629: Escaping Reality with Garry Carson

It seems that illusionists are getting fewer in today’s entertainment world and the best way to see them in while they are in residence at a casino or showroom. Garry and Janine Carson have a show, “Escape Reality” in Branson, Missouri where they take their audience on a 75 minute whirlwind journey of illusion and fun. Their theater is not one of the larger ones in Branson, but they fill out the stage Having put their show in Branson in 2020 seemed to be bad timing, but tourism continued despite the pandemic and they captured the coveted awards of “Best New Show” and “Best Dinner Show” in the 2020 Best of Branson Awards presentation.

Branson, Missouri, hosts a lot of variety shows including magic. One of the many shows in town is “Escape Reality” with Garry & Janine Carson. After I watched his late afternoon dinner show, we retired to his dressing room to talk about his career on cruise ships to Las Vegas to Branson.

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481: Jessica Jane Peterson - Right Place, Right Time

Jessica Jane Peterson (or “JJ” as I like to call her) is leading a charmed life. The dominoes have been set and are now falling perfectly one after another. That’s not to say that it has all been by design, but rather she has been at the right place at the right time. Of course this wouldn’t work unless she had the abilities to make this happen.

And her short 29 years, she has led a most interesting life having worked as an adolescent in her uncle’s magic show, then later with the circus, then as a “box jumper” to performing on her own in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and aboard cruise ships and magic lounges (like the “Magic Castle” and Nashville’s “House of Cards” among others). She also appeared on the “Penn & Teller Fool Us” television show where she did some fire eating. And this is just the beginning.

This charismatic young magician has the world at her fingertips and success is within her grasp. She is someone to watch. Mark my words. And hear her here on The Magic Word. This was a fun conversation but not the first one recorded in my car!

Watch Jessica Jane Peterson light up the stage with Magic & Fire on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. The full episode is entitled '50/50 Chance" and aired on The CW Network August 3rd 2017 and was filmed at the Penn & Teller Theater in the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

456: Makin' It With Mario the Magician

Mario the Magician or Mario the Maker is a most fascinating, inspirational creator. Although he has been “makin’ it” for a number of years, it wasn’t until I saw him perform at the 2018 MagiFest that I immediately became a fan. He has the “it” factor that endears him to an entire audience spanning age and audience size. He is just as engaging at a small birthday party as he is in an auditorium. And more than just a magician, he creates magic using electronics and encourages youth to get involved in science and math and learn to create their own magic.

He suggests that everyone (but youth in particular) attend Maker Faires (the worlds largest “show and tell” forum) to see what others are doing and to create things themselves. These Faires are held all over the world and somewhere near you. Other websites he suggests include tinkercat.com which allows children to design their own 3D designs. Thngerverse.com is like Google for creating 3D projects.

This is a short documentary by KAL (http://www.seekal.com) about Mario Marchese, aka Mario the Magician (http://www.mariothemagician.com) a hitchhiking wanderer turned full-time maker magician. This short film debuted at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center on December 1st, 2012 to a packed house after a live performance by Mario. Enjoy!

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:05:48 - Mario Marchese talks about Maker Faires, encouraging youth to create, travel problems with TSA with all of the electronics he carries onboard, arduino kits and how you can create a server motor, inspirational magicians like Del Ray, scripting, creating and more.

00:59:54 - Product Review: “Runaway Joker” by Peter Nardi and produced by Alakazam.co.uk. A clever card trick where the Joker and his bicycle (disappears” from the car and ends up on the back of the selected card. Recommended.

01:02:31 - Product Review: “Four King Miracle” by Henri White and produced by WorldMagicShop.co.uk. Two single Jokers turn into the four Kings. Clever idea that seems like this should have been invented many years ago. I like it and recommend it.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Eric Citron is the “man behind the curtain” and dependable dealer who owns and operates ThePerfectTrick.com.

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