Magical Soirées - Bruce Glen The Gentleman Magician

Magical Soirées

Bruce Glen The Gentleman Magician

Sir Stamford Circular Quay every Friday and Saturday at 7 pm

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

Bruce Glen, The Gentleman Magician, has moved his show, Magical Soirées, from the Royal Automobile Club to the nearby Sir Stamford Hotel.

The format is parlour magic in an intimate setting, so don’t expect explosions or disappearing and reappearing jungle animals.

The evening started when the concierge sent us up to the third floor where we indulged in champagne and canapés.

The opening was the Three Rope Trick, an ever-popular family favourite in which three pieces of rope were shown to be of different lengths, then the same lengths, then of different lengths. The ropes were then thrown into the audience for examination.

The classic Chop Cup routine was used by flimflam artists to extract money from gullible punters in bars and on the street. Glen filled us in on the history of this trick.

There were three inevitable cards tricks in this show, including Sympathetic Cards.

Other old favourites were the Magic Square, the Spirit Slates, The Medallion done with a pocket watch and The Invisible Touch. Glen paid homage to the greats of the past. Houdini’s Unbreakable Bond consisted of two silk handkerchieves being tied tightly together, then falling apart seeming of their own will.

Glen told stories around his effects to engage the audience and he informed us that some of the finest writers such as Charles Dickens, Orson Welles and Lewis Carroll were also magicians. The best story tellers are magicians and vice-versa.

Many of the stories revolve around Lewis Carroll’s Alice books.

Don’t expect anything revolutionary in this show. Magical Soirées is a pleasant, charming evening, especially if you appreciate the basics of magic presented in a cosy setting.