history channel Archives - Chamber Magic Steve Cohen’s Chamber Magic® At The Magnificent; Lotte New York Palace hotel Fri, 09 Nov 2018 02:37:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 NY Times Review: Now You See It: Tales of Amazing Illusions https://dev.chambermagic.com/blog/ny-times-tv-review/ Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:49:28 +0000 http://www.chambermagic.com/?p=5103 Some viewers will no doubt be annoyed at having been misled by the title of “Lost Magic Decoded,” a frothy special Thursday night on History, carrying as it does the implication that the secrets behind some legendary illusions will be revealed.

But Steve Cohen, the program’s genial host, is an adherent to the magicians’ code; don’t expect to learn how to make a rope rise skyward out of a basket here. But do expect to hear some tasty stories about magic tricks of yore, and to see some pretty baffling modern-day magic by Mr. Cohen as well.

Mr. Cohen, who is known as the Millionaires’ Magician for his magic show at the Waldorf-Astoria, sets out to run down four illusions from the distant past. The idea isn’t to reveal how they were done but to see if they actually can be done or were really just embellished legends. Along the way Mr. Cohen finds some of history’s odder true stories and throws in a few bits from his parlor show. [...]

The post NY Times Review: Now You See It: Tales of Amazing Illusions appeared first on Chamber Magic.

]]> By
Published: October 17, 2012

Some viewers will no doubt be annoyed at having been misled by the title of “Lost Magic Decoded,” a frothy special Thursday night on History, carrying as it does the implication that the secrets behind some legendary illusions will be revealed.

But Steve Cohen, the program’s genial host, is an adherent to the magicians’ code; don’t expect to learn how to make a rope rise skyward out of a basket here. But do expect to hear some tasty stories about magic tricks of yore, and to see some pretty baffling modern-day magic by Mr. Cohen as well.

Mr. Cohen, who is known as the Millionaires’ Magician for his magic show at the Waldorf-Astoria, sets out to run down four illusions from the distant past. The idea isn’t to reveal how they were done but to see if they actually can be done or were really just embellished legends. Along the way Mr. Cohen finds some of history’s odder true stories and throws in a few bits from his parlor show.

The program begins with the chess-playing contraption known as the Turk, a machine — or was it? — famous in the 1700s and 1800s for beating skilled human players. (The original Turk was destroyed in a fire.) Then Mr. Cohen turns his attention to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin’s light and heavy chest trick, in which a lightweight chest was mysteriously rendered too heavy to lift, a gimmick that helped the French defuse a rebellion in 1856.

Also explored are an illusion in which a rope rises from a basket and is somehow rigid enough to climb, and the bullet catch, in which a magician supposedly snags a bullet fired at him. Much more detailed examinations of each of these tricks are available — whole books have been written about them — and this program doesn’t peer too deeply lest it bump up against the word “hoax.” But as entertainment with a dash of history, it works nicely.

Lost Magic Decoded

History, Thursday night at 9, Eastern and Pacific times; 8, Central time.

Produced for History by Sharp Entertainment. Carl H. Lindahl, executive producer for History; Matt Sharp, Peter Greenberg and Steve Cohen, executive producers; Robert Palumbo, co-executive producer. Written and directed by Mr. Palumbo.

A version of this review appeared in print on October 18, 2012, on page C7 of the New York edition with the headline: Now You See It: Tales of Amazing Illusions.

The post NY Times Review: Now You See It: Tales of Amazing Illusions appeared first on Chamber Magic.

]]> Announcing “LOST MAGIC DECODED” My upcoming TV special https://dev.chambermagic.com/blog/announcing-lost-magic/ Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:12:59 +0000 http://www.chambermagic.com/?p=4861 Tune in to watch my TV special, Lost Magic Decoded, premiering on History Channel!

Airdate: October 18th, 9-11pm ET (check local listings)

LOST MAGIC DECODED will both shock and surprise you. If you have been a guest at my weekly show at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC, you have never seen me in anything but a tuxedo.

But here I trade my tailcoat for traveling clothes and venture throughout the states and across Europe to India to hunt down legendary magic tricks. Once I determine whether they are real or fables, I resurrect each one for a modern audience.

For exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes photos, follow the show on Twitter: @lostmagicTV

And visit the Facebook page for even more: https://www.facebook.com/LostMagicDecoded

Here is a synopsis of the show. [...]

The post Announcing “LOST MAGIC DECODED” My upcoming TV special appeared first on Chamber Magic.

]]> Tune in to watch my TV special, Lost Magic Decoded, premiering on History Channel!

Airdate: October 18th, 2012    9-11pm ET (check local listings)

 

LOST MAGIC DECODED will both shock and surprise you. If you have been a guest at my weekly show at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC, you have never seen me in anything but a tuxedo.

But here I trade my tailcoat for traveling clothes and venture throughout the states and across Europe to India to hunt down legendary magic tricks. Once I determine whether they are real or fables, I resurrect each one for a modern audience.

Here is a synopsis of the show.

—–

In LOST MAGIC DECODED, master illusionist Steve Cohen tracks down, decodes, and resurrects some of the most thrilling and terrifying magic effects ever witnessed. Magic has a secret history, and it takes an insider like Cohen to gain access to the ancient incantations, secret sorcery, and mysterious contraptions that have shocked audiences for centuries. Can their secrets somehow be rediscovered? And can they thrill and shock today’s audiences like they once did?

Among the more than 10 Lost Magic effects resurrected in LOST MAGIC DECODED are four of the most legendary illusions of all time:

“The Turk”, a magical wooden man who first appeared in the 1780’s to shock and mystify the greatest minds in the world including Ben Franklin, Napoleon, and Edgar Allan Poe. Only one man has ever fully cracked the code of “The Turk”, and Steve tracks him down in modern day Los Angeles, to bring this terrifying illusion back to life.

“The Light and Heavy Chest,” an illusion made famous by Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic, when he was summoned by the French government to put down an incipient revolt in the French colony of Algeria, by demonstrating that he could easily achieve total control over the strongest of the rebellious warriors. Steve must find his own method to control a modern-day strongman, stripping his power, and turning him from a crushing bodybuilder to a weakling with the strength of a 3-year old child.

“The Indian Rope Trick,” in which an Indian street magician, or fakir, levitates a rope out of a basket, sends his young son climbing up the rope until he disappears, and then climbs up after the boy to dismember him in the sky. The fakir eventually resurrects the boy before the stunned audience, creating what many call the most legendary magic effect in history. Steve travels the Northern India to track down the one man who is rumored to perform the effect today, to find a way to bring this dazzling piece of Lost Magic back to life.

“The Bullet Catch,” in which over 12 magicians have died since its first recorded performance in the 15th Century. It seems impossible to even think about: how can a man catch a live bullet? Despite the advice of many magic experts and historians, and even a magician who survived the bullet catch, Steve is determined to join the pantheon of magicians who have caught a bullet and lived to tell the tale. In the shocking conclusion of LOST MAGIC DECODED, Steve Cohen risks his life by attempting to catch a live bullet.

Intertwining the fascinating history of magic with the thrill of the highest caliber magic performance, LOST MAGIC DECODED is a unique roller coaster ride into the deepest crevices of history and back again to the present day, where Steve Cohen proves that even the most mysterious of lost magic can be summoned and performed with as much power as when it was originally staged hundreds of years ago.

The post Announcing “LOST MAGIC DECODED” My upcoming TV special appeared first on Chamber Magic.

]]>