Robert Houdin's OTHER Theatre Still Exists!

 

Sandervalya, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Imagine my surprise while reading an article about Robert Houdin's performance in Algeria, that the theatre that he did his most famous performances in, was still standing today. Those most famous performances were on Oct 28 and 29, 1856. They were the legendary performances that Houdin would claim 'stopped a War'. 

Robert-Houdin

The theatre at the time was called, Bab-Azoun Theatre. Today that very same theatre still stands and is known as Théâtre National Algérien Mahieddine Bachtarzi or, The Alegerian National Theatre. It was also formerly the Algiers Opera House.

As the story goes, Robert Houdin was contacted by the French Government to help suppress some uprisings and conflicts with the local tribal marabouts. The idea was to show that 'french magic was greater than the magic of the marabouts.' 

The show took place at the Bab-Azoun Theatre with about 60 chieftains taking up the first few rows and I'm assuming quite a few other locals as well. The show featured much of the standard Robert Houdin fare. The big moments were when he presented his Light and Heavy Chest (see below), followed by a rendition of the Bullet Catching feat. 

There is some controversy concerning this event, which Jim Steinmeyer explains in his new blog column: https://jimsteinmeyer.com/2022/04/13/what-we-hide-problems-in-algeria-part-one/  This information is also covered in the book, The Secret History of Magic by Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer. They tear apart the accounts of the Algeria event to discover what was true, what was false, how much was exaggeration. Suffice to say, it's clear now that a great deal of the event as recorded in Houdin's Memoirs, was untrue or at least exaggeration. 

But one thing is clear, the shows DID HAPPEN. And the theatre where these shows, which took Robert-Houdini out of retirement, is still standing today. Mr. Steinmeyer mentions on his blog that the theater would be a good place to hold a magic convention. Wow, can you imagine?!! How incredible that would be.  

An interesting side note, on the theatre Facebook Page, there are images of a kid-show magician doing a magic show on the stage. I wonder if this young man was aware of the historical event that took place on thiat very stage 166 years ago???

The Actual Light and Heavy Chest in the Klosterman Collection

Remembering a Great Magic Show, Le Grand David.

 

David Bull, the lead performer of Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company Show, mentioned on his Facebook page that today, May 27th, 2012 was the last performance of their grand show. It's been 10 years since that show closed it's curtains. And it had an incredible 35 year run.

The brainchild of Cesareo Pelaez, he along with a dozen or so fellow artists/performers, created a one of a kind spectacle of magic and variety arts. They purchased their own theater, The Cabot Cinema Theatre in Beverly Mass, and began work on their multi-cast production. They built their own props, painted their own scenery, sewed their own costumes.....and it didn't look like a poorman's DIY project. It looked Broadway caliber. Look at the poster to the right. This original painting is now in my collection, I see it daily. It captures the joy and the enthusiasm of the show and the cast. You'll never find any devils or demons on their posters. What you'll find is beauty and magic and love in all the designs. 

IF you were blessed to see the show, you know how tremendous it was. It was sort of a throwback to the old days of magic, but yet it was it's own thing. A unique take on magic that embraced variety, comedy, spectacle, showmanship and more. Imagine a 2 hour magic show with very little talking. Yet, that is exactly what they created. 

I miss that show greatly. But I miss the people more. The photo below is officially ten years old now, because it was the last time I would see the wonderful LGD Show and the last time inside their amazing theatre. I still miss them

Culpitt and His Doll's House Illusion & Bathing Beauty Mystery

The latest episode of The Magic Detective Podcast will feature Fred Culpitt. Here is a man who has really been overlooked by the magic world. Yet, he was the creator of one of the top 10 illusions of the 20th Century. That's not just me saying that, in an article titled, "Ten Best Illusions of the 20th Century" by Jim Steinmeyer, he lists the Doll's House as #8. Today, 21st Century, it's hardly seen. And there are a load of poorly made Doll's House Illusions out there. But the better ones are truly marvels. They have the benefit of being a mid-sized illusion, yet can pack a big wallop (in other words, are still quite amazing).

One article I came across mentioned that most magicians are lucky to get 90 seconds out their Doll's House Illusion. This is true. Even I've made that error...if it's really an error. I suppose it's more a choice of presentation. As I've also had a routine that was closer to 4 minutes with the Doll's House. And frankly looking back, the longer routine had more going for it. 

The Fred Culpitt Doll's House routine was a talking routine. In fact, it was a comedy routine. Though I believe most of the jokes from that time period would fall flat today, not because they weren't funny in Culpitt's time, but because I'm not sure people would understand the humor. For example, as he shows the Doll's House, it is filled with furniture, and there are lines about most every piece that comes out of the box. Then he takes the chimney off the roof of the house and he turns to the audience and says, "Anyone want the flu?" It's both a topical joke, because from 1918-1920 the world suffered from the Spanish Flu Pandemic. But it's also relatable because many people at that time knew what a chimney flue was. Today, I'm not sure they'd make the connection, nor truly understand the joke.

By the way, another of Culpitt's great creations was his Bathing Beauty routine. Truly a wonderful routine in it's simplicity. Easy to understand, the nature of the routine causes the audience to anticipate what is coming, and the finish that everyone sees coming, has a twist to it. Unfortunately, this same trick, The Bathing Beauty is terribly politically incorrect by today's standards. I'm sure it would trigger people to yell words of sexism and misogyny. I find that opinion offensive in itself because you have to take into consideration the time period it came out. I'm including a video below of the Bathing Beauty effect done with a slightly less provocative routine. It's presented for historical purposes only. And after that I follow with a quick version of the Doll's House Illusion.

By the way, the prop I'm using was made by Abbott's, I believe. All of the marketed versions of the Bathing Beauty Trick, were different in method to that which Fred Culpitt created. His version, though it appeared pretty much the same, same effect, the method was drastically different.