811: Magifest 2024 - Day One Report

Thursday 25th January 2024

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Dealer’s Room Open

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Peter Samelson Lecture.

Peter Samelson will offer a new lecture on both stage and close-up magic. An expert in both arenas, this lecture will span the course of his career, along with new material.

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Youth Program Welcome Event

All young magicians are welcome, and so are parents! Meet and make new friends for your exciting weekend ahead!

7:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.

NEW: Basecamp Welcome Meet and Greet

7:30pm - 8:30pm

Michael Feldman Lecture

To celebrate the release of his new book, "The Pages are Blank," Michael Feldman will perform and talk about his avant-garde card material. Watch out for his deck switch: it might just be the best one you've ever (not) seen.

8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

David Kaplan Show

Columbus's own David Kaplan returns to the Magifest stage, this time with his own show. A combination of magic, mime, and physical comedy, don't miss this.

10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Dan Harlan Show and Lecture

Time stamps for this episode: (to be uploaded after I’ve had some sleep)

00:00:18 -

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. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

632: Rick Thomas - Big Cat on the Porch

No trip to Branson, Missouri, would be complete without seeing the amazing stage show of Rick Thomas. Among the many honors presented to Rick Thomas include the coveted “Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts and Magic’s highest recognition "Illusionist of the World" by the World Magic Awards. Thomas has also been featured on numerous national television specials including the NBC series "The World’s Greatest Magic" and “Masters of Illusion” on the CW plus other appearances on MTV, FOX, TLC, Animal Planet, the History Channel plus his own special on ABC.

Rick has completed five world tours covering over 50 countries, including sold out performances at Caesars Colosseum, headlining the Sydney Opera House in Australia and performing both on Broadway and Las Vegas.

Few entertainers have succeeded in Las Vegas like Rick Thomas. His show ran consecutively for 15 years in the most magnificent theaters on the Las Vegas Strip, performing a staggering 600 shows a year. He is honored to have received the Key to the City of Las Vegas and also titled the most successful show for families in its history.

In this podcast, you will get to know the man behind the illusions and the cats. Though Rick no longer works with big cats on stage, he is still committed to helping this endangered species. He chats about working with big cats and the dangers. He also talks about his career in Las Vegas and around the world that has landed him “softly” in Branson where he may end up retiring…if there is such a thing for a world class illusionist.

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.