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The Magi becomes a proud supporter of MagicWeek
Over the years, The Order of The Magi ‘s news and events has been published on MagicWeek – an online news site for magicians around the world, that has been updated every week for 22 years – and we are extremely grateful to Duncan Trillo for his support in our activities. So when Duncan published that individuals and societies could become a supporter of his site for a small donation towards the running costs, it was with great pleasure that we said “yes!” – a small gesture of thanks to him and his amazing website, for everything he has done for The Magi over the years.
MagicWeek is updated every Saturday with magical news, reviews, private sales, listings of upcoming events and much more – and is an excellent resource for both the amateur and professional magician. If you have an interest in magic, or allied arts, visit MagicWeek – you can thank us later!
100 Years of Sawing a Lady in Half – The Famous Magical Illusion
For 100 years, magicians’ assistants have been feeling a little “saw”!
Sunday 17th January 2021 was the centenary of possibly the most famous magical illusion of all – Sawing a Lady in Half.
First performed in public in 1921 – just 12 years after the founding of The Order of The Magi, by P.T. Selbit at Finsbury Park Empire theatre in London, the illusion has since been adapted countless times.
Some magical historians have suggested that the illusion is much older than PT Selbit’s performance, citing the famous French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin’s Memoirs, written in 1858, where he described a sawing illusion performed by a magician named Torrini. However this description of the illusion is sometimes considered to be a piece of fictional writing.
Broken Wand – John “Sly” Smith
It is with deep sadness we report the passing of John ‘Sly’ Smith at the age of nearly 89 years. He was a member of The Order of The Magi in Manchester and The International Brotherhood of Magicians for 70 years. He was The British Ring President in 2012 and for many years organised the children’s show at The British Ring Convention. John won the Tom Harris Cup for comedy in 1960.
He served with the Royal Engineers in Egypt during the Suez crisis during his National Service and then trained as a civil engineer working for employers which included Redpath and Brown, I.C.I. and Hawker Siddeley. Magic though was always a very large part of his life. He is probably the most well-known children’s entertainer in the Cheshire area, turning eventually into a full time professional. John had television appearances on That’s Life, Potty About Pets and Look North; then on the Radio 4 programme Woman’s Hour talking about magic. He lectured to countless magic societies, and worked with Fred Kaps, Robert Harbin and Harold Taylor.
The funeral will take place in January 2021.
Rest in peace dear friend, the world of magic will remember you fondly for a long time to come.
Geoffrey Newton – PRO
Online Cabaret Challenge
In the middle of a global pandemic, you would think that entertainment as we know it is almost dead… but we have a solution!
In the words of Liza –
What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret!
So we want to set you a challenge!
We want you to give us your ultimate cabaret show… from existing YouTube videos…
Imagine you had an unlimited budget to create your ultimate variety cabaret show… who would you want to watch live?
Find your favourite cabaret style live performances on YouTube, and put them together as a list of links (using the share button and “copy and paste) and send them to our webmaster, who will create a playlist of your perfect online cabaret show and share it on the website and our social media platforms, for everyone to enjoy.
As with any good cabaret show, there should be a variety of acts (so not necessarily just magicians) and your show should last between 25-45 minutes ideally. Think about the order of the acts, and feel free to tell us why you chose the acts you did (if you want to).
Please keep the shows family friendly – a bit of innuendo is acceptable, but we’d like to avoid nudity and swearing… and despite how good you (think you) are as a performer, please don’t send us your own videos – after all, you would be in the audience enjoying the show… not performing!
You can send your list of videos to webmaster@orderofthemagi.co.uk and we will create the playlists to share!
Remember –
Put down the knitting, the book and the broom
It’s time for a holiday
Life is a cabaret, old chum
So come to the cabaret
Presidential Wordsearch Prize Competition
If you include the individuals who have served more than one separate term, The Order of the Magi has had 75 past Presidents, and has just welcomed our 76th President – Darren Lee.
What better way to celebrate, but with a Competition, and a mystery prize!
Below, you will find a Wordsearch including all 75 past Presidents’ surnames – find them all, and you could be the winner of something (seriously – the prize is so mysterious, they haven’t told me what it is!).
We have supplied the wordsearch as both a jpg image and a pdf file to download. Either print the wordsearch out and highlight all the names using a pen, or if you have the software and knowledge, perhaps you could highlight the names digitally in photoshop etc!
Once you have found the names of all 75 magicians who have been president of the oldest magic club in Manchester, email a photo of your finished wordsearch to webmaster@orderofthemagi.co.uk or DM it via our Twitter account or Facebook page.
The Rules:
Completed entries must be received by Midnight on Sunday 31st May 2020 (BST). One entry per person. Members of The Order of The Magi are welcome to enter (except for the Secretary – because he created the Wordsearch, and the Webmaster). The winner will be announced on our Twitter account and informed by Twitter / Facebook / email.
We will randomly draw one lucky winner from the pool of completed & correct entries, on, or shortly after Monday 1st June 2020.
No cash alternative offered to the (as yet unknown) prize. No correspondence will be entered into. Assume that this competition is primarily is for fun. Stay at home and wash your hands. Eat your greens. Listen to your mother – she knows best. We are not laughing at Val Valentino now, are we? The draw for the winner will be done by either the Order of The Magi’s webmaster or secretary.
Introducing our New President for 2020 /21
(and it probably isn’t who you were expecting)
DO YOU KNOW THIS MAGICIAN?
Well you soon will. His name is Darren Lee and he is the new President of The Order of The Magi. Darren has taken over this role, from current (and extended) president David Owen.
As the picture shows, The Magi now has its very own masked magician, but Darren has assured us that he will not be revealing any secrets of magic, via television, Facebook or any other means that come our way in the next 12 months.
Although a relatively newcomer to the society, compared to some of our members Darren is an established children’s entertainer, has already won 2 competitions at the Magi and we look forward to working with him throughout the forthcoming year.
Due to the lockdown and pandemic, and being the responsible society that we are, Darren and David have not been able to meet up in order to hand over the chain of office. This will happen as soon as possible and all the council wish Darren all the best in the forthcoming year.
As you may have been aware, our President Elect, due to take on the role of President this year, was Brian Berry, who after much discussion has decided to remain President Elect for a further 12 months. The members of the council understand that this decision was not taken lightly, and look forward to working with Brian as President in 2021/22.
For the foreseeable future, we are still holding our meetings online.
For more details of our meetings and if you are possibly thinking of becoming a member of The Order of The Magi please contact Mike Sharples on 0161 287 7865 / 0774 8833666 or go to www.orderofthemagi.co.uk
The Order of The Magi 2020 AGM Postponed
The Order of The Magi planned to hold it’s Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 24th March. After much deliberation, the Council have made the decision to postpone the meeting given the current situation. This decision has not been made lightly.
The health and well-being of all our members is our foremost priority, and it is the opinion of the society that to hold an AGM on the planned date would only put pressure on some of our more vulnerable members to attend, or to result in a meeting that didn’t fairly represent the views of all our membership.
Formed in 1909, The Order of The Magi is one of the oldest magic societies in the UK. Throughout the past 110 years, the society has held at least one meeting every month, through some very difficult times, including two World Wars, a record we are extremely proud of, and one that we do not plan to break anytime soon.
Our thoughts are with all performers, crew, and venues around the country that are uncertain about shows and events, and urge you to stay strong.
We are currently keeping a close eye on current events, and will be announcing a new date for the AGM, and other meetings in the near future. In the meantime, if any of our members require anything, please reach out to a member of the Council.
Stay safe.
The Order of The Magi Council
17th March 2020
Our Top Tips for Blackpool Magic Convention
Blackpool Magic Convention is just a few days away now, and many members from The order of The Magi will be travelling from Manchester to Blackpool to enjoy the packed schedule of shows, lectures, and more that is on offer at the world’s biggest magic convention.
Every February, 4,000+ magicians descend on “The Vegas of The North” for a long weekend of magical fun at The Winter Gardens. With three days of wizardry, plus an auction of magic tricks and books, it is the event of the year for magicians.
So what are our top tips for Blackpool Magic Convention?
Wrap up warm, and wear comfy shoes!
Blackpool is in the north of England, and is a seaside resort. It’s likely to be cold, and windy. Whilst all the activities this year take place inside the Winter Gardens, the chances are you won’t be sleeping there, and you will be on your feet for quite some time over the weekend. Take a warm jacket / coat (preferably waterproof) and wear shoes that are comfortable.
Plan your Schedule!
There is so much going on over the weekend, that you are likely to be spoilt for choice. And it would be impossible for the organisers to arrange a schedule that allows everyone to see everything throughout the weekend. We estimate that the convention would need to be on for at least 7 days, to make this possible!
Thankfully the organisers have released a free smartphone app, with a full schedule of the shows, lectures, and more, so you can plan your weekend in advance. It is worthwhile checking out the lists of activities, and if you are not sure whether a lecture or show is going to be “your thing” you can always check out the long list of artistes in the app.
You can download the Official iPhone App Here
And the Google App Here
It doesn’t finish when the Winter Gardens Shuts…
Whilst the events start at around 9am and go on throughout the day until midnight or later, there is always more magic to be found. Many magicians meet up each night in the bar of their B&Bs to chat about the day, show each other tricks, and socialise.
However, there is one place that is famous for Magic in Blackpool during the weekend of the convention – The Ruskin Hotel – where hundreds, possibly thousands of magicians will gather after the convention finishes, to enjoy several more hours of magic, mentalism and the occasional beer! Be warned – it will be extremely busy, but it is worth the visit.
Don’t forget to Eat & Sleep!
We don’t want to sound like your parents, but…
It’s a long weekend with lots of beer flowing, and some very late nights. Whilst you might want to try and be the last person in the hotel bar at 6am, don’t forget that you will need some sleep… and food. It would be a shame to miss a day of the convention because you are catching up on sleep after a very wild night.
Similarly, you aren’t going to get the most out of the weekend if you don’t eat. Thankfully Blackpool has plenty of cafes, restaurants, takeaways, and pasty shops, catering for almost everyone.
Take your Time in the Dealers Hall
We’ve all done it! Wandered around the 150+ magic dealers, and bought something on impulse, only to regret it almost straight afterwards. The dealers are there for the full three days, and most will have plenty of stock with them. Walk around, have a look, watch the demos, and ask questions. Just because you have watched a dealer demonstrate a magic trick, don’t feel that you should have to buy it immediately.
Take some time to consider if you will really use that trick; If it is suitable for you, and your act; or if it will end up in that drawer of unused props. Talk to other magicians and get their advice, and even check out reviews of the effect on sites like The Magic Cafe.
Dealers know that many magicians won’t buy a magic trick until they have walked around the dealers hall at least once. Some magicians won’t buy anything until the Sunday afternoon.
Waiting until Sunday can be a gamble though – sometimes effects that have been advertised as “limited quantity” might sell out early on at the convention. But the flip side is that one or two dealers will reduce their prices on certain items on the Sunday afternoon, just to save them taking stock back with them.
And don’t forget that the dealers are situated around the convention – including the Horseshoe, and Balcony!
Don’t forget your Photo ID!
The organisers of Blackpool Magic Convention are insisting that anyone with a pre-booked ticket presents photo ID on arrival. According to their (very useful) Facebook page, Driving Licences, Passports, Bus Passes, and Work IDs are all acceptable, as long as the name on the ID matches the name on the ticket. This of course might cause issues for those who booked their tickets using their stage names without thought.
Leave the Fire Wallet in your Pocket!
Yes, it’s a magic convention. Yes, it’s a weekend of fun. Yes, we all get excited about Blackpool…
But the poor bar maid who is trying to serve 50+ magicians at the bar is really not going to be impressed when a wallet bursts into flames as a magician pays for their beer! The chances are, she, and every other barstaff in the town will be subjected to fire wallets at least 100 times every day!
Save them the pain, and let them get on with serving someone else who is desperate for a drink.
You know who would like to see a trick? Other magicians…
No matter what your level of experience, don’t be afraid to watch other magicians perform at the convention, and elsewhere, and to show a favourite trick or two of your own. Bar Staff, and Hotel Receptionists might not appreciate lots of magic (but if they ask to see a trick, feel free!), but your fellow magicians will.
You can learn something from any lecture
A big part of the convention is the wide range of lectures that have been arranged. If you find yourself with some spare time, go and see an extra lecture – even if it is about an area of magic that you wouldn’t usually focus on. There is always something you can learn from the masters of their craft.
And whilst we are on the subject of lectures… please don’t sit through a lecture riffling playing cards or messing about on your phone. It can be distracting for others!
Stuff to pack that you might not have thought about
No doubt you’ve already considered taking the usual things – clothes, wash kit, mobile phone, wallet, cash card etc. Here a a few items you might not have considered yet…
- Pain Killers (for the morning after a night in the Ruskin)
- Bottled Water (great for the hotel room)
- Pot Noodles (again, a great addition to the hotel room when you realise you haven’t eaten all day, and it is 3am)
- Phone Power Bank (is your phone’s battery really going to last all day?)
- Hand Sanitizer
- Throat Sweets & Mints
- An Extra Pack of Cards
- Quality Toilet Roll (a must when travelling for our webmaster!)
- Pen & Paper (for making notes at magic lectures, jotting down items you’ve seen in the dealers hall etc)
Enjoy The Magic of Blackpool
It is a long weekend, with lots going on… and if this is your first time going to Blackpool Magic Convention, you are going to love it!
Enjoy the magic!
And if you see a member of The Order of The Magi, say hello!
Useful Links
The Blackpool Magic Convention Website
Hackin’ The Hempen – Another Piece of Magi History Rescued & Researched
(or the link between a group of Manchester magicians & The Sex Pistols!)
Recently, one of our members was lucky enough to be able to obtain a programme from a 1952 production by members of The Order of The Magi, entitled “Hackin’ The Hempen” (subtitled ” A Magical Fantasy”). We are still looking into the origins of such a bizarre show title, and whilst various theories have been suggested, we are keeping an open mind at this time.
The show took place at The Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester on Saturday 18th October 1952, just 1 year after the venue reopened after being damaged in 1940 during the Manchester Blitz.
The Free Trade Hall
Located on Peter Street, The Free Trade Hall is an important part of Manchester’s history. Built in 1853 – 1856, on the site of the Peterloo Massacre (1819), the venue would play host to many famous names over the years – Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, and Winston Churchill, and would be the permanent residence to The Hallé Orchestra.
The Lesser Free Trade Hall
The Lesser Free Trade Hall was a smaller venue, upstairs within the same building, which was to later host the Sex Pistols famous concert in 1976, that inspired many bands including the Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, Happy Mondays and Oasis; as well as being partly responsible for Manchester’s iconic music scene, including The Hacienda, Madchester, Factory Records, and the indie scene:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sex-pistols-50p-gig-manchester-8331165
The Programme and The Show…
As can been seen from the scan below, The programme, costing 3d was decorated with a lovely line drawing of a bearded wizard, dressed in mystical looking robes, surrounded by a cauldron, skull, spell books and other magical items. This drawing was in fact part of the letterhead used in the 1940’s to decorated the society’s “Magi Magazine”.
The Front Inside Cover
Page 1
Centre Pages – The Show
The centre pages detail the order of the evening’s show, and the performers. It appears that the show’s premise was a “History of Magic & Entertainment” starting with Zoroaster, moving through the Magic of Egypt (The Temple of Osiris), Alchemy, Punch & Judy performed by The Order of The Magi’s President Fred A. Taylor – “The Swazzle Man”, and 19th Century Music Hall. The first half of the show was closed by no other than Magical Legend Ken Brooke.
It is interesting to see that the show’s interval lasted only 5 minutes. Today, even in the smallest of venues, it is impossible to imagine that an interval would last any less than 15 minutes. Was the director being optimistic, or are modern day audiences more demanding of a longer break?
The second half of the “Magical Fantasy” is dedicated to up to date, and futuristic Cabaret. We can only assume that Tommy Hill “The Ballunatic” was a balloon modeller, and that Jack Shepherd & Syd Walton performed in drag as “The Widdingtons” – “Two minds with not a single thought!”; no doubt a parody of the famous contemporary Australian Telepathy duo “The Piddingtons”.
The penultimate part of the evening was Frank Cleaver’s “Flying Saucer” subtitled “Magic of the Future”. It would certainly be interesting to see if he had indeed predicted the future of magic!
After over 2 hours of magical entertainment, the show was to close with a Finale of the entire company, followed by “The Queen” – The National Anthem – a tradition that has died in most theatrical productions in the past 60 years.
The Cast
This is the only online record of The Order Of The Magi’s production “Hackin’ The Hempen” from 1952. So it seems fitting that we include a full list of all the cast, the majority of whom would have been members of the only Magic Society in Manchester. Perhaps it will help anyone in the future researching any of the magicians, either for personal or professional reasons:
Frank G. Brown – Zoroaster
Reginald Boncey – The Inebriate
Stella Sweet – The Dancer
Len Ainsworth – The High Priest of Os-Ra
Syd Taylor – An Acolyte
Harold Swindells – The Alchemist
Fred A. Taylor – The Swazzle Man (President of The Order of The Magi at the time)
Douglas Ettenfield – The Man
Joyce – The Maid
Edgar Horner – Chairman
Dennis Birch, Stephen Birch and Pat Birch – The Birch Brothers – The Singing Waiters
Leslie Greenhalgh – The Man With The Hat
Arthur Horner – The Pianist
Ken Brooke – The Professor
Tommy Hill – The Balunatic
Jack Shepherd – Vera Widdington
Syd Walton – Gladys Widdington
Oscar Paulson – Tricks & Chatter
Frank G. Clever – Magic of The Future (The Flying Saucer)
Page 4
Of course, a programme for a such a magical performance wouldn’t be complete without credit to those behind the scenes who helped to put it all together.
Production – Will Hughes
Properties – Mal Davies
Electrician – H. Macartney
Stage Managers – George Wade & Norman Crook
Effects and Music – Geoff Lawrence
Show Devised & Arranged by Will Hughes, Syd Taylor and Harold Swindells
The Order of The Magi desires to express its appreciation of the invaluable help rendered by the following –
“Joyce”
Miss Stella Sweet
Mr. Frank G. Brown
The Birch Brothers – (Dennis, Stephen and Pat)
Roy Lever
The Staff of The Free Trade Hall
Geoff Lawrence
Mameloks of Oxford Road for the loan of musical items
O. Z. Seferian for ticket work
The Inside Back Cover
The last page of the programme gives us a clue as to the length of the performance, declaring “Carriages at 9.45pm approx”.
Final Thoughts
Reading and researching this programme has been an opportunity to learn a little more about The Free Trade Hall in Manchester, The Order of The Magi, it’s members, and activities nearly 70 years ago. Without currently having any more information about each act, it is an opportunity to imagine what magic tricks were performed that night in Manchester City Centre, and if a similar show was to be performed today with the same programme, how each act might differ. There will be more information on the show in at least one issue of The Order of The Magi’s society magazine “The Magi” from 1952, and hopefully soon we will be able to provide you with more details.
There is no doubt however, that any of the performers on Tuesday 18th October, 1952 could imagine that the stage they were performing on would be host to one of the world’s greatest punk bands just 24 years later.
Can You Help with our Research?
It would be great to hear from anyone related to any of the magicians, or other performers, who took part in “Hackin’ The Hempen”. We would love to see photos of the performers (especially any promotional material etc). Perhaps you have an 1952 issue of The Magi Magazine that details the planning of the show, or features a report of each act’s performance?
If you can help us in our research in any way, please get in touch – webmaster@orderofthemagi.co.uk
The Manchester Close Up Magic Competition 2019
Tuesday 11th June 2019 saw a group of Manchester Magicians gather at The Irish World Heritage Centre to compete against each other to find out who was to be crowned the best Close Up Magician of the year in Manchester.
Unlike the infamous wizarding Battle of Hogwarts, there were no injuries sustained, and we are pleased to confirm that everyone attending behaved with decorum, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
The evening was slightly quieter than usual, due to personal reasons among members, and the fact that David Blaine had inconsiderately decided to perform his show at the Manchester Apollo, just a couple of miles away, on the same evening. However, we must commend our President David Owen for choosing to join us at The Order of The Magi, instead of taking advantage of the complimentary tickets offered to him to see Mr. Blaine’s show. We doubt that was an easy decision!
We’ll not bore you with a list of competitors and their routines, but we can reveal that amongst the offerings were a wide range of magic tricks using Lego, pyramids, poker chips, coins, lottery tickets, and even the “Fork of Death”, as well as the obligatory packs of playing cards. The extremely varied choice of routines by our members is always a great source of wonder and enjoyment to all.
The standard of the evening’s offering by all participants was extremely high, and our Entertainment Secretary reported that it was the closest run competition for many years, with only a small number of points separating all competitors.
The Order of The Magi Close Up Magician 2019
Congratulations to our newly appointed Life Member, Mike Sharples who was awarded the trophy for Best Close-Up Magic Performance 2019. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining 15 minutes of trickery, and an award well deserved.
The Sly Smith Trophy for Best Card Trick
John “Sly” Smith was unable to attend this year’s Close Up Competition, so the unenviable task of deciding who was to be awarded the trophy for the best card trick of the evening fell upon one of the visiting magicians in the audience. After some deliberation, it was awarded to Adrian Sullivan for his very spooky routine using the hand of an Egyptian Pharaoh to locate a chosen playing card
Congratulations to both Mike and Adrian on their awards.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to all the participants in the competition, members and non-members of The Order of The Magi who turned out to support our performers, and finally, and most importantly to the evening’s Judges.