Every trend in life tends to come in circles. The look or feel may change, but the underlying truth stays the same. This is the case with everything from fashion to entertainment. Being that we're magicians, we'd like to focus on entertainment, more specifically the art of magic. When we were kids back in the 70s, magic and magicians had an undeniable presence in theaters and on television. A very charismatic hippie by the name of Doug Henning starred in the hugely successful Broadway play The Magic Show. There was an all-American family named the Wilson's that had a Sunday morning television program called The Magic Circus. The famous Blackstone Jr. toured the country playing to sold-out crowds, and before famed actor Bill Bixby became the Incredible Hulk, he played TV Magician/Crimefighter Anthony Blake on The Magician. Lastly, we saw the emergence of the man who would become synonymous with the word magic itself, David Kotkin aka David Copperfield. Magic seemed to be everywhere during this time. By the late 80s though, magic all but vanished from the mainstream like the tricks it conveyed.
After an almost twenty-year hiatus from the public eye, magic began to reemerge. As mentioned earlier the look and feel changed, but the essence of the trick could clearly be recognized. This change came in the form of David Blaine. This young streetwise magician gave magic a new and modern look. His lack of patter came across as unrehearsed and natural. His costume was nonexistent as he wore just plain jeans and a simple untucked tee shirt. And with the help of some careful editing he took the emphasis off of the magician and onto the audience reactions which proved to be genius. Blaine opened the door for other similarly attired self-proclaimed street magicians, most notably Cris Angel. Between the two magic was relevant again while becoming hip and cool as well.
Today the state of magic is very promising. Weekly television shows like Masters of Illusion, Fool Us with Penn & Teller, and the hugely popular Carbonaro Effect let people tune in to receive a daily dose of magic on the small screen. There are three box office breaking tours; The Illusionists, The Supernaturalists, and Masters of Illusion Live. Penn & Teller are on Broadway, not to mention the numerous magicians and illusionists performing weekly in Las Vegas. Finally, movies like The Prestige, Now You See Me, The Illusionist, and Burt Wonderstone keep the art of magic alive at the cinema.
Now that magic is popular again we ask the question, "Why the world needs it?" When you watch a good magic trick with just the right mix of theatrics and comedy it can be transformative. We all lust for the feeling of innocence and wonder lost to our childhood. There's something magic
offers that allows us to dodge reality if only for a moment. This is so important when we look around and see nothing but chaos in the world. News and social media tend to gravitate toward the awful parts of life and spend little time on the truly good things. Magic allows us to escape and focus on something fun and positive. Some say that magic is the world's second oldest profession which means it's not going anywhere. It's popularity at times may fade but always seem to come back strong. So now when you have a choice to watch the news, check Facebook, or enjoy a magical performance, we hope you'll opt for an escape and choose the latter.
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