The MESMERIST

680 Adams Avenue,Memphis TN 38105

14 August, 2021

Description

You will see magic as it was performed during The Golden Age of Magic. **Face Coverings REQUIRED until you are seated. This is my “one-man-show” that is based on the magicians of the 19th century. I will be performing this in the beautiful Victorian ballroom at the Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum (built 1871). Some of the magicians you've probably never heard of, such as Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Ching Ling Foo, Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser, and Ehrich Weiss (Harry Houdini), are performers who were extremely famous in the 1800's. I have been developing this show for many years, and it is suited for an intimate theater audience, as was the case back in the 19th Century. Another term that is used for this kind of show is "salon magic". It is a very elegant form of "parlour" magic that was once performed in the Victorian era. In this show you will be seeing some exciting magic that has seldom been seen, even by current day magicians. The word “mesmerist” refers to Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician who developed a theory of “animal magnetism” and a “mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another”. Mesmerism has taken on a different meaning in these modern times. Some of the magic that I will be performing might make one feel as though you have had a spell cast upon you. Come see what audiences witnessed in the 1800's. Prepare yourself to be ... MESMERIZED! I am the former president (2016-2019) of The International Brotherhood of Magicians (est. 1922) local chapter RING16 (aka The Society of Memphis Magicians est.1936). For the sixth consecutive year, I have won a local magic competition where magicians come to Memphis from all over the Midsouth region to compete for the SMMURFFF Award (which stands for, Society of Memphis Magicians Unique Reward For Finishing First) which began in 1981. I privately instruct students interested in magic and I am looking forward to be teaching a Summer course in magic at the University of Memphis in 2020. I have studied all areas of magic which includes closeup, stage, escapes, and mentalism.   For the last 15 years, I have immersed myself into the conjuring arts of the Victorian era. My collection of books from this period have such astonishing illusions in them, and I have included many of them in this show.  I love talking to my fellow magicians about this historical magic, and I will be happy to talk with you about this, also.