The Modern Mystic League

APRIL2022

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REVIEWS

Blackburn & District Society of Magicians

For our April meeting we spent a happy afternoon at the seaside, in the company of the President of the Northern Magic Circle, Roy Field, who had travelled from his own seaside residence near Scarborough. We were also delighted to welcome Kay Murray, from the Order of the Magi, and Leslie Melville, from Blackpool.

Roy recently received an Award of Excellence from the International Brotherhood of Magicians for his study of Magic at the Seaside, which appeared in the Linking Ring magazine, and his presentation was based upon that research, accompanied by a wealth of images and touches of humour. Roy traced the British love affair with the seaside back to the earliest days when the health-giving properties of sea air were first recognised and resorts were patronised by the upper classes, as seen, for example, in Jane Austen's unfinished Sanditon novel of 1817.

The entertainment on the sands, initially presented by some genuinely black performers, was soon taken over by their 'burnt cork' counterparts, leading ultimately to the hugely popular Black and White Minstrels. Concert parties developed from the white-faced and distinctly attired Pierrot troupes, which were the training grounds for performers such as Arthur Askey and Ernest Sewell; the first to create the traditional box of magic tricks, bearing his name. Before long, the set-up stages on the beach, which were at the mercy of the elements and the tide, transferred to bricks-and-mortar theatre buildings on the promenade or at the end of the pier, with Punch and Judy still thriving on the shore beneath. Roy traced the careers of many famous  magicians, such as David Nixon, from the rapidly expanding variety theatres and holiday camps, bringing the story up to the present day with contemporary performers.

SEASIDE MAGIC WITH ROY FIELD
For the second part of the afternoon, Roy deconstructed the 'seaside' act which he had devised for his President's Day, showing how various pieces of apparatus had been repurposed to fit in with that theme. Thus, a cylindrical production tube on the 'squared circle' principle brought forth a stick of rock and a specially-designed 'welcome' banner. There was a 'turn it round!' Bathing Belle routine with differently coloured swimming costumes, and a reappearing lollipop trick was linked to a shop on the Golden Mile.

There was an unexplained prediction effect with coloured envelopes and spots, attributed to the prolific Chris Wardle, which led to an amusing paddle-move routine based upon seagull droppings - an idea which I first saw used by Ken Green, using trowels. A set of Donald McGill and Bamforth-styled comic postcards was employed in a 'five postcard repeat' sequence, culminating in the rude cards being transformed into pretty scenes of Scarborough via a Himber wallet. It was all very inventive, showing evidence of much thought and preparation. It was sobering, however, to learn that the iconic comic postcards are no longer available for sale, the PC police not acknowledging the inherent humour to be found in mothers-in-law, fat ladies with weedy husbands, newly-weds and buxom blondes.

To conclude the afternoon, there was a free raffle for a bowl of magically animated fish (!), Roy was presented with a first edition of Hoffmann's Latest Magic and our guests went away with MML souvenirs. Immediate Past President Allan Clarke presented our junior, Harry, with his MML badge and thanked Roy for a splendid trip to the seaside and down memory lane.

Brian Lead