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A
Magical Variety Show - 23rd October 2011
See some of the
country’s best magic acts in an evening of live
magic and spellbinding audience participation.
Featuring
John Archer and Graham P Jolley
– the men who fooled Penn and Teller on Penn
& Teller: Fool Us (ITV1), dance troupe
The Mazeppa Cossacks,
international escapologists and illusionists
Amethyst and one of Britain’s
funniest comedians Billy Pearce.
The Nottingham
Guild Of Magicians are committed to the art of
variety theatre. They have produced shows at
various venues in Nottingham for over 15 years
and now present their first show at the
Nottingham Playhouse.
Tickets can be
booked online at
www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk or click on
the poster.
The Nottingham Guild of
Magicians Close Up and Brian Holland Stage Competition Thursday 1st
July 2010
As the audience gradually
moved from the bar area into the theatre it was obvious everyone was in
for a treat that evening. The tables were beautifully set out,
with plenty of food and candle centre displays to help set the scene.
Once everyone was settled Graham Harper welcomed us all to the evening
and introduced us to those who would be providing the entertainment
around the tables. Although there were ten performers only six
were actually taking part in the competition. The competitors were
Ricky Gardiner, Rhys Smith, Shane Morrison, Carl Wilkinson, Marcel Burn
and Abdul Khalifa. From the reactions around the room it was
obvious that every table was well entertained and all the acts were very
well received. The competitors themselves entertained with a mix
of cards, coins, classics of magic and generally good entertainment,
with various predictions being made, and even rings being found in Kiwi
fruit! Between each performance at the tables Graham kept us
amused with his stories and light hearted banter, and the food was
enjoyed by all.
There was a short break
following the close up competition which allowed the audience to get
some air, the heat was very intense during the evening and although this
may have made some feel a little uncomfortable it certainly did not
spoil the evening in any way.
Once we were all again
seated the stage competition began. This time there were four
performers and each one had a completely different style of magic.
Matt Arnold, Nick Brunger, Carl Leek and Rhys Smith had obviously all
worked hard to ensure they gave their best. One concentrated on
the magic of the mind, one on comedy, one on general and one included a
large illusion. Again the audience were well entertained and it
was obvious from the reactions that this was yet another magical
experience for all those present.
The judges had a difficult
job to separate the acts, with there being different styles and
approaches, and it took a while for the marks to be counted.
During this time 16 year old Mandy Fletcher from Glasgow entertained the
audience with her Scottish act, carrying on her family tradition.
Finally the marks were in,
and the audience congratulated all those who had taken part. The
winner of the Close Up Competition was Ricky Gardiner and the winner of
the Stage Competition, winning the Brian Holland Trophy, was Rhys Smith.
Everyone was in agreement with the results and the final applause was
not just for the winners but for all the performers who had taken part.
This was a very successful
evening. It is very unusual for a Close Up Competition and Stage
Competition to be held on the same night and the set up for the evening
gives the performers very authentic working conditions. With
everyone sitting around large tables the close up setting is ideal for
the performers having to work in a ‘real’ situation, and then the stage
competition is a cabaret style but with stage facilities. I am
sure this is a unique situation for a club competition and the
Nottingham Guild of Magicians should be congratulated for the amount of
thought and effort that has gone into arranging such an environment in
which the competitors can perform.
Particular mention should
be made of the organiser, Andrew Morrison, for ensuring that all was set
in time for the start of the evening, as there was an immense amount of
preparation required within the venue. Thanks is also given
to Dawn May and her team of helpers who prepared the food and ensured
that everyone had sufficient on their table.
Well done to everyone who
took part in this event, and congratulations to the winners. I am
sure that everyone is already wanting to book their ticket for the next
one.
M. Fletcher
Glasgow
A
Magical Variety Show February 28th 2010
The
Nottingham Guild of Magicians presented their Magical Variety Show at
the Nottingham Arts Theatre on the 28th February 2010, and once again it
was a roaring success.
Opening
the evening was a truly wonderful and dynamic performance from Paul
Dabek and his doves; who wowed the audience with his flare and magical
ability. This was followed by John Dornan, the winner of The Nottingham
Guild’s Stage Competition last July. John, known for his “one-liners”,
had the audience laughing along with him, especially when he had an
unsuspecting gentleman searching for a card that was stuck on John’s
forehead at the time.
The third
act was Neil Haywood, bringing a change to the show with a fantastic
vocal comedy impression of Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. To conclude the
first part of the show, there was a hysterically funny performance by
John Kimmons and his puppet Charlie. This ventriloquist had us all in
stitches when he invited two members of the audience on stage and had
them wear animated masks whilst giving them funny voices and dialogue.
We then
had a short interval before being delighted with the stylish and
graceful magic of Su Jayne, whose act included roses, umbrellas and
linking rings. The compere for the evening, Graham Harper, who had been
keeping the audience entertained between acts, now gave a riveting
performance of his own. He got a lady to shoot at a pack of cards and
then found her card with two bullet holes in within the middle of the
pack. The pace of the evening changed once again when Martyn James and
Company finished the second part of the show. They performed some
sensational illusions and the comedy aspect of the performance added to
the audiences delight, as they escaped from ropes, barbed wire and
barrels.
After
another second short interval, the last part of the show commenced with
Paul Dabek illuminating the audience with creative and imaginative
shadow puppets using solely his hands. Paul was followed by the return
of Neil Haywood, who gave us a decidedly different look at how magicians
can dress! After inviting a young lady on stage to help him, Neil, in
stockings and suspenders, proceeded to put a sword through her neck;
very difficult with everyone laughing so much!
The last
act of the evening, the hugely popular Jimmy Cricket, kept the audience
amused with his individual brand of humour. He was wearing his trademark
cut-off evening trousers and wellies and doing his “one-liners” and
impressions whilst juggling; it was a wonderful finale to the show.
With
magicians, vocalists, ventriloquists and comedians, it’s great to see
variety back in our theatres. Thanks must be given to Andrew Morrison
for all his hard work and effort in directing the show, and also to Roy
Bond and Graham Colvan for their work backstage. Well done to The
Nottingham Guild of Magicians for producing an exceptional evening of
entertainment.
D.
Lewis
Ilkeston, Derby.
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The Nottingham Guild of Magicians