For 50 years, the Bristol Society of Magic has been staging a one day convention, so it knows a thing or two about organising such an event. Therefore, it was no surprise that a record number of magicians gathered for this special celebratory day.
Unusually for these times, it was stage magic which dominated. In the gala show, Rafael from Belgium, dressed in a check suit, entered riding on a motorised tricycle and then proceeded to produce doves from unusual places like a picture book, his shoe and even his wig. He took steel rings which seemed to link and unlink of their own accord. Finally, he covered the dove cage which slowly grew in height before producing a beautiful girl dressed in white feathers.
In a second spot to close the show, he presented a vampire-themed act set in a graveyard. He made his entrance by rising out of a coffin, and while various other effects took place like a box being wheeled on by a skeleton and a girl seemingly floating around, before going into a stunning illusion whereby the girl sitting on a couch is cut in half. Then hey presto, when the screen is removed her upper half is on one side of the couch and her lower half in its original position, including having her legs crossed. She is finally restored to one piece.
Graham Jolley is a master of mental magic which he combines with much wit and humour. He correctly predicted thought of cards and numbers, words from a freely chosen book, then, as he turned his back, had a spectator take a number of coloured snooker balls and place them in various pockets of their jacket and then told him which pocket each ball was in. As a finale, he speedily did a magic square which correctly matched a number thought of by a member of the audience.
Playing the part of a French market porter, Pilou produced apples and cards of varying size which filled the stage in a fast moving and brilliant manipulative act. No wonder he is a world prize-winning magician.
Roy Davenport recreated the act of his great grandfather Lewis Davenport. In this he vanished wands, manipulated billiard balls and thimbles, vanished the cover of an umbrella only to magically restore it and produced coils of paper from a tambourine ring, all interspersed with colour changing waistcoats, and performed in the exaggerated style of the late 19th century.
John Kimmons provided a break from magic with his ventriloquism and a routine using two members of the audience as dummies which had the audience splitting their sides with laughter.
The show was emceed by Tony Stevens with some great comedy including his cameo based on a Sinatra’s Come Fly with Me, whereby to the words of the song he produced various comedy props.
The Tiffany Dancers were brilliant as they opened each half with some show-stopping routines and the Ambassadors of Jazz provided lively music prior to the start and during the interval.
There was so much more like the close-up show which featured the truly magical Michael Vincent who made coins pass from one hand to the other, performed the famous Three-Card Monte and made cards change suits with the flick of a finger.
Etienne Pradier provided comedy with a cup and little ball, and David Stone made a coin change to a mobile phone, and did a great routine with a cigarette and a lighter.
Mandy David hosted a workshop for young magicians, former television favourite Geoffrey Durham gave a lecture on the presentation of magic that included a number of tricks from his repertoire, and comedy club favourite Ian Keable presented a one-man show which included a borrowed bill being revealed in a lemon.
It was a great day, but perhaps the best piece of magic came from David Penn in the dealers fair where a brass nut visibly unscrewed itself from a bolt held in the hand.
The day was organised by Paul Praeger, Barrie Savage, Mandy Farrell and Simon Lane. Mel Moore presided.
Winter Gardens and Playhouse Theatre, Weston Super Mare
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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