I will be touring in September, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic® performances at the new Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS. The show will be identical to my long-running show in New York. I’m excited to announce the following tour dates: BEVERLY HILLS: The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills 9850 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly […]
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I have fond memories of Sunday mornings as a boy, searching the Arts page of the NY Times for the “Nina’s” hidden in Al Hirschfeld’s illustrations. It was a clever game of hide-and-go-seek, since Hirschfeld hid his daughter’s name so well, and in such whimsically obscure spots – in the folds of a coat sleeve, […]
Read the full post »Since I began performing “Chamber Magic” at the Waldorf Astoria 15 years ago, many of the world’s top magicians have visited me during their trips to New York. It is always an honor to look into the audience and see my personal heroes looking back!
Here are some quotes from names you’ll be sure to recognize: David Copperfield, Juan Tamariz, Derren Brown, Andy Nyman, Teller, Siegfried, Eugene Burger, Jeff McBride, John Carney, Richard Kaufman, Roberto Giobbi, Dick Cavett, Patrick Page, Derek DelGaudio, Jon Racherbaumer, Simon Aronson, David Ben, Levent, Daryl, David Regal, Milt Larsen, Dani DaOrtiz, Richard Wiseman, Ken Weber, Harry Lorayne, Pit Hartling, and David Berglas.
♠♥♣♦
“A masterful performance. You can’t write a show like this. It can only come from performing night after night, listening to the audience. I loved it.” – DAVID COPPERFIELD
“I loved your act at the Waldorf-Astoria – especially the elegant atmosphere and classical style of the performance, not to mention the very strong magic!” – JUAN TAMARIZ
“Aside from his success, it is Steve’s charm and elegance which separate him from all but a tiny elite of world-class magicians. However, Steve is the only magician from that elite and highly-select group to take his show to an elite and highly-select audience. It is a true one-off: an intimate caprice of parlour diversion by an enthralling and consummate master.” – DERREN BROWN
[Read more…]
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Just as singers have their favorite songs, magicians have our favorite tricks.
One of my all-time favorites is Think-a-Drink. The proper title of this routine is Any Drink Called For, and has also been known as The Bar Act. I’ve been performing this routine in my shows for the past eight years, but it has existed in various forms for over a century. The trick is so old, it’s new again.
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I will be touring in early March, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic® performances at the new Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS. The show will be identical to my long-running show in New York. I’m excited to announce the following tour dates: BEVERLY HILLS: The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills 9850 Wilshire Boulevard, […]
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I will be touring at the end of October, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic performances at the Waldorf Astoria CHICAGO. The show will be identical to my long-running Waldorf Astoria show in New York.
I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:
CHICAGO:
The Waldorf Astoria Chicago
11 E Walton St, Chicago, IL
October 28 and 29
(4 performances: 7pm and 9pm each night)
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It has been a pleasure to perform Chamber Magic at New York’s legendary Waldorf Astoria New York for the past 16 years. The show started on a dream and a shoestring budget, and it’s now ranked as the 9th most popular theatrical event in New York City on TripAdvisor. I’ve entertained more than 500,000 people in the Waldorf, including billionaires, celebrities, royalty, and heads of state.
As you may have read in the media, the hotel will undergo a massive renovation starting in the spring.
As a result, there are only six months remaining to see Chamber Magic at its original venue, the spectacular Waldorf Astoria.
Book your tickets now to see the show at the hotel where it became famous! I will perform the last show at the Waldorf on February 25, 2017.
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(May 1, 2016) Over the course of his decades-long career as an author and performer, Harry Lorayne has connected with millions of people. For his ninetieth birthday, he was reminded of how many lives he’s touched. Nearly one hundred people gathered in New York City to celebrate Harry’s birthday, and it was a joyous occasion.
At the party, Michael Vincent turned to Harry and said, “You were my best friend long before you knew I existed.”
This sentiment resonated with many, because we all felt close to Harry long before meeting in person, through reading his books. Harry’s writing style is so conversational it reads as if a friend is chatting with you, offering private lessons.
To my knowledge, Harry currently gives actual private lessons to only one person, his accountant Alan Frankel. Alan and I have struck up a friendship over the past few years, and together we decided to co-sponsor Harry’s ninetieth party as a way of thanking him for his friendship and inspiration.
Too often we wait too long to tell people how much they’ve meant to us. Not this time. People traveled from England, France, Finland, China, and all over the United States to attend.
The guest list read like a Who’s Who of New York City’s magic scene, and beyond. Many told me that it was the greatest “three-hour magic convention” they’ve ever attended.
Read the full post »On the occasion of Harry Lorayne’s 90th birthday, magicians and entertainers from around the world sent video greetings to celebrate his extraordinary life. I’ve compiled them into one film that is breathtaking in scope. When viewed together, these “Happy Birthday” videos demonstrate the impact that Harry Lorayne has had on the most influential magicians alive. Appearances by: Steve […]
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written by Bert Allerton
(published in The Magic of Sam Berland, 1986)
TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE-UP MAGICIAN YOU MUST
1. Really love magic and not do magic because you love to show off.
2. Love people to the point of sincerely being more interested in their enjoyment of what you are doing than in the effect itself.
3. Have a natural adaptability for doing magic and using your own natural style.
4. Be a salesman to the extent of giving the public what really entertains them and not using the effects that you may think are good or that you like to do.
5. Have a sense of timing which can only be fully developed by experience. This is one of the most important factors in successful presentation of close-up. Learn how to build up suspense, create surprises, and produce laughs.
6. Be a student of psychology for there are many startling and unexplainable effects that can be performed as a result of knowing what people will do under a given set of circumstances.
7. You must routine your presentation, your effects must be psychologically selected, performance-tested, and carefully arranged. The opening is most important and should break down as quickly as possible the normal dislike for magicians on the part of so many people, apparently due to unimpressive performances they have previously witnessed. Every effect must sustain their interest as a close-up magician has distractions which no stage performer encounters — music, dancing, waiters, kibitzers, etc. Like any good performance the climax or concluding effect is exceptionally important and if possible, leave ’em laughing.
8. Be a gentleman. Be careful of your manner of speech, your patter (blue material should be avoided), your dress, and your general conduct. Smile graciously and be friendly.
9. Have a sense of humor and if not naturally a comedian be able to build up situations with your magic that produce laughs.
10. And last but basically the first requirement. Be a technician, as near to a perfectionist as possible in this regard. Learn to do all your moves automatically and effortlessly so that you can project your personality and do a real selling job.
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