The Opus Team arrive back in Blighty and, after the Las Vegas adventure, find that normal life returns with a crash.

The Wagon needed it’s MOT. (Annual mechanical inspection for overseas readers.)

I know our readers will want to know that it passed (it helps when the owner is part of the inspection team.)

There is, however, a report on the Gala Show, an overall view of the convention and a view of JJ’s birthday present from Noel which was tickets to the Mac King, Ron Lucas, Lance Burton and David Copperfield shows (all seen on the Saturday before the start of the convention.) on their way. They will be written in breaks during the drive through Europe down to Portugal… oh yes they will…

It is 5pm on the last day of the convention and I am now looking forward to seeing the Gala Show and the closing party.

Every thing here is meant to be a surprise. People watching the early close up shows were asked not to reveal anything about it to the magicians waiting to go into the next show.

So I guess I shouldn’t announce any of the acts that I know are appearing on the Gala show but I will let anyone out there who is interested know that I am particularly looking forward to seeing Ray Crowe and David Sousa again… and they do have a compere this time and it’s not Noel Britten.

The Lowray Gang consists of Chris, Mac King, Noel, Bill Self, Bob Self, Mike Caveney, Bill Herz and Guy.

Every one I have heard from was disappointed with the Close Up Show.

A great deal of thought and work had gone into this production.

Unlike the last Magic Live Close Up Show where the audience moved from room to room in each of which there was a different set in order to present the different branches of close up magic (bar, restaurant, trade show etc) , this year the audience stayed put and the set changed for each act.

This change was brought about by a young group of enthusiastic magicians who had obviously rehearsed long and hard. At the end of each act they came on and, by folding and unfolding the rear wall of the set and adding or removing tables and lights ect, the appearance of the set changed. I have to confess that I found, in several instances, the scene changers and changes to be more engaging than the act that followed.

Be this as it may, the truth was that the changed set had, in all but one of the pieces, little relevance to the act that was in front of it.

Searching for some positives I should say that Chris Kenner fooled me (just as he announced he would) and I do have a soft spot for routines that involve puppets (although I had seen Thomas Frapps do this bit before).

PS. I was very disappointed when a far more knowledgeable magician than me explained the Kenner method… That’s just not cricket!

Ricky Smith wearing his Opus FISM 2000 tee shirt.

No time for eggs and bacon today

I hear that Jason Alexander, the actor who plays George in Seinfeld, gave the best talk of the day (apparently) about his experiences of playing one week in the Parlour Room at the Magic Castle. As an “amateur” magician he told how he put together the act he did and other related matters.

I don’t want to talk about it…

Steve Walker

Bill Walsh