Browsed by
Tag: huff post

The Illusionists: Jeff Hobson, aka “The Trickster”, Brings the Magic

The Illusionists: Jeff Hobson, aka “The Trickster”, Brings the Magic

By Danny Groner for Huff Post

Broadway audiences members will experience both magic and entertainment starting this Thursday, with the opening of The Illusionists. I caught the show at a preview performance last week, and one of the cast members agreed to respond to some of my questions via email. Here’s what Jeff Hobson, “The Trickster,” one of the show’s seven performers, had to say:

Q: Seven magicians is a lot to fill and take command of the stage. Why is it important to have so many so-called leads inside this show?

Hobson: While it’s not necessary, it is a landmark. It’s never been done before. We’ve set a new bar for magic excellence.

Q: In the show, it’s revealed that all seven of you hail from different parts of the world. Do you each approach magic, and entertainment more generally, differently? It’s a global discipline, but all of it showcased on one stage.

Hobson: As we’ve traveled around the world with this show, I can attest that having diverse magicians certainly has intrigue. Even though we are diverse, magic is a very small society of shared secrets. We have all learned the basics of magic the same way however, the difference comes with our own unique presentations each rooted in our culture. We are truly a global team!

Read more

Behind the Scenes With One of Broadway’s Biggest Magicians

Behind the Scenes With One of Broadway’s Biggest Magicians

By Aimee Heckel for Huff Post Weird News..

The cold blade brushed against my shoulder. The sword snagged my left sleeve. He pushed, but noticed resistance. He quickly pulled me out of the box.

Aha, I thought. That’s why magician’s assistants wear tight clothes.

This is where Adam Trent, one of the world’s biggest, up-and-coming magicians, began. Nearly a decade ago in a small theater in Boulder, Colorado, with a starving writer hoping to make an extra buck as his magician’s assistant.

The magic world is calling him “the futurist,” the next big thing for magic. Others call him “Justin Timberlake meets David Copperfield;” he’s been known to dance on stage, and he’s an admitted boy band wannabe.

Today, Trent, now 29, is taking his magic to Broadway in New York, as part of a group of the first magicians to hit Broadway in nearly two decades. The last magician on Broadway: David Copperfield, at the launch of his career.

Read more

Is Free Will a Magic Trick?

Is Free Will a Magic Trick?

Detailed article by Melissa Burkley, Ph.D, for the Huffington Post. The premise of this article is based on the TEDtalk given by Apollo Robbins.

Watching Apollo Robbins’ TED talk is highly entertaining, but it also gives us important glimpses into the nature of the human mind. Apollo is a skilled artist, not because he can steal a watch from under someone’s nose but because he is able to direct the attention of his “victim” (and the audience) to exactly where he wants it. Watching his elegant dance of behavior manipulation made me question how much control we really have over our own behavior. ( also, a link to the original TEDtalk is provided…)

Read More..