I wonder whether we are going to look back on the current period and see it as a halcyon time for magic? I say this because it seems as if there are many public magic shows being staged both at local and national level, and TV seems to be featuring an endless number of magicians too, more than I can ever remember, all of which reflects a current popularity for our art amongst the general public.
Those of you who are old enough to think back to the TV magic offerings in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s will probably be hard pushed to name very many performers getting air time. In the UK, David Nixen, Paul Daniels, Wayne Dobson and Tommy Cooper were really the only stars to get regular exposure, and live magic shows in theatres in Great Britain were almost non-existent.
As far as overseas magicians were concerned, David Copperfield and Doug Henning were probably the only two to really make an impact with the UK public, even though in the US there were others doing well in their home country.
But now the situation seems very different. Yes, we still have a select few performers who dominate the public’s attention (Derren Brown, Dynamo, Troy, David Blaine etc), but shows like Penn and Teller : Fool Us and Britain’s Got Talent have given an ever increasing number of other performers their five minutes of fame too. And for some, such as Jamie Raven and Richard Jones, for instance, it has launched successful professional careers leading to regular live nationwide appearances.
Having a wider variety of magicians on TV has been really healthy. Instead of one or two faces being seen to the exclusion of all others, lots of different performers have been put in front of the cameras leading to a far more diverse magical offering. While this may not have established many of the individuals themselves in the public’s consciousness, their performances have created an interest and an enthusiasm for magic generally.
On the back of this wider exposure to magic, live shows have prospered. People get hooked on magic via the TV but then get the desire to see it all live. This not only has created successes for big name performers such as Dynamo with his arena show, and the Illusionists with their touring magic extravaganza, it has also enabled local performers and event organisers to ride on the back of the popularity too. You only have to read MagicWeek to see how many live shows are being promoted at any one time.
As with any trend or fad, magic may well peak and then the public may become jaded with endless magic shows and start to look elsewhere for their entertainment. Magic will never fade completely away—after all, it has been fascinating audiences for thousands of years, so there’s no reason to assume that it will just disappear—but as with magic at children’s parties, it will probably start to wane in popularity at some point in the future.
But right now, magic does seem to be on the crest of a wave and it’s great for all of us. You and I may not be household magic names and we may not be stars of big touring shows, but in our own way we too get work on the back of the general enthusiasm for magic, and so I’m sure we all hope it will continue for some time yet.