From Ring Reporter Peter Rodgers.
October 19th 2021.
It’s October 2021 and we are still in a Covid-19 lockdown, however we expect to be back to our normal meeting format in the Chatswood hall from our next meeting. Tonight though its an online Zoom show.
Our Secretary Conway Restom had volunteered to organise this online magic show replacing our usual meeting. For the last couple of months he has been contacting other magic groups throughout Australia and internationally requesting them to help promote our free show. He has organised the performers, both members of ring 102 and friends of our club throughout Australia. He has requested member Jeffrey Clark to look after the technical issues and our friend Alan Cullen to design a poster for the show, now to be called, “The Magic of Oz”.
The show was introduced by Peter Wood who welcomed our viewers and explained the Zoom procedures before introducing our MC, Conway Restom. The first performer, Joel Howlett is from Newcastle, ninety minutes to our north. Joel produced a dove, turned silks into ribbons, produced a cane, more ribbons, a fountain of silks and ended his set with the production of a butterfly “Good By Silk”, a great start to our show. Tim Ellis from Melbourne instantly solved a Rubic Cube, vanished and then produced salt from a twenty dollar note and performed an invisible card to envelope effect before concluding with a simple multiplying golf ball routine. Bruce Glenn performed John Bannon’s classic Twisted Sisters and a mental effect with imaginary coins. A spectator then mysteriously chose the only red backed card in a blue backed deck.
A video clip of a much younger Peter Wood from the Sing Me a Rainbow television show was shown with Peter performing the Zig Zag. Phil Cass was brought on early because of a slight technical problem. Phill for many years was Australia’s top club and corporate magician. During the 1990’s he appeared many times on the top rating New South Wales televisions version of “The Footy Show”. Phil spoke of how he originally got this prestige and lucrative gig. He the showed a clip of one of his performances on the Footy Show assisted by Phillipa his long term assistant. The clip included condensed versions of many of the well known bits from Phil’s show including a watch steal, the Electric Chair and the Cut and Restored Tie and Duck production.
Belladonna has been active in the Sydney magic scene for some years but has only recently joined our ring. She commenced her act with an audience participation mathematical routine using the fingers of everyone’s hand. Dan Harlan’s Starcle followed then the levitation of a feather on her hand. She closed with Lossander’s Floating Table. With our technical problems solved Sean Taylor was introduced. Today was Sean’s birthday but he was happy to be working for us instead of celebrating with his family. Sean commenced in his usual relaxed but very professional style with a comedy “Just Chance” (Bank Night) routine and ended with a prediction that had been on display in a bottle from the start of his performance. Allan Cullen in his character as Bubble 07 presented magic with soap bubbles. It was a nice change of pace and Allan produced various patterns and seemingly impossible designs such as square bubbles and bubbles within bubbles, some filled with smoke making volcanic type effects.
Dr Taliesin’s (Tal Coward) act was pure close up sleight of hand with coins. He started with a purse frame which he claimed contained two invisible coins which he then produced. He then amazed us with various coins through the table and coin transposition effects. Rosanna from Melbourne performed the Gypsy Thread with the string hanging from a balloon. She then performed Out of this World with beads and glasses instead of playing cards before producing silk scarves from a newspaper. The closing act was Adam Mada who commenced by showing a couple of stage theatrical effects, not magic but very interesting. He watered his stage setting of plants and flowers and they all came to life. He then showed a huge mock up magic book and the pages moved as if they were straight out of a Harry Potter stage show. Adam then presented his confused version of any drinks called for from a tea kettle with the chosen drink, some strawberry milk being finally produced in its own container from the now empty kettle.
Conway made his final appearance to thank all his performers along with Jeffery Clark for controlling the Zoom technology, Allan Cullen for producing the poster and everyone else involved in this extravaganza. I would also like to join him and send my thanks to everyone involved but also to Conway himself. It was Conways idea, energy and motivation that got this show off the ground. We had close to 240 viewers, mainly throughout Australia but with some international attendees. To close the event Scott Radburn of the famous Four Kingsman musical group performed a silk to cane cameo.
Peter Rodgers
Sydney Magic Club 