strolling situations. He showed us how to start clean, and end clean, ready to perform many of the effects again. Jay said that only live magic can create the moments of wonder.
Using the “Cloaking gimmick” Jay did miracles with a superb bill switch, sponge balls, and silks.
Sales of his effects went briskly at the break and at the end of the night. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the extra routines on the two DVDs that I bought. The interesting feature of the DVDs that Jay sells with his effects is that they are wordless – he clearly demonstrates every subtlety and move on the videos. Thanks for sharing the wonder of live magic, Jay Scott Berry.
2013 CAVALCADE OF MAGIC
On November 16, we worked with the people at our host site, Hancock United Methodist Church, to produce our Ring #6 Cavalcade of Magic. The church has bought new backstage curtains, and earlier some of us helped to repair the main curtain and lights to create a very nice performance area. We had two shows, one in the afternoon and one later in the evening. This report outlines the nighttime show.
Fred Siegel acted as a true Master of Ceremonies for the show, keeping things moving along with a nice balance of humor, a little magic, and even singing. Mort Feldman opened the evening show with a masterful silk routine to music. He did a silk to cane, then enchanted a hankie, which danced around a briefcase, a dark scarf, and even into a bottle.
Jack Schultz performed a mental effect by asking for an audience member’s birthday, then having a card selected. Each page in a pocket calendar had the name of a card on it. And guess what, the card selection matched the date! Ed Schmitt showed a fast-paced Pom Pom rod, then tried over and over again to make a small ghost hankie vanish. His helper from the audience laughed hysterically as Ed had to continually go and “get a bigger wand.” The last wand was 10 feet long, and finally made the hankie vanish.
David Hale took on the role of a TV pitchman as he demonstrated his Kitchen Magician chopper – actually a 6 foot high head chopper! Fortunately, it acted as he advertised, and went through the neck of a volunteer without removing his head! Bill and Sue McElveney had a nicely scripted, and gently funny routine where Bill cut Sue’s necktie in half, and Sue returned the “favor” by cutting his tie. Bill instantly restored the tie with a wave of his hand.
Juggler Al Angelo finished the first half of the show with a display of his talents using various items, including a tennis ball, croquet ball, and bowling ball.
Ralph Armstrong began part two with a classic silk and color changing liquid routine. As music played, Ralph silently changed the color of water in large goblets, and then took silks from the stems and placed them into a small tube. When he blew through the tube, the silk changed into the color of the goblet.
Hunter Gaul demonstrated the impossible – passing solids through solids! Using a helper from the audience, he inflated a balloon inside a small tube, then poked large spikes through the tube and balloon without the balloon bursting. Then with appropriate music, he place an Egyptian box onto the head of the young volunteer, and poked it through with large swords, then opened the box to show that the boy’s head was not there! Hunter closed the doors to the box, removed the blades, and the boy was in one piece.
Masterful as always, Dick Gustafson did a variety of classic effects in his special style. He began with a Chinese Wish Paper (the old Laundry Ticket) updated with a nice story as he tore and restored the paper. He showed the old Clippo Effect, fooling all in the audience as the newspaper continually restored itself after he cut it. A clean cut and restored rope effect set the stage for a story about Dick’s “Uncle Mandrake” and how he made a large Die vanish and appear in the Sucker Die Box. Unlike many routines, Dick made this a mystifier.
Peter Cuddihy brought his pet vent bird Claude to help him with magic and funny stories. Claude produced four magic flowers, and then helped Peter to find a card that had been selected and dropped into a hat.
Guest Jeff Carson finished the show with several classics done in a fun fashion. He made a knot in a rope not there, did mentalism with a series of large cards that had household items on them and Jeff predicted the final choice by a spectator. And finally, he showed us Chinese Sticks with “Tissle” and “Tassles” attached, and proceeded to make the strings appear truly magical.
A great evening of magic, and we’ll split the proceeds with our hosts. We look forward to a bigger show next year.
DAVE KELLY, Recording Secretary