The Magic Circle

Matt Ricardo, juggler of renown, visited and performed at The Magic Circle recently... read his account of how his expectations were surpassed...

http://matricardo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/circle.html

Brimming full of character, the joint is certainly worth taking a nosey aroundVisiting The Magic Circle is highlighted as one of the best things to do in London!

So you’ve taken in a couple of shows, checked out the latest exhibits, but have you visited the premier magical society in the fascinating world of mystery and illusion? Well...neither had I. That was until I went the Magic Circle’s headquarters for one of their public shows.

Forget Darren Brown, forget David Blaine, this promises to be an evening full of magic, comedy, ventriloquism and a guy pulling audience members’ names out of sausages?!?

http://100london.blogspot.com/2012/01/londons-prestige-night-magic-circle.html

To see magic in London this good you need to go to the Magic Circle

Just like comedians everyone loves a magicians, so why then aren't there lots of magic clubs in central London? I've been doing this blog for a while and I still don't know the answer. Thankfully though the Magic Circle is based in London and their Autumn / Winter season is starting.

What this means is you’ll be able to see some of the best magicians in the country perform right here in central London at the Circle’s headquarters.

Update Oct 2011: This close-up magic will leave you shaking your head..

Update Dec 2011: The Magic Circle know how to look after Londoners

Update Jan 2012: Where to take a date in London...

3guysonalondonbus.com

The Magic Circle worked closely with Qi's production team to research and construct questions for the showThe BBC brings magic to our TV screens this Christmas Eve with help from the Magic Circle, as the special festive edition of Qi focuses on the topic of ‘Hocus Pocus’.   Daniel Radcliffe is the special guest contestant alongside comedians Graham Norton, Lee Mack and Alan Davies, and special contributions come from Vice President of The Magic Circle Scott Penrose.

The Magic Circle worked closely with Qi's production team to research and construct questions for the show.  Two of the Qi’s ‘Question Wranglers’ toured The Magic Circle HQ, meeting with key representatives including Museum Curator Lionel Russell, Archivist David Hibberd and Librarian Peter Lane.  They were looking for history, characters and quirks for the show in which host Stephen Fry awards points for being interesting rather than necessarily being correct.   Having worked out a format, Vice President Scott Penrose met with the producers to re-create one of the tricks discussed by the contestants and also to provide special illusions for the show’s climax.

Says Nick Fitzherbert, PRO of The Magic Circle: “I can’t reveal too much because Stephen Fry swore us all to secrecy and, of course, they always film much more than ends up in the edited version.  However, the Question Wranglers with whom we worked were truly thrilled in the green room afterwards, saying they believe it is probably the best edition of Qi they have ever made and one that everyone will be talking about for a long time afterwards.  What I can report is that Daniel Radcliffe held his own among the comedians, certainly knew his magic and charmed everyone over drinks afterwards.”

‘Hocus Pocus’, Qi’s Christmas special is broadcast at 9.30pm on BBC 1 on Christmas Eve.  The extended edition goes out on BBC 2 at 10.30pm on Wednesday December 29.

Magic is constantly changing, with performers creating bigger and better tricks to impress us. Times have changed since a magician produced a startled rabbit out of top hat with a puff of smokeBBC Radio Four today presented a program entitled ‘Magic People and Places’, the program featured prominent members of The Magic Circle, including the late Patrick Page & Ali Bongo and our current President Jack Delvin MIMC.

Magic is constantly changing, with performers creating bigger and better tricks to impress us. Times have changed since a magician produced a startled rabbit out of top hat with a puff of smoke.

Today we expect more, and the modern magician apparently does the impossible before our eyes. But spare a thought for where the trick came from. How did the magic get there?

Presenter John Sugar does not reveal any trade secrets - like how to saw a woman in half, or the best way to float in the air - but we do hear how the sale of magic has changed, with the impact of the internet and the way conventions are developing new environments for its promotion and sale.

The programme also hears about the leading magic shops and studios of 60 years ago, revealing the characters who created the magic. Today, magic revolves around the internet and magic conventions. The key gathering is in Blackpool in late February. The programme visits the 58th Magic Convention, attended by 3500 magicians.

We speak to the organizers and the performers, and soak up the atmosphere. Discover more about the way magic is brought and sold in this engaging programme which celebrates the innovators, demonstrators, characters and studios who make sure magic continues to touch all our lives.

The program can be listened to via the BBC iPlayer Service

We asked Nick Fitzherbert, PRO of the Magic Circle, for an insight into this unusual world; he pulled some magical answers out of the hat.Nick Fitzherbert, PRO of The Magic Circle talks with Helen Soteriou from Londonist about our headquarters in London:

The Magic Circle, that famous club of magicians, has since 1998 enjoyed headquarters at 12 Stephenson Way, Euston, a cobbled street that has a touch of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell about it. Inside, a magnificent set of rooms houses a theatre, museum of illusion and members' library of around 10,000 books. The MC hosts regular events and tours for people interested in the history and future of magic. We asked Nick Fitzherbert, PRO of the Magic Circle, for an insight into this unusual world; he pulled some magical answers out of the hat.

You can read the full article at Londonist.com