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Abbotts 59th Get Together 1996

by Gordon Miller

Not all the five-star excitement will be in Atlanta this year! This year's edition of Abbott's Magic Get-together starts July 31st and extends through August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Four fantastic and foolery filled days and nights! ... Magic from all over the world! ... Unworldly magic on every night's show ... An Olympic-sized menu of the best in wizardry and wacky nonsense.

Wednesday night (July 31st) provides the opening for this annual event. And, with enough talent to start a circus on tonight's show, show better to master the ceremonies than The Million Dollar Ringmaster - Senor Rai! This outlandish showman will dazzle and delight with a multitude of spectacular costumes and scenic effects. And he will have plenty to talk about on tonight's show.

Petrick & Mia, originally from Czechoslovakia, are a dazzling duo who have entertained here in Colon on at least two other occasions. Each time, they delighted the crowds with original magic, presented with a continental style. This year they are presenting a brand-new creation - for the first time anywhere - here in colon! With Petrick's great magical thinking and Mia's great looks and stage presence we know it will be an outstanding way to open the entire convention!

Another old friend will be returning to the Colon stage. His name is Bob Jepson and he makes his living by recycling hot air! No, he's not a balloonist ... he's a ventriloquist! And not only that, but a magical ventriloquist. With his ever-changing cast of animated characters, you are sure to enjoy the onstage antics of Bob Jepson and his friends.

Those who live in Colon already know that magicians are sometimes strange. But, have you ever wondered what happens to a magician during everyday situations? For instance, the simple act of getting ready to go to bed at night. If that premise intrigues you, then don't miss the award-winning magic and comedy of Eric buss. This is magic as seen from the viewpoint of a sleepy magician ... but the laughter will keep you wide awake.

And next, the spooky and spectacular invades the Colon stage. We are talking about the menacing Electric Chair demonstration as presented by Don Theobald. Imagine thousands of volts of electrical currents flowing through your arms and legs. Imagine a light bulb lighting up in you bare hand! Imagine giving off enough sparks from your fingertips to light a torch! All these high energy stunts ... and more ... are in store when Don rolls out his execution-style furniture.

To close out this evening's night of magic and variety, who better than Stuart & Lori MacDonald! this talented twosome has traveled all over the world with a whirlwind of wizardry. In fact, they now bill themselves as the "fastest" illusion act in magic: 300 tricks in ninety minutes! You'll only see a generous sampling of that full evening show tonight, but it will include several never-before-seen illusions. For magic newer than tomorrow, it's the MacDonalds!

All four different evening shows begin at 8:00 P.M. with doors opening at 7:30 P.M. Reserved seats for the evening shows are $15.00 each. Side bleacher seating (reserved by section only) sells for $10.00 each. Tickets may be ordered from Abbott's Magic Co., 124 St. Joseph Street, Colon MI 49040 or by phone: (616) 432-3235 or 432 3236 or by FAX: (616) 432-3357. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards are honored. But don't delay. Tickets are disappearing faster than clothes in a Demi Moore movie!

On Thursday night (again at 8:00 P.M.) you will be greeted by a wonderful old friend, George Johnstone. George has traveled and worked with the Harry Blackstone (Senior) show and has been a stellar magician and comedian as a solo act here in the Midwest for a number of years. He's just corny enough to be from Iowa, but he's really from Chicago. And audiences love him.

George has the honor or presenting some of his neighbors to the North, first on this night's program. From Milwaukee we welcome John & Maria Kurtz. This outstanding couple has represented magic well on numerous convention shows and at private performances throughout the Great Lakes region. Their deft and dazzling handling of fire and live birds presents a modern mystical mirage.

How do you present a performer who is an expert at intimate sleight of hand with playing cards on a giant stage? The answer: You don't! Instead, you ask him to present his novel and original stand-up act with scarves and ropes )and, maybe, even a trick with cards). And the end result is the magic of DARYL. DARYL is the internationally acclaimed magician in question and he is known as a performer, a lecturer, an author, and as a teacher. We know you will enjoy his performance ... because this guy is good!

To conclude this evenings' show we have something unusual planned. It involves - surprise - a lot of magic! It also will include some top-notch juggling. And we are sure you will be laughing at some serious comedy hijinks. And if all this sounds a bit too mysterious and indefinite, let's just call this portion of the show "The Great Invisible Mystery." You never know what (and who) will appear (and also, disappear). We hope to see you in our audiences for either (or both) of these shows.

The Friday night evening show will offer something special for everyone. It include the scientific sorcery of Gene Anderson who will also serve as master of ceremonies. Gene always dreams up something unique when he appears in Colon, and this year will be no exception. And he will be introducing a lot of his friends this evening.

First up are Michael and Karen Rappa. Michael lived for years here in Michigan before seeking his magical fortune in California. He is now a staple of the cruise ship entertainment business and when he is on dry land he performs his school assembly show. Though young in years he has a wealth of experience.

Marc De Souza is brand new to the Colon conclave - but certainly not to magic. This East Coast funnyman is well known in his own geographic area and is fast becoming famous throughout the world of magic. On tonight's show he will display his sleight of hand skills but we're sure at least a little of the De Souza sense of humor will be in evidence as well.

From the greater Detroit area we welcome back Don Jones & Company. Don has assembled over the years, a traveling troupe of talented performers - singers, dancers, specialty artists and magicians. Together they put on a mind spectacular, featuring illusions of the past now performed with present day flair and flash.

Returning after a few years absence is master juggler David Kaplan. When he was last in Colon he astounded the audience with his display of bean bag juggling. No big deal, you say? Lots of people juggle bean bags, you say? Well, we're talking about bean bag chairs, the big ones, the kind you usually sit upon! These special talents earned David the right to appear as the opening act for The Smothers Brothers on their most recent personal appearance tour. Don't miss him!

And to keep you on the edge of your seats, we introduce the closing feature of tonight's show: Jamahl Keyes. Jamahl is a young man on the move - in fact, he rarely stops moving, especially onstage. Jamahl has managed to blend the features of dance and body movement to the traditional skills of magic. The result is an exciting multi-media experience. You'll ask yourself later how one person could be so busy and so active on that big, big stage. And the answer will be : Jamahl Keyes.

On Saturday, August 3rd, you have a choice of two - so why not choose both? At 2:00 p.m. the Special Benefit Matinee performance will be presented. The profits from this show are delivered to the Colon Lions Club for its charitable work with the blind and vision impaired. Tonight's show features the emcee talents of Hank Moorehouse (long a Get Together favorite) and a diverse cast of magical talents. Two of the acts which will appear on this afternoon are unknowns. That is because they will be the winning acts from the Magic Talent Contests which are staged on Thursday and Friday mornings. In effect, you will be seeing the best of the best, since the contests have improved in quality year by year. In addition to the Junior and Senior Contest winners, you will be entertained by Richard Hughes whose specialty is a flash act consisting of the production and vanish and transformation of beautiful colored flowers. Duane Laflin returns this year to this afternoon show and his skills are always welcome. Duane covers the field of magic - everything from pocket magic to major illusions (which is what you'll probably see on this show). And to round out the variety on the show we present (for the second time this week) Bruce Block. But this time Bruce will be featuring his juggling skills, a talent which has landed him in the Guinness Book of Records. Stop by and see why!

The Saturday night show starts off with a great big surprise! For the first time in colon we welcome the comedy and magic talents of Michael Finney. Michael is a headliner at any comedy club anywhere in the world! He is also a favorite at numerous magic conventions. And whenever he likes he works at one of the major Las Vegas casino shows. He is like no other, and we guarantee you will laugh along with him!

Like a rocket, young Jason Baney is heading in one direction only straight up the magical ladder. He now presents an act that is on the cutting edge of the new wave. Magic with props that nobody else uses: aerosol paint cans and silly putty to name just two. You will marvel at the intricate blendings of the best of the old magic with the concepts of the new magic. Here is a star just waiting to exploded!

The next artist is just that: an artist! Her name is Svetlana. She is from the former Soviet Union and she presents a most unusual blending of magic, movement and physical illusion. The best way to describe her act is to ask everyone you see AFTER you see her act! They'll all give you a different description!

As a complete change of pace we next present Andy Dallas. Through study and hard work, Andy has mastered the difficult and demanding art of escapes ... that's right, the very thing that made Houdini famous. And, Andy has even taken this art a step further. He has brought those traditional talents into the contemporary era.

Voronia is the second of our two acts who started originally in what we used to call Russia. his gaunt and bizarre physical appearance lends itself to a magical illusion act that is both bizarre and intriguing. A touch of the continental style is more than evident at any performance by Voronia.

The third act on tonight's stellar card who uses a single name for identification is Torkova. he is an award winner. Other contestants just hate to see his name on the roster, they know what a great talent they are competing against. Torkova presents difficult hand manipulations, but he makes it look easy, and all within a framework of style and subtlety and an impish sense of humor. you'll love his magic ... but you'll love him even more.

It's a rule (and a good one, too)! If you stage an Abbott Magic Get Together you must find a spot for Karrell Fox. Karrell holds the distinction of appearing on more Get Together shows than any other performer in history ... and, on more consecutive shows as well. (Even Karrell can't give you the exact numbers!) And there are several good reasons for this long and extended run of appearances. Karrell is magically talented and supremely gifted in the field of comedy. Several packages of talent all wrapped up in one great guy!

The closing act to this show (and the closing act therefore of the convention) has to be special. And this year he is. A long time Michigan resident, Kevin James has south and found his place in the pantheon of magic by traveling to the west. He is a fixture on all the West Coast shows: a regular in Las Vegas reviews; a frequent favorite on the rosters of shows in Paris, London, Madrid and Rome - and this year you don't even have to travel to see him. he will be right here in Colon. And, we will not say one word about what he does; we would rather you were completely surprised on this special Saturday night! See you at the Get Together.

Tickets for the evening shows are available from the Abbott Magic Company. Don't delay! We'll miss you if you're not there!









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