Mentalism night is still a relatively new event on
the Ipswich Magical Society calendar and I have to
say that it is fast becoming one of my favourites.
Lectures are always worth attending, but sometimes so much more can be learnt from the performance evenings such as this one. Several members from the society, some new, some long term, were asked to do something for us and they quickly proved that Mentalism can be as fun and entertaining as any other genre of magic. Naturally I have always known this but it isn't always everyone's cup of tea. The evening was compered by the very capable Marc Jacobs who kept the show flowing from beginning to end. We were even fortunate enough to see Marc perform a couple of bits and pieces. His drawing graphology routine I found particularly enjoyable. |
Graham P. Jolley
However, as if all that wasn't enough, something
else occurred that made the evening into something
extremely memorable. We were honoured to have a very
special guest with us. It was none other than Mr.
Graham P. Jolley, arguably Britain's best mentalist
working at the moment. Mr. Jolley very kindly
offered to perform something for us and for 30
minutes he did just that.
If you have never seen Graham Jolley's act than you have really missed something exceptional. He had everyone in absolute fits of laughter from start to finish. This man has audience management down to a fine art. He has a way of being insulting without making it seem offensive in anyway whatsoever. You always feel part of the fun and not the butt of it, even when his comments are addressed to you. More importantly though, there was also some extremely powerful Mentalism going on throughout. Hopefully this won't be the last time Graham Jolley visits the Ipswich Magical Society. In fact it would be nice to think he would become a member (I think it goes with out saying that he has passed his audition!) |
Alec Adolphus
The other performers of the evening included Alec
Adolphus, who kindly showed us his new ‘Just say
stop’ card force. He did tell us before hand that it
had only gone wrong twice before, but that he had
only performed it three times, however I think he
was pulling our legs a little as it worked fine on
the night. Alec has one of those minds that should
be involved with inventing magic full time.
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Rupert 'Flashy' Appleyard
The second performer was the imitable Flashy – otherwise known as Rupert Appleyard. Described by Marc Jacobs as the Adam Ant of Magic. Rupert has numerous skills such as Circus Ringmaster, Escapologist, Clown and Close-up Magician so it was a real pleasure to see yet another feather to his bow. He is a natural performer who could probably turn his hand to anything, but certainly his Mentalism routine was most enjoyable. It included a variety of effects, including some nice psychological forces, a drawing duplication and a time prediction.
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Dr. Todd Landman. The Metaphysical Magician
Next up was
another member new to the Ipswich Magical Society.
Dr. Todd Landman. I have already seen him do bits
and pieces in the pub so I knew he was more than
capable and he certainly didn’t let us down on the
night. Todd is well used to the limelight and as one
of his jobs is a lecturer of philosophy and politics
he is equally at home talking in front of people.
Something it has to be said is a great asset for any
Mentalism. Todd is working on some new ideas at the
moment that involve his persona as a metaphysical
magician. A mixture of philosophy and Mentalism and
it was a delight to see some of his ideas in action.
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Mark Procyshyn
After Todd we were treated to a 20 minute
performance by Mark Procyshyn. Mark has been at the
society for more than a few years now and although
he is equally capable of performing more traditional
magic, his real love has always been in Mentalism,
so it was no surprise to see him so comfortable on
stage. The other nice thing about watching a
performance from Mark is that you always know you
will be treated to something you have never seen
before and he certainly didn’t let us down.
Mentalism is a hugely popular genre of magic at the moment and the evening was a real treat to watch. All the performers had such a widely different style that it made for great entertainment. |
Reviewed by Simon Shaw
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