| Phineas Flash (Rupert Appleyard) | |||||||||
Phineas Flash (aka Rupert Appleyard) was runner up last year and this year he really set the competition off with a flying start. His act is more theatrical than magical, but there is no doubt in my mind that everyone found it thoroughly entertaining.Last year Phineas was a time traveller, this year he was an intrepid explorer, and he was accompanied by his trusty sidekick, Henry the spider. (Henry did have a wife, but Henrietta). I always love watching Ru perform. He definitely knows how to make everything appear larger than life. The laughter in the room was immense and he certainly set the standard for everyone else's performance at a very high level indeed. I hope Rupert continues to enter this competition every year. | |||||||||
| Peter Holloway | |||||||||
Peter, as always was immaculately presented for the competition. He started out with an extremely funny and original (to me at least) piece with a wand/pump that he used to get a rise out of the microphone stand.He quickly moved on to a balloon swallow which is always entertaining and then finished with a strong effect that made use of a member of the audience. All in all great fun to watch and once again he was easily a contender for the elusive prize. | |||||||||
| Ray Crosby | |||||||||
Where would the society be without imitable Ray Crosbie! His entry in the Hickson Cup has very much become a tradition, and it would be a great disappointment if for any reason he didn't perform one year.
I had several non magic friends who attended, and the feedback I received was that his act was one of the most magical. Certainly Ray performed more tricks than most, but of course it is not just about quantity there are so many other factors involved. Amongst other things this year Ray performed a nice cut and restored Rope routine, his colour changing CD's and his Chinese sticks. | |||||||||
| David J. Marks | |||||||||
It is obvious that David J. Marks (aka David Johnson) has been very busy recently, apart from his impending trip to Spain, he must have spent many hours rehearsing the act which was delightful to watch.
He was very much the traditional magician, and his act was themed around manipulations and a series of Umbrella productions that would have impressed Fukai himself. (Fortunately though, it wasn't to the tune of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon around the Old Oak Tree"!) David has come a long way since his early performances at the Society, and I am impressed by his dedication, perseverance and the fact that he is happy to ask for advice, and to take that advice on board. His act wasn't perfect, there was a little bit of waiting for musical cues but that is a minor criticism on an act that had everyone spellbound from beginning to end. In my own opinion though he was a very worthy winner of both the Hickson Cup and it was good to see an act worthy of winning the Paul Ducaine Trophy again. I very much look forward to seeing him perform again. | |||||||||
| Richard Whymark | |||||||||
Of all the performers on the night Richard is probably the most experienced and that showed. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if Richard had won one of the prizes.There was a mixture of old and new in Richard's performance, and the highlight for me was his very funny straight jacket escape routine. I never tire of watching Richard perform, and even though I had just seen him the week before in his two hour one man laughter show (well one man and special guest star) it still all seemed very fresh. Perhaps more comedy than magic, but thoroughly entertaining none the less. | |||||||||
| Mick Underwood | |||||||||
Where have we been hiding this comic genius? And why is it always the quiet ones that come to life so much when on stage.At the society we have seen Mick perform his "Reverend Michael" act a few times now, but he still managed to take it to a higher level this time and was a worthy runner up and winner of the Vera Smith Cup. To be honest if he hadn't have been penalised for running over he may even have pipped David J. Marks to the post. He started with a themed variation of professor's nightmare which went down well, then moved on to a card stab routine with a spectator. His interaction with the spectator was perfect and the laughter on and off stage must have helped the judges score highly. He ended with his electronic release routine, complete with the wonderful finale that those of us who have seen it before have come to expect. For those in the audience who didn't know what to expect - I am sure the shock factor was suitably sweet. | |||||||||
| Dr. Todd Landman | |||||||||
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We have all come to expect a very high standard when Dr. Todd Landman performs and he didn't let us down, in fact if anything he was even better than usual. Traditionally Mentalism doesn't do that well in the Hickson Cup, but I think there was a suitable amount of magic and theatre going on that meant that he was in with a real chance this time. As is normal with Todd, he weaved a beautiful story around his act, and everything from the way he was dressed to the furniture and the props he used all fitted the scene perfectly. This made for a very atmospheric and emotional performance that quite possibly contained some of the strongest magic of the entire night. | |||||||||
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| The Compere. Daren Morgan | |||||||||
Not a performer I know, but it wouldn't be fair to review the competition without giving him a mention. I believe this is the third time he has compered the evening now and after his initial baptism of fire two years ago when he found that actually compering a show like this isn't actually as easy as it looked, he in fact made compeering a show like this look much easier than I am sure it is. He had a sufficient supply of jokes and effects that didn't compromise any of the performers but kept us all entertained whilst waiting for set changes. |
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Reviewed by Simon Shaw |
