The Urban Circus is the only performance this year made specially for the heartlanders and held in the heartlands. With tickets perfectly priced, it was a show families could enjoy together. We were treated to a feast of performances, from defying escape stunts to good old kids magic.

Larry kicked off the show with his signature fire act in a fast paced routine that was a visual treat. He also showed us why is he called the “Jackie Chan of Magic” by escaping from a see-through strait jacket and from a box filled with traps and locks with his nimble hands.

Don't worry guys! The Urban Circus is rated PG

Jazz then proceeded to marvel the audience with his parasol act. His manipulation skills was smooth and well executed. He also showed his versatility with his parasol manipulation, although he was in a highly suspicious outfit that was bulging out and it made him look fat too!

Charmain Koh came in next to entertain the crowd with her belly dancing moves. It would have been much better if she smiled more and enjoyed herself in the process. The routine could also have more variety in the dance moves and music to inject more energy to the performance.

Thereafter, Dean Wong came on the stage. Dean Wong, winner of OKTO’s One Minute of Fame and ConceptMagic’s Own The Stage, charmed the audience with his boyish and energetic routine. His well rehearsed routines, coupled with that cheeky smile of his, melted the hearts of many that day.

Boys and Girls... Kinetic Girl is here!

Last but not least, Kinetic Girl came out to wow her audience away with some fun-filled family magic with a twist – Family Illusion Shows. I know I know, Kinetic Girl’s magic is mainly targeted at kids but I found myself laughing along with the kids. Before you knew it, she had all the kids in the audience, including me, at the edge of their seats, glued to her performance!

Overall, it was an afternoon filled with visual treats, surprises, and loads of fun. Kudos to JC Sum and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning for bringing magic back into the heartlands. I especially look forward to more good magic from Dean and Kinetic Girl

Thor & I were at the Merlin Awards! Here’s a quickie on what happened…

We got sneak peeks of what we can expect in their week-long illusion show when it debuts in January 26!

We are really excited to catch the 360 sawing illusion so up close! The first time we saw it was during the Impossible Record and it was the last illusion they performed. We managed to catch it in its entirety for the first time! =D

The Merlin Awards was presented about midway through the show. Giving away the award was Mr Tony Hassini, the president of the International Magicians’ Society. He flew it from New York just for this! If you missed it, catch it here!

The “Human Light Tunnel” & “Shadow Vision” illusions! Omg its crazy, JC was impaled with light tubes and underwent a series of extreme human body contortion. What I love about his illusions are the modern look and edgy designs which gives off a refreshing vibe and stirs up the audiences’ interest. Very “Urban” illusions indeed!

Readers will find the new venue more spacious in terms of width. The comfort of the seats are however debatable. The performance was carried out in a free-standing club-style setting.

What can we expect when the full show runs in January? I guess we’ll be there to find out!

Well.. Shall we get started?

Tony Hassini offered to conduct a free magic workshop for the invited guests of The Magic Annexe.

To kick things off, he gave us his insights on handling logistics such as music when he offered his form of solution. It uses a microphone, headphones and your favourite music player. It is cost efficient, portable and most importantly, grants the performer more control over his music timing.

Next Tony gave a sharing on card magic. The effects included a random discovery of the 4 aces/4 ace production routine and a pencil through deck in paper bag effect which ends up piercing only through the selected card. An innovative and seemingly impossible card location effect. His explanation was clear and the handling relatively simple. He shared with us an innovative method for controlling a selected card.

Tony followed through with a demonstration the classic 6 card repeat routine using his own humorous presentation and showed us another variation using gimmicked cards. He briefly explained the construction behind those cards. The construction of the gimmicked cards were easy to understand, but the methods to count the cards could have been covered.

Tony and his arsenal of tricks!

Showing his diverse skills and expertise, Tony Hassini proceeded to demonstrate a rope through body effect. He went through the preparations and the steps required to perform this effect and showed two variations. It was confusing at times as some items required were not present and we were left to our imagination and visualization.

Tony concluded with a book test effect which is simple to perform and the gimmick does all the work for you. The gimmick can be constructed easily and at low costs. This leaves much space for the performer to work on his individual presentation.

He also gave away the template to construct his final mentalism effect in which the magician is able to identify the mental selection of various spectators through the use of a few picture cards. The principle is simple and it can be applied in many other ways.

Overall, we were left with some invaluable tricks, ingenious ideas that changed the way we think and sparked off a whole lot of ideas in our heads. The effects presented are a set of easy to do routines that can be used in close-up or stage performances.

Personally, and I’m sure Thor would agree with me likewise, the highlight and the most invaluable part of this workshop  would be the business side of magic and the inspiring stories that Tony shared with us. To know more about this great magician, you can find out more about him on the featured artists page or you can hear Thor’s recount on this exciting experience at The Magic Annexe.

Thor and I stayed on after Magic Day to catch Ultimate Magic Season 2.

JC Sum promised us that the show will be 30% different for Thor and I ( 2nd time watching) but i feel that it was a humble figure offered by him. The Ultimate Magic illusion show has evolved and fine tuned itself in many ways. The illusions generally had much better music selection, pacing, visual aids, and displayed more flow in the performances by the duo.

I would want to highlight and EMPHASIZE on their latest illusion. It is a levitation sequence infused with purposeful choreography. The whole sequence was layered with multi-phase effects that made connections which led the audience eventually to the main illusion. The superb music choice created a dark, mysterious and compelling atmosphere that reeled the audiences in. Personally, i felt an additional emotional connection  between the illusionist( JC) and the lady(Ning) for this particular levitation routine. I was of the “victims” to this illusion as this was my first time witnessing a levitation so up close and personal; so strong an effect that the thought of figuring out how the illusion is accomplished didn’t even surface in the alleys of my head. Welcome to ” Dreamscape; Realm of the Sandman”.

Revo-illusion was presented with a more engaging pace, felt more menacing and stage domineering. I felt that the audio bass and presentation tempo made a huge impact on the overall strength of this illusion.

Extreme Burn fried Thor and I the other time we watched so we were prepared for the surprise kicker but guess what the effect stilled kicked our butts AGAIN. Thor and I were virtually laughing at each other for falling for the same effect TWICE. Just give in to the magic!

Crystal Metamorphosis was fast, precise and hard hitting. It was one of the crowd stirrers which really got the audiences raving among themselves as to what they just witnessed.

Overall, Ultimate Magic in my opinion has evolved and fine tuned itself into a show that matches up if not betters than what you can expect to see in Las Vegas. It served what it was meant to do; to encaptivate and entertain. The overall performance pace was much tighter and left you no time to be distracted by other influences. Music selection and choreography were very impressive and 20 dollars for that particular night was not just a steal but a robbery!

The usual price of 55 dollars might deter people from watching Ultimate Magic and i think that would be a pity if the public have any idea what they are missing out on. Hopefully, the price could be lowered to a more affordable price for the masses to enjoy this growing and blooming artform in Singapore.

Update: JC Sum’s blog stated that ” Ticket prices will be revised down!”. Yes you heard the man said it with the exclamation mark. So all the more you should catch Ultimate Magic!

We strongly recommend the public, magicians and non-magicians alike, to catch this amazing illusion show which is a permanent featured show at The Arena

To find out more about the other illusions and effects offered, Ultimate Magic Season 1 Review is here!

Thor and I headed down to the Science Centre to check out the featured exhibition. We were greeted at the entrance with dazzling lights and a showcase of a collection of gimmicks and magic props. Magicians would be no stranger to the svengali decks and stripper decks ( Made in China ) on display ( picture below).

The exhibition was a comprehensive display of the history of the art of magic. Although most of the visitors were not interested with this particular section. The information provided was in depth and associated itself to other areas such as politics.

The exhibitions were interactive and visitors could try out the set ups. The more interesting ones would be the mind reading display sets by max maven. After witnessing the trick, the visirors could choose to open up a box which will reveal the secret of his mind reading effects. Of course, majority  of the visitors were dying to find out how he did those effects.

Other than that the exhibition did not manage to capture visitors for long. There was a teaching corner for magic tricks such as the 21 card trick with tables and card decks provided. However the cards provided were so appalling. The decks were so old that they were creased and some were mouldy. I suspect the deck has been used since the start of this global travelling exhibition, which began many years ago.

The highlight of the whole exhibition would be without a doubt the in house performer, Jeremy Pei. We were forturnate to be able to witness the two last shows that jeremy would be performing for the Science Centre. The audiences were enthralled by the spectacle and range of magic displayed. The showmanship and audience management was top notch. The theatre was always packed and even though some audiences like us returned for a second view at the magic show, it was changed just to cater to spectators who returned hoping for more. No one was disappointed. Lots of good laughter and good fun.

We stayed around to conduct an exclusive interview with Jeremy Pei himself. Check it out here!

Last Saturday, Thor and I headed down to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for the much anticipated Lee Asher Convention! I’ll leave the experience to Thor but up next is the review!

An hour and half before the start of the convention, there was already a crowd of cardists outside Bangkok Jazz!

First with the formalities, Magic Garage was the organiser for this brilliant event and the team of dedicated staff that made this happen. So prior to the lecture, there was an introduction of the staff of Magic Garage by its founder, Isaac.

To kick start the lecture, Lee opened with a teaching of Jack The Ripper which is a flashy production of four jacks from one odd looking card. This move has appeared in two Hollywood movies such as Shade and Smokin’ Aces – get a feel of stardom!

Next was Lee’s very own take on the ambitious card plot which included slap happy and the ripple. Lee goes in depth about how to enhance your magic using suspense and how to make you the memorable performer in this micro magic piece. These were inspiring pieces that reminded us to keep working on innovating new magic of our very own.

Diving board double. This one is a freaking crazy move which will take your double lift to the next level. Lee also demonstrated his acrobatic version which made the crowd went wild; think crazy fans from soccer matches. No drinks were spilled.

Joking Around. A simple piece of magic great for walk-around and picking up women so says Lee Asher. The best part of this trick is that you get to give away a souvenir for your audience. A must learn for the restaurant workers and table hoppers!

Fingerbox of death. This is your most affordable form of illusion that is done close up. Lee goes into the subtleties and timing elements required to perform this freakish piece of magic. However, i personally think that it will serve better as a gag rather than a standalone piece.

Three Stylin. This is Lee’s take on the classic 3 fly plot using 3 different colored casino chips! This is a really beautiful piece with many elements of misdirection, timing and body language. Very well worth your time and money! Once you learn the method, you will realize that you have been fooled twice the amount.

Losing Control. The invisible “pass” that floored many magicians at the convention. This is easy to do and a control that you will most probably use to fool those ” i know that move ” hecklers.

Asher Twist. The much awaited and anticipated routine to be taught that night. Many magicians have tried to perform it themselves but none did it as smoothly like Lee and he generously went into all the subtleties and the tips required to make this close up visual miracle happen.

Witness. A quality product marketed by Theory11.  This simple piece is truly one of the most visual miracle that the spectator can both see and feel the change happen! Lee explains further on how to interact further with your audience using this piece! His girlfriend didn’t seem too amused though…

Dealing with hecklers. Lee breaks down the type of hecklers that are out there and how to deal with them.

The above is all the magic content that was covered during the 2 hour lecture excluding interesting stories and facts of his life and other magicians as told by Lee Asher.

LOCATION: The venue chosen for the lecture was great as it was situated near the central district and right across shopping havens like the pavillion. Bangkok Jazz itself provided many comfortable cushioned seats specially arrange for the event.  The setting of the pub/restaurant was set in a dark mysterious mood which is a stark contrast to Lee Asher’s light fun personality.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: Lee took the time to ensure that everyone learn what was being taught by adopting a ” no man left behind” approach. Indeed Lee was a great teacher in all aspects, being clear, concise but also holding this unique presence that managed to keep us enthralled even through a long 2 hour lecture. Despite being left-handed, he went through the trouble of explaining and teaching the moves in the perspective of the right-handed since they are the majority.

( Note: Vogue is left-handed )

There were aplenty of limited edition decks on sale and booklets, videos by the man himself, not to mention you can get his autographs along with them! The titles of these booklets are quite interesting such as ” hands job” and “sex sells”.

It was a queue that took eternity as fans were brawling over the autographs of Lee with STACKS of posters and decks. Still he was kind enough to meet the demands of everyone. The staff at Magic Garage were also efficient in ensuring that everyone takes home a piece of memory from this wonderful experience.

One regret that I’m sure everyone had was that we the event venue didn’t allow us to have time for Lee to impart us his Thunderbird ace production. The ticket price was rather expensive but we understand that Magic Garage has took the effort to invite him all the way from the United States!

Also details of your interview can be found  HERE !

We were in a rush and didn’t had time to hear your feedbacks! Although most of you were busy queuing up for Lee Asher’s autograph HAHA. It would be great to hear what you guys have to say about the event especially for those who turned up!

Location: The Arena

Date: 27th

September 2008

Time: Approx 1930

After working at Al and Al publishings for 9 months and starring in countless videos as professional “laymen”. Thor and I raised enough money to catch Singapore’s very first permanent illusion show.

Ultimate Magic!

In a highly anticipated opening, JC teleported from the Night Safari into The Arena via a clear glass chamber that was fogged up before the man of the night steps in. A very suitable and convincing introduction as he writes the initials of a live audience and a randomly chosen 3 digit number on his fore arm before teleporting.

Following up is a theatrics filled presentation of the Shadow box, where from a lantern screen, JC creates a hand shadow which develops into a beautiful image before materializing into a physical being, Ning.

Pace cools up with a unique take on the classic multiplying bottles routine. The duo’s presentation was well coordinated while appearing as though neither party knew what the other was prepared for with a continuous “surprise” production of martini bottles.

Bringing back the tempo was a modified version of the metamorphosis, The Crystal Metamorphosis. Ning was locked in a transparent box making apparent that she is clearly locked and not able to escape. Still, JC and Ning exchange places in less than a second. Blinking is not recommended.

Lights dimmed and sizzling the place up was a glow in the dark cut and restored rope with multiple phases. The rope was restored repeated despite Ning’s wicked knife works followed by a noted Francis Tabary ending but done in a sensual Ning style. A good effect that worked well with the settings of The Arena.

JC proceeded to demonstrate his PK skills with three ordinary forks that were examined by the audience. Flawless execution but Thor and I felt left out by the visual aspects since we were sitting at the left boundary. The ending was a multiple fork bend that kicked ass(es).

Not letting us simmer down was continued with a visual demonstration by a great demonstration of gravity manipulation, JC works a METAL modified losander floating table that looks pretty darn heavy.

Ning presented her very own straight jacket striptease escape. The selected volunteer chosen to tie her up was flushed. He could have drank alcohol or it could be Ning but we suspect its the latter. As for the escape itself, we leave it to you to witness the process. JC shows that he practices what he preach on killing dead time as the “void’ time while the audience took to tie Ning was filled by JC’s wity comments.

One of my favourite effects of the evening was JC’s humorous and witty take on the classic miser’s dream. Relevant to current real world situations. Not suitable for bimbos and this showed a more human side of the illusionist. Putting a more personal touch to his image was his amusing interaction and good audience control.

One of JC’s original invention, The Full Throttle produced a motorcycle even together with a rider. A blendo effect producing a race flag put a nice touch.

Up next was a video showcase of Ning’s Impalement Cage which made her the first female magician in South East Asia to escape in front of a live audience of 4000 people despite all the shackles handcuffs and chains and locks from a steel cage.

Ning takes on the lead as the role of magicians or partners or the sexes are switched when JC was put onto a Spiky situation when Ning shows no mercy in impaling her partner.Despite Ning’s masquerade, We know she’s behind it! JC should watch his back more often.

Up next was a heart stopping effect where Ning swallows six deadly razor blades and a freaking flaming torch which she all puts in her mouth. Not recommended that you try it at home as Ning hurts herself from the flames when we watched.

Vogue personally examined the next revo-illusion before J.C proceeded to appear in front of the spinning steel blades of a giant 8 feet tall industrial fan.

To finish off the audiences, extreme burn is a retake on a otherwise boring illusion, Ning and JC will be set to floor laymen and magicians alike. We leave it to you to find out.

Overall, a superb visual spectacle that demonstrated the stage presence of both performers, chemistry between both of them as well as their versatility in performance.

What we HONESTLY think?

7.5/10 ( You should catch this!!! )

RDM crew

THE JUICE COMING RIGHT UP!

Ultimate Magic : Our experience recounted