Wednesday, February 12, 2020

No illusion: The Show Won’t Go On is featured in a special show at the world-famous Magic Castle

Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong
The Show Won’t Go On show went on in one of the most historic, exclusive and mysterious venues in show business last night as authors Jeff Abraham and Burt Kearns brought their multimedia presentation to the hallowed Inner Circle of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.

David Regal regales the crowd  (Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong)
Acclaimed magician and writer David Regal was a witty, knowledgable and entertaining moderator as he led Abraham and Kearns through stories from the fast-selling book -- along with a few others.

                                                                    (Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong)

Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong

The Magic Castle is the exclusive members-only meeting place for the elite magicians of the world, so many of their stories told Tuesday night focused on the untimely deaths of magicians, incuding Chung Ling Soo (whose biggest secret is revealed in the book), "Amazing" Joe Burrus (who in his own way managed to earn a place alongside the great Houdini), and the many who attempted the bullet catch -- unnscuccesfully.
Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong
There were also stories of  performers who “died doing what they loved” in the fields of classical music, comedy -- and even lion-taming.

Getting down to business after the show (Photo by AMA Archivist Taylor Wong)
The Magic Castle appearance had special meaning for Jeff Abraham, who in his youth was a "Junior Magician” at the Castle, as the audience saw in a projected photo -- Jeff and other young prestidigitators surrounding the legendary magician Dai Vernon (aka “The Professor”) on the occasion of his eighty-eighth birthday in 1982.

Dai Vernon & the Junior Magicians (photo by Victoria Jackson)


Yes, The Magic Castle has a dress code

Special thanks to Paul Green, Ben Roman, Rick Manfredi, the technical team and the chef, among others, at the world-famous Magic Castle...