| Peter Holloway | |||||||||
|
As usual with Peter he had a very polished act.
The first half of which was a very entertaining
sponge ball routine that was well presented with
humour and dexterity. He finished with a pop-eye
pips (At least that's what I think it is called)
card, which is a nice little "sucker" effect. It
was probably more suited for a kids show than
the Hickson cup, but Peter was still a very
strong contender, who I have to say on the day
was a little unlucky not to be placed. Maybe
next year Peter. Please keep trying as you are
fun to watch. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Tim Bowden | |||||||||
| Tim is a consummate performer and he demonstrated for us some of his tricks
of the mind. Mentalism is always going to be a difficult genre for a cup
competition like this, mainly because it is a very wordy subset of magic that
doesn’t lend itself to performing many effects in the short time allotted.
As it happens I think Tim did really well. Certainly the effects he entertained us with were very strong and there was a nice continuity from beginning to end as he started by getting someone to make a drawing at the beginning which he successfully duplicated at the end. In between time we were treated to a Western Book Test, and a classic “Which Hand is the Cork In” Routine. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Rupert Appleyard | |||||||||
The minute that Phineas Flash (or was that Flashy Fog?) breezed on to the stage
with his balloon time machine you just knew that the next ten minutes were going to pass
very quickly. As it happens it was probably nearer eleven or twelve minutes, but we will
come to that later. Rupert is a polished entertainer that on the night had everyone in
stitches. Anyone who can get Fitchy up on stage wearing a balloon hat (which is the
nicest way I could describe it) deserves to take something away from the night.
It was a huge shame that he overran. This led to him rushing the final straight jacket escape, which unfortunately due to leaving a gas mask in place (don't ask, you had to be there) meant that he never actually got the straight jacket off. However being the professional he is he turned this in to a plus rather than a minus. My only criticism of the act was that perhaps there could have contained a little more magic. It was a magic competition after all, but that being said, for the lay audience I doubt there was any more entertaining. |
|||||||||
| Keith Norman | |||||||||
On the day I really thought that this could have been Keith's night.
I have not always been his number one fan, but for the Hickson Cup I thought he presented a
well polished, well thought out, well executed, funny and above all, a very magical act.
He had obviously thought it out and rehearsed it very well and he was dressed immaculately
for the part. There's not much I could really say to fault him and I was a little surprised that
at the end he wasn’t in the top two.
His act consisted of borrowing a Ring, losing it (oh dear. At least HE has public Liability Insurance!) and finding it at the end in a most unusual place, that is to say, stapled between two playing cards. I hasten to add there was actually quite a lot going on in the middle as well. |
|||||||||
| Ray Crosby | |||||||||
|
If there was an award for comedy I think it would have been given to Ray to
keep by now as surely he would win it every single year. He has perfected his
Magic Persona now, which is no real surprise as I am sure he has been performing
magic for over a hundred yeas! (or more). On the night there was nothing much new
for members of the Ipswich Magical Society, but nevertheless he still had everyone
in the audience laughing their heads of. As always he was a little Ray of sunshine
(that was actually very nearly funny).
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| David J. Marks | |||||||||
David J. Marks is going to be one of the stars of the Ipswich Magical Society in the future.
About that I am certain. He has the dedication and enthusiasm that previously has been seen
in the likes of Michael J. Fitch and Matt J. Edwards* Who I think all will agree are two of
the societies strongest performers.
On the night David was really reaching for the stars. Actually I think he was reaching for entire universes, perhaps if he had limited himself to the stars things may have turned out a little better. I know for a fact that David puts in a lot of practice, and if things had gone his way I am sure he would have walked away with not just the Paul Duncaine Trophy, but quite possibly the Hickson Cup itself. Sadly for him (and indeed everyone watching) it didn’t go his way at all. In fact I think it is fair to say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. On the plus side, it was a very well presented act and the set looked very professional (although I am sure the compere Daren Morgan has something to say about how long it took to set up). I mentioned at the start that he has the dedication and enthusiasm to one day be a great magician, but I will add to that and say that I also think he has patience and skill needed as well. I would happily place money on the fact that David WILL one day be winning competitions at the IMS. * And for the record, there is a J in Matt's name. It is just silent |
|||||||||
| Nick Chapman | |||||||||
Nick Chapman is another one of our strong younger magicians who is a well
deserved past winner of the Hickson Cup. I truly love watching Nick perform.
On his day he has the capability of being right up there with the likes of Roy Davenport
and Scott Penrose. He always brings a level of magic to an act, by which I am not referring
to the tricks he performs, but the way he performs them.
On the night though I would have to say he wasn’t particularly on form. He is so much better than what we all saw that night. Things did get a little better after the fateful bottle production, but even then I would say I have seen him perform everything he did so much better on other occasions. For that reason it did, I confess, surprise me a little bit when he won. To be honest, I think it even surprised Nick. |
|||||||||
| Congratulations | |||||||||
|
Credit where credit is due though Nick Chapman was voted the winner on the night,
so congratulations to him. That's two years running now. The last time that happened
was by Michael J. Fitch back in 2001/2002 and then before that by the great Lenny Blease
who actually won it 4 years running between 1979 and 1982
The runner up and winner of the Vera Smith Cup was Rupert Appleyard. I don't think this surprised anyone as his act was one of the most entertaining we have ever seen performed at the society. The Paul Duncaine trophy for manipulation wasn't awarded this year. I would also like to thank Daren Morgan who bravely donned the Compere mantle again after last years disastrous experience. I think everyone will agree with me that he did a sterling job in keeping us all amused in between acts. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Reviewed by Simon Shaw
|
