Immediately after my recent appearance at TEDxBroadway, the following quote appeared on Twitter:
“This magician at #TEDxBroadway just made a Mai Tai out of think air. JESUS LIVES.”
I appreciate the enthusiastic response, but I assure you there was no divine intervention!
In fact, this was not even the first time that my favorite routine, Think-A-Drink, was performed on Broadway. My hero “Think-a-Drink” Hoffman himself performed the any-drink-called-for act in 1939 at the Broadhurst Theater’s original production of “Streets of Paris.” The show starred Carmen Miranda, and also featured Gower Champion, and Abbott & Costello (before they made their first movie).
I was happy to perform my version of Think-a-Drink on the Broadway stage once again, albeit 74 years later!
Yes, that’s me standing in the Red Square in Moscow. And yes, Saint Basil’s Cathedral looks like a giant Carvel ice cream cake. It was certainly cold enough to stay frozen (see below)! My trip to Moscow was a great adventure, and I’d like to share some of the highlights with you.
The purpose of my trip was a private performance, held in a bona-fide palace owned by the Russian Foreign Ministry. I was invited to perform at the 60th birthday of Yuri Bashmet – one of the world’s finest viola players. Also present were my dear friend Anne-Sophie Mutter, and renowned conductor Valery Gergiev (of the London Symphony Orchestra). The audience was mostly Russians and Germans, but this was an extremely cultured crowd, and […]
Roberto Giobbi is an extremely talented magician from Muttenz, Switzerland. I hold him in the highest regard as a sleight of hand expert, and have learned a great deal about card magic through his book series, Card College. It’s a testament to his ability as both a teacher and a writer that even professional magicians refer to his books to acquire nuances and touches on material that they’ve used for years.
Another book that Giobbi released recently – not in the Card College series – is titled Secret Agenda. It’s an unusual book because it contains 365 pages, one for each day of the year. The reader is encouraged to read one page daily, and not skip ahead. Giobbi wants the student to reflect on the daily lesson, to savor it, and not burden himself with information overload. Some days he introduces a clever card magic sleight, on other days a poem.
The December 29th entry was meaningful to me, and I wanted to record the action steps that I’ve taken as a result of reading this book.
Giobbi encourages magicians to prepare a Utility Bag that is brought to every show. He writes:
“This bag is a lifesaver for any performer traveling to a booking. […]
A cluster of of well-to-do couples huddle in the lobby of the Waldorf Towers in New York City, buzzing with anticipation. At the stroke of 8:45 p.m. on Saturday evening, a tall man in a tailored suit ushers everyone into a gold-plated elevator – the same one that the President of the United States rides when he stays in New York. Primping and fidgeting, the group lines up at a suite at the end of a hallway on the 35th floor. 58 people file in for tonight’s magic show in Steve Cohen’s living room, run solely by word-of-mouth.
Cohen’s “Chamber Magic” shows inspire an intimate, old-timey parlor feel. Attendees, many of whom have purchased tickets months in advance, are expected to dress well. He doesn’t bother with hats, rabbits, or sleight-of-hand tricks; instead, he uses one gleaming tea kettle to produce five different drinks at the audience’s request.
At age 10, Cohen worked the elementary school circuit, appearing at kids’ birthday parties and Cub Scout meetings. Now, he brings in about 300 viewers each weekend – including high-profile guests like Martha Stewart, Barry Diller, and David Rockefeller – and a seven-figure annual income. “I put people in an environment where anything can happen,” Cohen says, pausing to sip Kombucha tea (the ginger helps his throat). “People start thinking, Maybe there’s another force in the world, and this guy has control over it.”
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
I will be touring in September, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic performances in Atlanta. That’s right, Atlanta! The show will be identical to my long-running Waldorf-Astoria show in New York.
I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:
ATLANTA:
Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
75 Fourteenth Street NE
September 21 and 22
(Four performances – 7pm and 9:30pm each night)
More details […]
Buzz Aldrin after my performance in New York: “I used to think Saturn V was a miracle. But your show – this was a real miracle.”
I performed magic last week for NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a fascinating group of space tourism supporters.
Buzz let me use his ring for one of my tricks – the ring HE WORE ON THE MOON!
Without a doubt, that experience trumps all the other notable rings I’ve borrowed in the past, including a Super Bowl ring, and Ellen Barkin’s wedding ring.
I still can’t get over it. I held the ring Buzz Aldrin wore while walking on the moon. And he let me use it in my show. What an honor.
My favorite comment after returning from my Philadelphia tour was an email I received from a guest. He wrote, “Your show is a thing of beauty, a magical symphony.” Wow. What a nice compliment. But I must say that Philadelphia audiences – who came out in droves to the magnificent Four Seasons hotel last week – made my job a pleasure indeed.
Whenever I launch the show in a new city, there is considerable risk on my part. Will people show up? How do I get the word out? Do I have any fans in that city who can help drum up interest?
Fortunately, Philadelphia is close enough to my home base in NYC that the word spread quickly. I even got a little advance press on a cool blog that has a large local following. The four shows sold-out swiftly, even before I arrived in town.
Another part of the risk in performing in a new city is that […]
It’s the dream of any performer to stand on-stage at Carnegie Hall, presenting what they’ve trained their entire life to perfect.
I’ll have my chance on January 12, 2012, and I’d love it if you would share this momentous evening with me.
Carnegie Hall has three performance venues – I’ll be performing in their most intimate: Weill Recital Hall. Tickets went on sale this morning at 11:00am, and the box office tells me that they had people queuing up on the phones, waiting for the sale to begin.
This is a one-night only performance of my stage show “Theater of Wonder” – which is entirely different from “Chamber Magic,” now in its eleventh year at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. If you’ve been to my smaller show and want to see more magic, “Theater of Wonder” is for you.
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall box office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue), through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online […]
I will be touring in September, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic performances in Philadelphia. That’s right, Philadelphia! The show will be identical to my long-running Waldorf-Astoria show in New York.
I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:
PHILADELPHIA:
Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia
One Logan Square
September 13 and 14
(Four performances – 7pm and 9pm each night)
Click “Read full post” below for tickets
If you have friends or family in Philly who you think would enjoy Chamber Magic, please tell them to reserve their tickets now. I look forward to welcoming them to the show!
