I am passionate about sleight-of-hand card magic; watching it and performing it. The dexterity, subtleties, timing and fluidity make it poetry in motion. The name of my website, Legerdemain, means ‘sleight of hand’ (or literally, ‘light of hand’).

But as a general rule, the better sleight of hand is performed, the less you see. Perfectly-executed techniques should be invisible, so that the audience is left with the impression that they have witnessed real magic.

This of course should be the goal of any magician, but I sometimes feel that it’s a shame that so much hard work is put into cultivating skills that are often as beautiful and amazing as the magic tricks being performed, and yet are never seen.

Magicians Penn & Teller made the point that sometimes magical methods are actually more entertaining than the tricks they effect, an idea they put to good use in routines such as their cigarette trick.

Cardistry – the beauty of prestidigitation

An exciting development has been the rise of cardistry – the performance of elaborate card cuts, shuffles, spreads, fans and other displays of prestidigitation, as an art in their own right.

Cardistry is in contrast to magic, in that the techniques are far from being hidden, rather they are the entertainment. However, cardistry and magic can complement each other. The grace of flourishes sometimes makes a magical performance more pleasing to watch, and adds to the sense that the magician is capable of doing amazing things. There are also people who perform cardistry in its own right, without combining it with magic tricks.

Cardistry is not new, you can see photos of Houdini performing cuts and card spreads. Before specialising in escapology, Houdini was famed for his sleight of hand and was known as the King of Cards.

But in recent years, cardistry has been taken to new levels, with a growing number of practitioners developing increasingly skilful moves. The rise of the cardistry community has created a healthy competition that drives members to develop more impressive flourishes. The highly visual nature of cardistry, and its fast and flashy moves, have led to it being dubbed the magician’s equivalent of extreme sports.

Cardistry practitioners often combine their card-handling abilities with a talent for film making to create some amazing videos. Beautiful card flourishes are mixed with striking backgrounds and great soundtracks, elevating cardistry even higher as an art form.

Many people can be credited for the development of cardistry, but perhaps most significant are twins Dan and David Buck. They have played a fundamental role in creating cardistry techniques, and in teaching and inspiring others to take it up . I saw them perform live at a lecture in London and was very impressed by their skills in cardistry and magic, and also by the breadth of the knowledge.

Cardistry videos

There are a lot of cardistry videos out there. Visit sites like YouTube and Vimeo and you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Here are a few of my favourites, including my own attempt at making one. I hope you enjoy.

As a magician London companies and venues hire, I get to perform in some wonderful places and meet some very interesting people.

London has so many venues where you can see amazing magicians from all over the world.

Magician London – venues to watch magic

I am lucky to be a magician London clubs and cabaret venues hire. One of my favourite shows is Magic Night – a twice-monthly show held at Madame JoJo’s cabaret club in Soho. There is always a top-class line-up of magicians and variety acts.

Volupte, is another excellent place to see London magicians. The shows offer a mix of burlesque, magic and comedy. I sometimes perform magic at the Sunday afternoon tea sessions, which are aptly called, Voluptea.

A visit to Davenports, the world’s oldest family-run magic shop, is a must. It is host to Magic Symphony, a highly unusual show where the theatre’s orchestra is comprised of playing cards and the conductor has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Covent Garden is famous for its street performers, and for the modest price of a few pounds in the hat, you can see the best street performers in the world. An area of Covent Garden called Magic Corner is dedicated to street magicians. Throughout the day you can see a magician London audiences love.

As a magician London theatres hire, it’s always worth looking for magic shows in the newspapers and on websites such as Last Minute, View London and Time Out. There’s almost always something going on. I have seen shows in London by top magicians such as Penn & Teller, Derren Brown and Hans Klok.

Magician London – tips on learning magic tricks

It may be that you’re interesting in learning some magic tricks yourself, in which case, London has some great magic shops. I already mentioned Davenports Magic, which is the place I went to learn magic as a child. It is a wonderful place, as dark and mysterious as you’d imagine a magic shop to be. And thanks to what I learnt there, I now have the opportunity to be a magician London venues and theatres hire.

There is also International Magic and Magic Cave, which has a magic stall you can visit in Covent Garden. Tell the people behind the counter that you are interested in learning magic and they’ll be able to recommend some good tricks to get you started. You will then be on your way to becoming the sort of magician London reviewers love!

Magician London – magic books and videos

My passion for magic developed from reading magic books. Browse your local library or bookshops, and you will find a good selection of magic books for beginners. People sometimes get put off by magic books, as they can seem a little dry and technical. However, they are the most valuable learning tool to help you become the kind of magician London clubs and exclusive venues will want to hire.

There are many styles of magic to choose from. You may choose to become a close up magician, an illusionist, a mind reader, a comedy magician or a stage magician, to name a few possibilities. You must choose the style you like best, and the one that most suits your personality. You’ll then be on your way to becoming a magician London audiences are keen to watch.

Watching magic videos can also be a useful learning tool. You have to be careful, because it can be easy to mimic magicians you admire, sometimes without even realising it. However, watching other magicians perform can be an effective way of learning the different aspects that go into a good magic performance.

But before specialising, its a good idea to choose a general magic book that gives you a taste of all of the different styles of magic, so that you can then decide which one you prefer. You can see videos of a magician London cabaret venues hire by visiting the magician London video channel.

Magician London – find out more

If you are organising an event, contact Legerdemain Magic, the magician London companies and venues choose, for a free quote and to discuss how hiring a magician can make your event one to remember.

Parlour magic provides a modern twist on the Victorian tradition of parlour entertainment, and allows you to enjoy a magic show in the comfort of your own home. Parlour magic is becoming increasingly popular, with television shows like Come Dine with Me making home dining the new eating out. A parlour magician may be that special ingredient for an unforgettable evening.

Parlour magic can incorporate different styles of magic to suit your taste. Visual illusions are mixed with mind reading and sleight of hand and perhaps some magical death-defying feats.

Parlour magic – intimate and elegant home entertainment

A parlour magician provides a more intimate experience than walk-around magic, which is typically performed for groups of people at cocktail receptions or large dinner banquets. The parlour magic experience also allows the magician to perform grander illusions than are possible in a crowded party environment.

An evening might consist of a magician performing some close-up magic around the dinner table between courses, to whet the appetite. You and your guests would then move to the living room for the full parlour magic show, which is generally 30-40 minutes long.

Parlour magic – a magic show in the comfort of your home

Having appeared on Raymond Blanc’s TV show The Restaurant, and performed at Taste of London events (not to mention countless dinner parties and restaurants), I am a parlour magician who understands how well magic and food can go together.

Get in touch to discuss how parlour magic can make your next event one to remember.

Magic duo Barry & Stuart have made a welcome return and are joined by newcomers Jason Latimer and Pete Firman. Latimer is a world champion magician, renowned for his unique magical effects. His trade-mark trick is his laser illusion, an effect that nobody else performs.

Firman is a comedy magician who has starred on other TV magic series, such as Dirty Tricks, and whose one-man shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have received critical acclaim. I saw him perform when I took the Magic Cubed show to the festival and was very impressed by how confidently he managed the audience (Read Magician’s tales from Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

The format of the show is the same – magicians are teamed up with celebrities, and then compete against each other to see who can perform the best magic tricks. The audience at home votes for their favourite, and the team that comes last has to complete a forfeit.

The choice of magicians is excellent, they all have very different styles, which keeps the show varied and pacey. The tricks have been impressive for the most part and there is more creativity and better-developed routines than in the first series.

The celebrities are being put to better use this time round. Last series, they generally served as an awkward spare tyre, cramping the magicians’ style. This time, they often enhance the magic, giving it a new twist. David Hasselhoff paired up with Latimer to make the car from Knightrider appear. And when presenter Mel Giedroyc joined forces with Firman, they shared good rapport and timing, performing quirky tricks and comfortably bouncing jokes between each other.

Also, the show now has a grander feel, more befitting of Saturday night entertainment, with filming in a variety of locations, and some large-scale stunts, such as a James Bond-style car explosion on a cliff face, and an impressive display of lights on London’s Canary Wharf Tower.

The addition of a performance by a different guest magician each week is a nice touch. It is a return of the sort of variety you used to see on programmes like the Paul Daniels Magic Show. Last week’s guest, Juliana Chen, was a particular joy to watch, with her elegant and highly-skilled card manipulations.

The presenter of the new series, Darren McMullen (who replaces Lenny Henry) is competent, but has yet to shine. The studio sections of the show now go out live, and he needs to improve his ad-libbing. Hopefully he will hit his stride as he becomes more confident.

Also, as an aside, former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt was involved with a table penetration effect, which was very similar to the trick that she helped Dynamo with on his series Magician Impossible. That may have just been a coincidence, but it felt like a rip-off.

However, it is clear that a lot of lessons have been learnt from the first series, and this is a vast improvement.  It’s the return of high-quality magic and variety to the BBC and it’s long overdue.

A question magicians are often asked is ‘how can I learn magic tricks?’

Magic is a clandestine art, and magicians are forbidden from exposing their tricks. The Magic Circle, the world’s most famous organisation for magicians, expels members who are found giving away magical secrets.

So how does anybody learn magic tricks in the first place? The idea behind the secrecy isn’t to make it impossible to learn magic tricks, but rather a way of ensuring that newcomers really want to learn magic tricks. The study and practise that is required ensures students treat magic with the respect it deserves. When you learn magic tricks, you are receiving knowledge that other magicians have spent years developing, and honed through thousands of performances. Magical secrets are gems that you have to work hard to discover.

And it is well worth the effort it takes to learn magic tricks. They’re an ice-breaker when you meet new people, you can use them to improve your presentational skills at work, or they can help to impress that girl or boy you like. I have been fortunate to learn magic tricks and they have allowed me to do many exciting things. I have performed at exlusive clubs and parties, and I have entertained royalty, politicians and the heads of some of the world’s biggest companies at corporate events.

Later on, Martin often incorporated magic into his comedy act. His ‘The Great Flydini‘ and the magic he performed on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour are among my favourite sketches.

But it was as a musician, rather than a magician, that I went to see him at the Hammersmith Apollo. He was performing an evening of bluegrass music, alongside a band called the Steep Canyon Rangers. I’d known that Martin was a skilled banjo player, but I hadn’t realised how accomplished he is as an all-round musician. He won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010, working alongside artists such as Dolly Parton.

The show was one of the best things I’ve seen for a very long time. From the moment Martin walked on stage, he was hilarious. The jokes flowed and were delivered with the laid-back ease that comes from mastering a craft, belying the experience and skill involved. We felt like we were watching an old friend on stage.

The music was wonderful. All written by Martin, it varied from fun songs about relatinships and religion, to more heartfelt pieces. With some, Martin showed his technical prowess, plucking strings at lightning pace. Others revealed his artistry, reminding us that the banjo can be a beautiful instrument.

The Steep Canyon Rangers are all highly accomplished musicians and singers, and were never overshadowed by Martin. He had joked that they were not his band, rather he was their celebrity, and they certainly shone in their own right. They also showed good comic timing, riffing off Martin and each other.

The performance earnt them three standing ovations. For an encore, they performed the Martin favourite King Tut, followed by bluegrass classic Orange Blossom Special. The latter song, nicknamed ‘the fiddle player’s national anthem’, allowed violinist Nicky Sanders to show real star quality. He threw in bars of pop and classical music favourites, which brought members of the audience to their feet, out of love for the music and admiration for a virtuoso performance.

The show felt like a lost treasure. Nowadays it seems rare to find  performers with talent and a love for being on stage, as opposed to a crude desire to just be famous. Here we got to see real artists expressing their passion and enthusiasm, and I think, if they could have, the audience would have had them play all night.

Another of the strings Martin has to his bow is as a writer and playwright. I highly recommend his autobiography ‘Born Standing Up‘, which covers his early life and his days as a stand-up comedian. It is amusing, well written and incredibly modest.

I was delighted that Penn and Teller’s Fool Us was returning to ITV. As I have mentioned in past blogs, I am a huge fan (read Penn and Teller at the Hammersmith Apollo).

This time round though, while the show had a lot to commend it, certain aspects concerned and disappointed me. My big issue was with the level of exposure of magical methods in the show.

Penn and Teller are known for revealing some magic tricks, it goes in hand with their rebellious image. But they have always been clever in the way they have done it, using exposure to create entertaining new presentations, while rarely giving any real secrets away.

This time was different. Within the opening few minutes they had revealed several effects in quick succession. There was no artistic reason for doing it, just cheap and easy entertainment.

By far the worst thing was the exposure of one of the magician’s tricks, his own invention, where they completely revealed the method on prime-time television.

I would never dream of posting explanations of how Penn and Teller do their effects. It would be enormously disrespectful, and I would ultimately only be shooting myself and other magicians in the foot. Which is whey I can’t understand why they would do it. They are at this time probably the most successful magicians in the world, and deservedly so. I look to them to set the standard, not to degrade themselves to the level of the masked magician.

Exposure of secrets does not benefit anyone. Magicians are the obvious losers, but even the audience really gains nothing, their sense of wonder and excitement is drained. A magician’s job is to bring magic to the world, not to explain it all away.

That said, the show had many strengths. It’s great to have a quality entertainment programme back on Saturday night television. High caliber magicians are getting the chance to shine and it’s a joy to watch.

It’s also great to see Penn and Teller performing, their creativity, style and professionalism are hugely inspiring.

With the first act of the night, Teller was adamant that they would not reveal the method, going so far as to eat the piece of paper which held the secret. If only they could be more consistent with that code of practice, it would be better for everybody.

We were three magicians, five doves and a marketing manager, crammed into a 4×4 and driving from London to our first Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Nine hours later and a dozen caramel lattess heavier, we arrived.

The long journey and incessant bird cooing had made us weary. Finding that our tight budget had got us an improbably swank apartment made things better.

Challenges of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

We were on stage at noon the next day. We pulled a good-size crowd and a warm response, but we were below par. We’d had to get up early to register for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, find the venue, haul our props up Edinburgh’s hills, set up and do sound checks. Coupled with the previous day’s 400-mile ride, feeling magical wasn’t coming easy.

We handed out flyers for our show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for three hours and it rained constantly. We decided we’d see a movie in the evening to lift our spirits. French animation The Illusionist was playing and given that it was about a magician and that the local cinema, The Cameo, one of Scotland’s oldest cinemas, actually featured in the film, it seemed the perfect choice. It was a beautiful and heartfelt film, but it did little to lighten our mood. The magician was poor and downtrodden, struggling to find work, and the outlook was worse for his fellow performers whose conditions ranged from drunk to suicidal. ‘There are no magicians’ was the films closing message. We were, by this stage, inclined to agree.

We went to bed. The doves kept cooing.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival – amazing for performers and audiences

Our second day at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and things changed. The show went well and the weather improved.We were still having to work hard – preparing, performing, promoting – but we were finding our rhythm, with each performance better than the last.

Our Edinburgh Fringe Festival show was entitled Mages Thru the Ages, and took the audience on a journey through the past present and future of magic. Oliver Tabor was the magician of magic past, with doves appearing at his fingertips and elegant displays of card manipulation representing conjuring of a bygone era. Oliver Meech gave a glimpse of things to come, making uncannily accurate predictions with the aid of some static electricity, as well as freezing time completely. While I, as the magician of the present, performed some edgy and downright stupid feats. Over the course of nine shows in seven days I swallowed eight balloons and 100-plus sewing needles, got punched in the stomach at least 35 times and showed hundreds of people a photo of me cross dressing. In any context other than the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I would have been locked up and medicated.

The High Street, which forms part of the Old Town’s Royal Mile, is the main area where performers promote their shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It is packed with hordes of actors, musicians, comedians, dancers, magicians and acrobats, all trying to find creative ways of grabbing the attention of passers-by. A haggard, senile-looking old man in a brown dressing-gown slowly staggered up the road, on his back was a billboard for a play called Dementia. Girls in Barbarella space suits handed out fliers next to a Shaespeare theatre company and a pack of vampires.

Standing out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival isn’t easy. You have around three seconds to seize people’s interest before they walk past you and on to a group of people in their underwear, the world’s most-pierced woman, a man lying in a body bag, or whatever else lies ahead. We devised some quick-fire magic tricks that caught the eye of punters and allowed us to put that valuable flyer in their hand. Our marketing manager Marion Chan flyered in a corset and knee-high boots and found that to be a far more direct way of getting attention. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival makes you an expert in body language and you are soon able to tell from 10 paces away whether or not somebody will take a flyer.

Outdoor stages run along the High Street, with artists showing extracts from their Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. Buskers from around the world perform amazing feats and show a remarkable ability to pull a huge crowd in minutes. Naturally it was the magician street performers who mainly caught my eye. Among them was Gazzo, one of the most famous modern street performers, renowned for his cups and balls routine. I also saw Billy Kidd, who recently featured in an advert for O2, perform an impressive, bone-cracking straitjacket routine.

We found time to see a few of the other Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. Magic duo Barry and Stuart stood out with their tongue-in-cheek séance. It had some creative ideas and although funny for the most part, also threw in some genuine scares along the way.

Feeling in need of a break from wizardry, we saw Japanese comedy group 3 Gaga Heads. It was silly slapstick all the way, but highly original and a lot of fun. Impersonating Marilyn Monroe one moment and a T-rex the next, and all the while wearing full-body tights, is no mean feat.

Healthy eating goes out of the window at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, there isn’t time. Meal times become erratic and usually consist of grabbing something on the hoof. We sampled local delicacies with mixed success. Haggis is excellent festival food, tasty and filling enough to keep you going for several hours.

Pubs and bars offer a literally dizzying array of whiskys, and the staff are very good at recommending a good tipple if you’re as ignorant as I am about good single malts.

Deep-fried Mars Bars should be avoided at all costs, but I fear that the fact I’ve mentioned them will spark your curiosity. We entered the kebab shop like school kids skipping gym class. We were about to leave when we couldn’t see confectionary on the menu, but then we spied the box of Mars Bars next to the till. Using the same tone I use to ask off-license staff if they’ll serve alcohol after hours, I made the order.A morbidly obese man waiting for his fish and chips gave me a look of dismay. “You’re not seriously going to eat that are you?” he asked. His reaction added to my growing sense of guilt and fear. His size gave the impression that he ate everything, and yet whatever we had coming was too horrible even for him.

We took it home, carefully dissected it and had a mouthful each. Any redeeming features that a Mars Bar has had been stripped away. It was an incredibly sweet, thick, sticky paste that tasted of nothing but sugar and fat. We felt defiled and it was our lowest point since the first day at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Scottish cuisine has a lot more to offer and we found some excellent restaurants. Best of all was Dubh Prais (pronounced Doo Prash), a small and reasonably-priced cellar restaurant along the Royal Mile. The Angus beef in whisky sauce was excellent, as was the Drambuie-flavour ice cream.

The end of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival approached and the doves remained as vocal as ever. But by this time we were more tolerant; we’d had sell-out performances and hell, they were as much a part of the show as we were, we had to be understanding of their artistic temperament. And when one of them laid an egg, we realised that what we’d perceived as a relentless din had actually been a declaration of dove love. How could we be mad when we would soon have a new addition to our magical clan, hopefully ready to take to the stage in time for our next trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

See more photos from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 on the Legerdemain Magic Facebook page

I’ve been making the final preparations for my debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Mages Thru the Ages. I’ve been practising with the two other magicians, Oliver Meech and Oliver Tabor, making a few final tweaks and we’re just about ready.

Free show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

We’ll be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 from 23-29 August at a venue called The Newsroom, which is near Edinburgh train station. It’s a great show and even better, it’s FREE to see!

We are also performing at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London on Tuesday 17 August. Check us out there if you’re not heading up to Edinburgh this year.

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos our marketing guru Marion Chan recently rustled up. One is a promotional video for the show, the other is interview with me and the other guys. Hope you enjoy.

Legerdemain Magic

Magic greats Penn and Telller made it back to the UK at last, following a 16-year absence, during which time they have been performing to packed audiences in Las Vegas. I have always been a big fan of their television shows, and so the chance to see them live felt long overdue.

The show was awesome. Large-scale illusions, intimate effects, hilarious comedy and poignant monologues (Teller always remaining mute), were all expertly performed. There was no excess, every trick, word and gesture was honed to perfection, testament to their vast experience. 

When Teller produced a mass of coins, followed by a school of goldfish, from a a water-filled fish tank, it was amazing and beautiful.

His needle swallowing routine was the best I’ve ever seen. It’s a trick I regularly perform at cabaret clubs, but his handling was so convincing I’m not sure how he did it.

Penn’s razor dialgoue and formidable presence ensured that the night moved apace and with contagious energy. For the finale, there was no grand illusion, instead, they dimmed the lights and Penn shared his thoughts on the meaning and philosophy of magic. The question, he said, is not how they do magic, but why. It was an unusual and brave note to finish on, but it created a powerful intimacy with the audience and won the duo the standing ovation they deserved.

A routine in which they enacted a scene as two strangers mysteriously handcuffed together felt underdeveloped. It was more of a short theatre sketch than a magic trick, and I liked the idea and the change of tempo, but I would have liked to see them expand on it and take it a bit further.

But it was a small niggle in an otherwise immaculate show. I hope they keep to their promise of not waiting another 16 years until their next visit.

I did close-up magic at a show called Magic at The Barn in Rochford. This is always a popular family event and was sold out as usual. Fellow magicians Oliver Tabor, Neil Henry and Paul Henri, provided first-class entertainment.

We’re in the wedding season, so I’ve been lucky enough to perform as a wedding magician at some great events recently, mainly around London and a few further afield.

Rehearsals are going well for the Edinburgh show, Mages Thru the Ages, I can’t believe how close we now are to the festival!

James
Legerdemain Magic UK