At last, Todd Karr has published the revised and expanded edition of Martin Gardner’s seminal book, Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic. He asked several magicians to comment on the importance of this book, for a feature story in Genii Magazine (November 2015). I was honored to share my thoughts in this feature, alongside Eric Mead, Joel Hodgson, Paul Daniels, Levent, Christopher Hart, Quentin Reynolds, Jade, and John Fisher.
MALINI-ESQUE IMPROMPTU MAGIC IN GARDNER ENCYCLOPEDIA
In the early twentieth century, Max Malini made his reputation performing impromptu tricks for members of the upper class. He sidled up to socialites and policy-makers in upscale hotel lobbies and presented a cascade of off-the-cuff miracles that compelled them to visit his ballroom show.
As I’ve modeled much of my own career after Malini (he too performed at New York’s Waldorf Astoria), I often hunt for quick Malini-esque tricks and stunts that make a strong impact on discerning crowds. Martin Gardner’s Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic is full of such items, and I’ll share a few that have served me well.
“Chamber Magic®“ is now ranked #8 (of 357) of all theater shows in New York City, on TripAdvisor. When I started “Chamber Magic®“ 15 years ago, my goal was to help raise public respect toward magic as a performing art. I wanted people to consider going to a magic show instead of the opera, or […]
My latest project is finally complete! After a year of planning, I’m proud to announce the release of my new ultra-luxury deck of playing cards. Think Federer’s tennis racket, Baryshnikov’s dance slippers, Perlman’s violin. For a close-up magician like me, an essential tool of the trade is a good deck of cards—and none measured up. […]
I’m often asked how someone becomes a magician. The snappy answer is: “I was tricked into it!” But in truth it takes a lot of hard work, starting at a young age.
My uncle Nat Zuckerman showed me my first card trick at age six, and I knew from that moment on that I had to become a magician. It felt preordained.
When I was 13 years old, my parents sent me to Tannen’s Magic Camp, a week-long sleepaway camp for young magicians. My fellow campers included David Blaine and Adrien Brody. Thirty years later (!) I was invited back to the same camp to teach and perform. Last Wednesday I volunteered to spend a full day with 130 enthusiastic teenage magicians.
I went there with the intention to inspire them — to show the campers where magic might take them. After all, I sat in their seats thirty years ago and have since turned my passion into a successful career. What I wasn’t expecting was how the students would inspire me with their energy, raw talent and deep enthusiasm for our shared love of magic.
You would expect a magician to utter such words as, “That was a magical year!” But in the case of 2013, I can safely say that it was a year full of non-stop magic.
Please enjoy reading my 2013 highlights, complete with photos. (Click photos for a larger view, and click the links for even more details of each event.)
• 15,000 guests visited me at Chamber Magic in the magnificent Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. I presented 5 shows every week, 250 shows in total. Chamber Magic is now in its 14th year, and I’m loving every minute.
• I performed in Moscow at a private party held in a Russian Foreign Ministry palace.
• I was a presenter at TEDx Broadway. We invited random audience members onto the stage to name their favorite drinks, and drink them from my magic teapot. My favorite reaction was from a Twitter response: “This magician at #TEDxBroadway just made a Mai Tai out of thin air. JESUS LIVES”
• My television special Lost Magic Decoded aired internationally in Israel, India, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, and Italy. Together with talkshow legend Dick Cavett and director Robert Palumbo, I presented a screening & discussion in New York City at the prestigious 92nd Street Y.
• David Ben invited me to Toronto to present six performances of Chamber Magic at the prestigious Luminato Arts Festival. Previous performers at past Luminato festivals include Juan Tamariz, Mac King, and Max Maven. The Canadian national newspaper Globe and Mail raved: “You haven’t seen magic tricks until you’ve seen Steve Cohen.”
Anyone with a handheld device is a magician of sorts. So how to explain the resurgence of old-fashioned magic in popular culture? Why are people falling for a brand of entertainment that seemed at its height a hundred years ago, when Harry Houdini was all the rage? Haven’t we moved beyond that?
Apparently not. In a private suite at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria, Steve Cohen, known as the “Millionaires’ Magician,” presents a stately 90-minute illusionfest, Chamber Magic, five times a week. Last year he became the first magician in nearly four decades to appear at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and his refined act has impressed guests at the homes of Barry Diller, Martha Stewart and Warren Buffett, among others. And maybe that’s the role of magic these days – to provide a dash of wonderment for those who have seen it all.
Toronto’s Luminato Festival is a big deal. Each summer, hundreds of performing artists are invited to Toronto to participate in a 10-day celebration of the arts. Since the festival’s inception seven years ago, “magic” has been included in the programming thanks to the efforts of David Ben and Julie Eng. International stars of magic such as Juan Tamariz, Max Maven and Mac King have performed their full shows there in previous years.
This year I was asked to present “Chamber Magic” at Luminato, and I’m glad I accepted the invitation. On June 17, 18 and 19, I performed six shows (two each night) at the George Brown house, a National Historic Site that usually is off-limits to the public. The house was completed in 1876 and restored to its former glory – an excellent location for my old-school brand of parlor magic. In fact, the show was situated right in George Brown’s parlor — you can’t beat that! […]
On June 2, 2013, I took the stage at the 92nd Street Y in New York City for a memorable evening of magic. The program featured a screening of my History Channel program “Lost Magic Decoded” as well as a lively question-and-answer session, and a live performance of magic. Moderating the discussion was my pal and fellow magician Dick Cavett, the legendary talk show host, and we were joined by Robert Palumbo, the director of my program.
Here’s the introduction that Eric Lange read to the sold-out audience heard before we walked on stage:
“Welcome to a magical evening at the Y!
“Tonight we’ll be “Looking for Magic with Steve Cohen,” who has delighted and mystified audiences all over the world. He’s the star of Chamber Magic, the longest-running solo magic show in New York, presented each weekend in an elegant suite in the Waldorf Towers. His audiences include a who’s who of celebrities, royalty, and other notables. A media favorite, Cohen was also the star of a sold-out solo show at Carnegie Hall and a TV special you will see excerpts from tonight, Lost Magic Decoded, that premiered on the History Channel in 2012.
“Cohen will talk about the making of the film with the film’s writer, director and co-producer Robert Palumbo, whose credits include documentaries for HBO, Showtime and National Geographic. Steve and Robert traveled the world on their magic quest, so they have a few stories to tell!
“We’re honored to welcome back famed talk show host and author Dick Cavett, who will moderate their discussion. […]
I CAN’T ADEQUATELY EXPRESS how surreal it is to stand in the wings of the Ed Sullivan Theater, waiting to be introduced. Fifteen minutes prior to show time, I was sitting in my sixth floor dressing room watching David Letterman deliver his monologue on a small plasma television. It was like watching his monologue any other night at home. Moments later, however, I was on the ground floor, standing in the wings of that very theater, peeking out into the darkness. Running through my mind: “Am I about to walk onto the Letterman show I was just watching?” It was like seeing a two-dimensional scene turn three-dimensional.
Fortunately, the producers helped me to feel well prepared. Seven days before my appearance, they granted my request to visit the theater and sit in the guest chair at “home base” (the raised platform where Letterman’s desk is located). I spent two hours in the theater that day, practicing my sleights in the guest chair, and going over camera angles with the directors and producers. I even practiced walking out from the wings several times, to become accustomed to the route, the trajectory, and the temperature (it’s very chilly).
During this pre-show visit, I met band leader Paul Shaffer and explained that I’d need to borrow one of his rings for my performance the following week. He let me handle his wedding ring and confirm that it would be the proper size for my ring-in-walnut trick. I also met many of the staff: the director, executive producers, stage hands, audio techs, and writers. I did several card tricks for them in a casual setting, to get them excited about the upcoming “Close-Up Magic Week.” Of course, I also had an ulterior motive – to become a familiar face. The director, Jerry Foley told me that this visit helped save us a lot of time in creating a comfortable working relationship for the following week’s show.
The only person who I didn’t meet was David Letterman. In fact, the only time I shared with him occurred on the day of the show, at his desk, while cameras were rolling. [click for more…]
Join us for a private screening of my History Channel special, “Lost Magic Decoded,” that follows my journey across three continents in search of some of the most puzzling illusions of all time.
“Lost Magic Decoded” was praised by The New York Times (“baffling”) and USA Today (“jaw-dropping”).
The screening will be hosted by legendary talk show host Dick Cavett (click on his name to read his NY Times blog), and will include a discussion with the film’s writer/producer/director Robert Palumbo. I also plan to perform some live magic after the screening.
If you are in the New York area on June 2nd, I hope to see you there. [Click for more…]
