Meetings With Remarkable Magicians

I am proud and happy to let readers of my blog know that I have just enjoyed two very special anniversaries within the last month. Firstly I celebrated my 60^th birthday, and secondly I have just finished my sixth year of writing my weekly column for Magic New Zealand

I have always tried to have a long-term goal in mind, in relation to my life and career. My goal upon reaching 60 was to drastically slow down my almost non-stop performing schedule and concentrate on my writing. Oh, and just to enjoy life a little less hectically!

Susan and I recently moved from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles, and are now planning our move to the wonderful city of Austin. I plan to spend at least the next 20 years writing, and sharing some of the knowledge that I have acquired during my 42 years as a full-time professional magician.

I am not going to stop performing shows; I am just going to enjoy the luxury of living a more selective life in doing so. I want to smell the roses and enjoy my morning cup of coffee in my own backyard more mornings in the year!

As I have previously mentioned in these pages, part of this goal was achieved with the upcoming publication of my most cherished routines, ‘ Nick Lewin’s Ultimate Linking Finger Ring Routine.’ It is a limited edition book/DVD and CD package that is a goldmine for working professionals.

Priced at $350 dollars it is not for the dabbler and that was the point, I am pleased to say that it has already received enough orders that it looks like it will be totally sell out—without any formal advertising. I am now pleased to announce that my next book will be available within the next month.

Over the years writing for MNZ and various other magic magazines, I have written a number of columns about the business of entertaining in the cruise ship market. They have always achieved the most interest and feedback of any of the articles I have written. I decided to write an entire book teaching the entire scoop on how to enter and achieve success in this highly lucrative form of work.

This is a topic I know something about, as I have worked in this market for over 40 years. I can, in all modesty say, that I am considered to be one of the highest paid and highly regarded performers within this, highly specialized, field of entertainment. It has made me a lot of money, taken me to some great places and kept me busy regardless of what the state of the industry was in other areas.

 I have read several books written about this topic, and while enjoying them, I felt they have all missed the mark. I wanted to write something that was simple, direct and of true assistance to any performer considering this line of work. There is a great deal of work available in this blossoming area and the average magician has a good shot at acquiring some of it!

I recently completed my book, and in honesty I am stunned by how much practical and previously unprinted information, I have been able to gather into one book. It is genuinely an A to Z treatise on the ‘ins and outs’ of the topic, and can be of invaluable assistance to any performer. Surprisingly enough much of the information is just as applicable to other forms of magical work.

I am charging a much more modest fee for this book than my ‘Linking Finger Ring Routine’ and it will be available next month (as an old fashioned ink and paper book) for US $ 24.95 postage free to anywhere in the world. Later, I may make it available as an iBook. I feel this is the future of publishing a book such as this.

I honestly believe this may be one of the most valuable additions to the library of any performer wishing to expand his performing career and make more money by using his skills and talents. I am very proud of the ‘insanely simple’ way it breaks down a complex topic and makes it highly accessible to the average working magician.

I will be selling the book online for it’s first edition, and will be accepting credit card/checks and other forms of payments through the safe, secure and simple ‘PayPal’ system. All copies can be personalized and signed on request. If you are interested in securing an advance copy of this book contact me at nicklewin1@mac.com to place your order,

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: cruise ship performing, Performance of Magic, Performing Comedy Magic for big bucks, Performing Magic

The newest idea in Vegas shows is all about going back to a fairly old one, having revolving casts and bills in the various showrooms. Both ‘Vegas Magic Theatre’ at the GoldCoast Hotel and ‘Avant Garde’ at the Plaza Hotel are shaking things up a bit and keeping the acts moving. I have written previously about the Vegas Magic Theatre and it seems to be doing a great job in finding its market/audience.

‘Avant Garde’ has a revolving bill that regularly includes Michael Finney, Ed Alonzo, Sonny Fontana, Rudy Colby, Kevin James and Juliana Chen. Juliana is also director of the show. This seems like a win/win bill to me no matter who is playing! There are various other variety acts that appear in the show and it is, indeed, a veritable smorgasbord of great magicians and entertainers. Everyone I know who has seen the show is raving about it. I can’t wait to visit Vegas and catch it

The ability to give a little freedom to your performers to appear elsewhere really gives the financial freedom to make such an all-star bill a practical concern. I think that this is a show that is going to be around for the long haul. The market has seen its fair share of solo performers who fill an hour on their own, however, a variety bill such as this is wonderful in so much as it lets everyone give their strongest punch.

‘The World’s Greatest Magic’ which had an extended run at the ‘Greek Islands’ was a forerunner of this kind of show and was a really enjoyable experience. There is something very sophisticated about a well-balanced bill that has something for everyone. It is a great value for the increasingly illusive tourist dollar.

Mac King continues to delight audiences with his hour-long afternoon show. His subtle, and audience friendly show makes the 60 minutes disappear right in front of the audience’s eyes. He makes it look so easy that is deceptive that it puts a huge strain on other performers trying to follow in his plaid footsteps!

Newcomers, Tommy Wind and Michael Turco are throwing their hats into the one-man show arena. Actually one-magician and reality show famous female, in Turco’s case! Their shows play respectively at 6:00 and 4:00 pm. I truly wish them the best of luck. There is certainly a large choice of shows to choose from in the Vegas market, I suspect that Turco will fare better as he is playing at the Saxe Theatre in the Planet Hollywood Hotel. His show will benefit greatly from the savvy involvement of David Saxe, who has grown up in and around the Vegas ticketing/sales market.

The fact is that there are really just too many ticket choices in the Vegas market and the law of diminishing returns has become a serious factor. Not everyone who comes to Vegas wants to see magic 24/7. My guess is to look for ‘Avant Garde’ to become a strong contender to the current status quo.

Meanwhile, in other markets, it is wonderful to see the continued strength and growing market that the venerable ‘It’s Magic!’ is achieving in the Theatre and Performing Arts Centre markets. Strong bills and great word of mouth have seen Milt Larsen and Terry Hill’s ‘Big Daddy’ of magic shows build and escalate in the Los Angeles area. It wasn’t so long ago that it seemed to be fading somewhat, but now it is back and blossoming, great news for magic lovers.

Chipper Lowell has also done a marvelous job in creating and marketing his show ‘Blink’ in much the same markets. Based around the absurdly warm and likeable talents of Chipper. A glance at the show’s website, shows that he has taken a smart and unusual step in marketing his show.

Although it is also a revolving cast, when you read the website, it states firmly and convincingly that ‘here is a show consisting of ALL award winning acts.’ It lists the awards and not the acts! I think Chipper, who is as smart as he is talented, may have struck a very happy chord between the ‘One-man Show’ and the ‘revolving variety bill.’

All Performing Arts Centres have nights to fill with shows that flesh out their season ticket sales, and can leaven the budgets for the more costly touring ‘Broadway’ shows. ‘Blink’ and ‘It’s Magic’ can both do that in spades!

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: 'II's Magic!', Avant Garde, Blink, Chipper Lowell

The whole city of Las Vegas seems to be awash in magic shows at the moment. I have watched the growth of the four-wall market show for magic shows with a great deal of interest. I thought it might be a good topic to talk business rather than personalities in the magic area for a column or two.

Let me begin by saying with a certain modest pride that I was one of the very first people to launch a one-man magic show in Las Vegas that met with critical and commercial success. It was called ‘Comedy Magic’ and played at the Maxim Hotel and Casino from June 1995 until the Casino closed. It was the first one-man day show in Las Vegas, with shows at 1:00 and 3:00pm. In effect the show continued with Mac King at Harrah’s and is successfully running to this day.

When I co-created ‘Comedy Magic’ I did so for a very specific reason—I wanted to get of the road and be working in one city so I could be with my wife and two young daughters. For nearly five years this worked really well and it was, over all, a good experience. I received a salary from the hotel and made nice bonus cash with sales of my VHS and DVD products. We were NOT a four-wall deal.

At this point I know many of my readers are going, “What the hell is a four-wall’ deal? Let me try and make it simple. For this kind of deal, the hotel rents the performer the four walls of the showroom, and everything within it. The performer is then responsible for paying the personnel within the room and backstage. He is also responsible for the advertising costs of promoting the show. Sometimes he also gets a percentage of the drinks sold in the room, but generally the door charge is his source of income.

Now while that last statement is basically the facts of the matter a multitude of variables can come into play, not to mention the issue of three and two wall deals! Add to these possible variations the fact that it is unlikely for two couples seated next to each other in a showroom to have paid the same price for their tickets as it is for two unrelated people on an airplane flight to have paid the same amount for their ticket. It get’s very complicated and very cut-throat!

The greatest change in Las Vegas in the last 15 years is the fact that hotels now find it profitable to rent out their showrooms as many times a day as they can, without much interest in whether the shows make a profit or not, There is a never ending stream of performers who find it worthwhile taking a chance on mounting a show in Vegas—even if it is just for the residual benefits of saying they starred in a Las Vegas show.

Originally, and still in some cases, the casinos produced the show themselves (or worked with established producers), and worked hard to assist in filling the showrooms. If you spent a few million dollars on a show you were not as cavalier about its success because you wanted your investment back!

Now, for the maximum chance of success, it has become more viable to look to a world famous concern like ‘Cirque du Soleil,’ and have a big name in the entertainment field to hedge your showroom bet. Cirque is to Vegas what the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise is to Disney. In Las Vegas the Criss Angel vehicle ‘Believe’ was the first crack in this successful formula. The company changed its tactics over this project and reduced its involvement to avoid damage to the franchise.

This development has left a very big gap and distance between the kinds of shows that are populating the Vegas strip. To compound the difficulties in the Vegas show market is the fact that there are fewer visitors, and they are spending less money on entertainment. Good news for the ‘small’ shows one would think, until you realize the immense increase in discounted ticketing to the ‘big’ shows.

Along the way, and well worth mentioning, are shows such as ‘V’ (an excellent show) that have a vastly inflated ticket price, with a large slice going to independent ticket sellers who broker the tickets. This is a very savvy and successful way to market a ‘real show,’ how successful it is for selling a single and relatively unknown performer is another matter.

Soon I we will continue in this series of blogs about the economics and realities of staging a magic show in a market as specific as ‘Sin City.’ We will also look at the way some magic shows, such as Chipper Lowell’s ‘Blink’ and ‘It’s Magic’ tackle marketing in a less confined target zone.

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: The economics of a Vegas magic show

I would be the first to admit that the late Johnny Platt wasn’t a magician’s magician. I never saw him do a card trick or any fancy moves however he was a real favorite of mine to watch. He was a thoroughly entertaining performer who kept right on performing and working up until an age at which the Duracell Bunny would be begging for a rest.

I don’t actually remember ever seeing Johnny perform any trick that wasn’t in his show. He was one of those performers whose show seemed carved in stone. Amongst other gems he performed a nifty Cups and Balls routine and the rarely seen Himber Vanishing Bottles routine. My favorite moment was when he stood in the center of the stage wearing his signature red fez and unrolled a length of sturdy rope. He then explained to the audience that he was going to perform the famous Indian Rope Trick. “In this effect” He explained; “A sturdy rope stands upright and a small Hindu book climbs to the top of the rope and vanishes in mid air!”

Johnny then looked around the showroom with a glare and said; “Is there a small Hindu boy in the audience tonight?” He would then throw the rope into the wings and growl in his Chicago accent “Well that takes care of that.” O.K. it doesn’t sound too funny in print but when Johnny Platt performed it onstage it was a hoot. There was something about his grizzled voice and the way he gazed around the room that cracked me up every time.

After he had finished performing his Magic Castle shows, Johnny would stop by a little bar on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland called the Power House and have a couple of beers before walking back to his little apartment on Franklin Avenue. He seemed gloriously unaware that at the time it was a notoriously tough biker’s bar and manifestly unsuitable for an elderly and frail magician in an old fashioned tuxedo. Actually maybe he did know and just didn’t care!

Nobody made too much of a fuss about Johnny at the Castle and he certainly didn’t get the ‘Dai Vernon & Charlie Miller’ treatment. I remember on Johnny’s 80^th birthday my wife Susan insisted we give him a birthday present so we gave him 80 dollars. At the time I suspect we had quite a job scraping it together. Susan also decided that we should throw a birthday party for Johnny to celebrate his birthday. At this time Billy McComb was staying with us and he was delighted at the thought of our apartment being filled with magicians so he gleefully assisted us in putting together the guest list.

I arranged to pick up Johnny from his small apartment to transport him to the event and he asked me if his girl friend could also attend. 80 years old and he still had a girl friend; this guy was a real comedy magician!  I picked them up at the pre-arranged time and transported them to our second floor apartment in Sherman Oaks for his party.

The difficulty that Johnny & Betty had in getting up the steep steps to our apartment made me a very concerned as I really didn’t want to have to move the party down into the courtyard! However, after several pauses along the route all went well and a highly enjoyable afternoon complete with a birthday cake followed.

We then returned Johnny and girlfriend to Hollywood and maybe they had a nightcap at the Power House! Platt might not have been quite as frail as I thought either. After this column was first published I had a bunch of emailed stories about Johnny and discovered that I shouldn’t have been too surprised about his girlfriend as he had been quite a ladies man his entire life and in Chicago was known as ‘The Human Tripod!’ Who knew………….

Johnny Platt was a real old school performer and he did what I admire most of all in any performer; he went right on performing. I do kind of wish I had been able to smuggle a small Hindu boy into his audience one day though!

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: Johnny Platt, The Human Tripod, the Power House

When writing about Norm Nielsen you automatically get a great two for one package because of the amazing dyadic created by Norm and his lovely wife Lupe. Anyone who has seen Norm’s iconic act knows that there are very, very few performers who can aspire to his degree of perfection. However he doesn’t stop there.

In the early 80s I was producing a series of shows for AMD and was putting together a special event in the heart of Silicon Valley. I assembled a crack team of close-up performers and invited Norm to join me on the after-dinner entertainment. I had been very impressed watching Norm on television back in England and was excited to have the opportunity to work with him.

The banquet room we performed in was a typical banquet room (i.e. it was very unsuited to presenting a magic show) and this particular room proved to be way to long for the width. An intimate show became much more visually challenging from the rear of the room. I was confident of the impact Norm’s signature violin would have on the crowd but wanted to check the visibility of his Miser’s Dream routine.

As I stood at the back of the room I was astounded by the reaction of each and every coin as it was produced and then jangled it’s way down the musical ladder it was dropped into. It is amazing how often in magic the visible is augmented significantly by the audible and this was a perfect example of that principle. It was a joy that night to watch Norm performing and to realize I had the chance to share a bill with one of the true greats in magic.

As a magician I think of Norm fondly every time I perform, as there is never a show when I do not use one of his props. I am always grateful that his expertise and high standards are extended to his manufacturing and retailing of magical props. I have opened my show with the production of a rubber dove for several decades. That takes me back to the dark and dismal days of doves that looked nothing like any bird seen this side of hell! The “Ooh” that accompanies the production of a N.N. dove is the gold standard mark of authentic fakery. My second show features a routine made possible by Norm’s rubber Coca Cola bottle and it allows me to add a great ending to a favorite effect. Once again the total authenticity of the prop takes the effect into a different league. If only all props were made this well!

I remember with joy my first visit to the Nielsen’s beautiful home, museum, art gallery and birthplace of all my doves! One step beyond the doormat and you are into one of the most exquisitely designed monuments to a performer that I have ever seen. It is an awesome sight. Everything inside is part of a theme that celebrates the great Chung Ling Soo. There are posters, photos, memorabilia and props, even a curious auto harp that Chung Ling Soo that was contributed by Billy McComb.

What adds to the instant attraction of their house is that it doesn’t look like some old, dusty magic museum. The Nielsen’s home is white, light and filled with sunshine. After you stop yourself from gaping at the priceless collection the room contains, the next thing you notice is the quiet pride and enjoyment that Norm and Lupe have in sharing their collection.

We took a brief pause in drooling over the art work while Norm showed us the amazing feats of training that their outsize poodle can demonstrate for guests. This puppy is even better trained than Norm’s violin and won our hearts in a matter of minutes. Even as I watched it balance a biscuit on its nose before eating it. In my heart of heart’s I knew my beloved pup Georgi could be reincarnated in more lives than a cat and still fail to demonstrate this kind of restraint.

We then made our way to the specially constructed building in the rear of the property that houses Norm’s world famous collection of magic posters. What a collection it is. One gets to appreciate magic posters that are legendary and historic in the history of our art. One is so accustomed to seeing reproductions of some of these posters it just takes your breath away to see how vibrant and vivid they are in their original form.

The simple elegance and practicality with which the posters are housed and displayed is another source of amazement. Each poster has been carefully displayed in the perfect way to be seen in the most effective manner possible. When you first walk into the gallery you have no idea of quite how much art and history has been gathered within these four walls. I suspect Norm used principles from his unequaled vanishing birdcage to make it a reality!

We spent about an hour viewing this breathtaking collection accompanied by one of the only men in the world who could do verbal justice to the collection. Norm stood quietly back after showing you each piece and allowed you to absorb the work. When you had a question about something Norm was right there with the answer. It was a very special window into the history of magic the like of which I have never experienced. I loved every second and was scarcely able to tear myself away from the experience.

As I left their home Lupe had a rubber dove waiting for me on the dining room table. When I opened up the dove and removed it from it’s packaging I realized for the first time the esthetic behind my most consistently used prop. The attention to detail in the carefully molded prop, the crystal eyes, the packaging that was (like a product from Apple) as pleasing to the eye as it was practical. I removed the dove from its sealed plastic bag, removed the excess talcum powder and as I placed the custom cardboard box aside I remembered my visit. I reflected, not for the first time, that when it comes to class acts in magic that the Nielsens are amazingly high on the list!

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: Magic postert and art, Nielsen Magic, Norm & Lupe Nielsen

One of the phrases you hear bandied about in a jocular manner by people is, “You are a gentleman and a scholar.” It usually means nothing when it is said and often has that slight put down/ironic tone that magicians love to use with one another. Well, let me say it loud and clear, Martin Breese WAS a scholar and a gentleman. He was special.

Martin’s vision, love and passion for magic was never more than an inch from the surface of this remarkable man. He always credited Goodliffe with his early steps into the act of becoming one of the great presences in the magic world. Indeed his relationship with Goodliffe is a wonderful story that Martin has told in part in the fascinating newsletters that he shared with the fraternity. I hope the full story of Martin Breese will be shared one day.

To many people, their first real ‘wake-up’ call to this amazing man was the release of his series of Magicassettes, soon after his return to England from South Africa in the 1970s. They allowed magicians to be heard in their own voices as they shared insights that would otherwise have been lost. I treasure my copies of the series of cassettes he created. They are a living link in our magical heritage and go beyond the tricks and right to the heart of the performers.

Martin was also a publisher of many books that hold a special place in my heart. His loving dedication to improving and adding to our heritage was evident in each and every project. His recent work in updating and completing the world’s knowledge of the works of the great Al Koran, stands almost unique in the loving care and detail he poured into it. It was awesome to watch his dedication to this massive project

Breese loved magic with a passion and it showed in every aspect of his life. However, there was much more to Martin’s world than just magic. He was a world-class photographer, and brought his visual skills to everything he did. I remember standing in his home in Brighton and being swept away with the all to seldom awareness that it was the home of a true aesthete who combined taste and practicality into his surroundings in a very special way.

On the wall above the staircase was a ‘Banksy’ picture, in his library were first editions of great books. Martin was a person who recognized quality and greatness in any form it was demonstrated, hardly surprising as he embodied both qualities. He was an artist, a visionary and a businessman who allowed each quality to feed from the other and enrich the person he was.

On a personal level, I personally am all too aware of his kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. Not just with things but with his powerful and vital energy. Even as he was ferociously and bravely battling for his life in his final weeks, he never stopped communicating with me, helping me become a better writer and magician. He really cared, in a world where most peoples caring centers around themselves. Martin cared about ideas, standards and other people, knowing that Martin was reading and analyzing what I wrote and did made me strive harder to accomplish more.

The passing of Martin Breese has robbed the magic world of one of its greatest characters and benefactors. He is one of the great men I have been blessed to know in this business. My sympathy, love and blessings go out to his lovely wife Pang, his family and all those others like myself who have been robbed of someone this special.

I am heartbroken at this loss.

Posted in Magic, Magic and Magicians
Tags: Martin Breese, The Passing of Martin Breese

I recently had the pleasure of working with an act about whom I have being hearing great things for many years. The act was ventriloquist Mike Robinson, and if anything his performance was even better than his word of mouth (maybe a strange expression to use about a ventriloquist—but then the lips saying it all moved!) led me to believe. He was funny, funny, funny.

Combined with the original and expertly delivered comedy Mike delivered in his show, was a technique as good as any ventriloquist I have ever seen, right up there with my previous frontrunner Jay Johnson. Robinson is an act that any performing ventriloquist needs to see, in order to improve their workplace skills.

Included in Mike’s performance was a short segment that involved a really basic card routine that he set up for his sidekick Terence delivered the punchline. Now don’t be fooled by my use of the word basic, there was absolutely nothing basic about his casually expert handling of the cards or the ‘laugh a second’ dialogue. I have always been fascinated by how many magicians began their careers as ventriloquists and vice versa, I suspected that Mike belonged to this group and I was right.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mike I realized that he not only fitted this category of hobby dialecticism but that he belonged to the much rarer group of individuals who possessed the dedication to master both art forms. Put quite simply, Robinson is one of the very finest sleight of hand magicians I have ever seen perform.

Mike is ‘Jack of two trades and master of both,’ however don’t expect to see him working in the close-up gallery at the Castle anytime soon. He is way too busy; making far to much money with his ventriloquism to give the experts at the Castle the treat his booking would deliver.

Seconds, bottoms, multiple shifts, doubles and every form of gambling maneuver flow from his fingertips with the same ease that original comedy escapes from his alarmingly motionless lips! When we first sat down with cigars and a deck of cards I quickly exhausted my rather rusty card work and just sat back to enjoy the thrill of watching an expert strut his stuff!

Born in Montreal and now a native of Halifax, Canada, Mike learned his first card trick when he was 6 years old and continued his magical education on a daily basis watching the magician on the ‘Uncle Bobby’ kid’s television show. He soon became an avid junior magician, but all this changed when he saw a guest appearance on the Flip Wilson Show by one of the greatest ventriloquist to still grace our stages. That act was the iconic ‘Willie Tyler & Lester.”

The young Mike Robinson was amazed at the illusion of ‘voice-throwing’ that Willie demonstrated. He was also delighted and could empathize watching the talented African American performer and his pint sixed colleague with the stylish and hip ‘Afro’ hairstyle! Mike was mentally reborn as a ventriloquist…………

Magic was shelved (or more actually, sidetracked) for a career in ventriloquism that has made him one of the busiest performers on the scene. However, his drive and quest for perfection kept him working at some of the toughest moves and challenges to face any card worker. His success in both fields makes him unique.

Mike began his serious study of magic watching the late, great ‘Charming Cheat’ Martin Nash on the Magic Palace TV show. He was instantly hooked on the gambling effects that Martin featured in his performance, “That is when the light bulb went off,” as Mike puts it. Richard Turner’s VHS tapes and personal guidance from Turner helped steer his work on the path to becoming a top card worker.

Robinson met Turner at a ‘4F’ convention, and Mike still attends the yearly convention inspired by the great Eddie Fechter. He also performs a handful of highly select sleight-of-hand dates for high priced hospitality suite events. If you have a chance to see Robinson work—DON’T MISS IT! If he is performing his ventriloquism show then corner him afterwards and offer him a cigar and a deck of cards—he can’t resist either one. You won’t be sorry.

I asked Mike to give some advice for young magicians who will read this column, I loved (and totally endorse) his response, “Go back and read the original literature, there are a lot of tricks out there on the Internet, but first develop your personality and then really study the classics. The first 4 Ace trick is probably still the best,” these are words of wisdom from a master performer.

Posted in Magic and Magicians
Tags: Martin Nash, Mike Robinson, Richard Turner, Ventriloquism