A Bloody Good Show: Marc Salem Stabbed in UKInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

We've spoken highly of the incredible Mark Salem over the
years and he has yet to disappoint. His
presence on stage convinces you that he may very well have the power to
influence your thoughts and actions. He's appeared on 60 Minutes and just about
every major market around the world. He
is, as we say in the biz, really, really good.

The Times
of London said Marc Salem severely injured his hand during his first
performance at a London
theater. In spite or perhaps because of
the terrible, bloody, painful injury, Mr. Salem wowed the crowd.

You know the effect – and if you are a mentalist or a very
bad kid's show performer – you've no doubt performed it for audiences. A sharp knife is turned blade-side up and
hidden beneath one of three (or four) Styrofoam cups.

A volunteer moves and mixes the cups about on the table and
leaves it to the magician to discern the location of the knife.

It's a dramatic effect – even when it goes right and no one
is hurt. The performer slams his paw
down on each of the cups he believes are empty, and then showing the remaining
cup to be the home of the tetanus-covered blade.

We love the trick and do it with a shattered beer
bottle. That way we can teach the kids
about the dangers of drinking and hitting objects hidden within paper
bags. Check out our Five Volume DVD Set
on this trick coming soon: Quinlan's
Famous "You Can't Win a Slap-Fight with a Beer Bottle."

The first four DVD's are various performance clips showing
us working the kids into frenzy.

We also have a bonus effect (on Disk Five) performing but
not teaching our classic Piñata of Pain.
This effect alone has gotten more bookings than we can handle. Three Piñatas are filled with delicious
candy. One is crammed full with
spring-loaded carpet tacks.

The kids pick three and you get the last one – some how they
always pick the right one. Plus, because
the volunteers wear a blindfold whilst striking, even if the hit the wrong one,
their young eyes will likely be spared during the amazing Tack Attack.

But back to Mr. Salem:
The Times loved his show and thought the accident added a tinge of
reality to the opening night performance.

Ah well, a trick going belly-up
isn't fatal to a show like Salem's.
In fact, much like finding a cherry stone in a cherry yoghurt, it's proof that
there's something real at the heart of his mix of (as his English equivalent,
Derren Brown, would have it) magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and
showmanship.

The paper was actually more critical of the crowd:

Mind you, tough crowd on opening
night. Why pay good money to see a magician and then act all surly when asked
to participate? Miserable bunch. It is, of course, Salem's job to turn a group of awkward
individuals into a rapt audinece, and his low-key showmanship isn't always up
to the job. But there's good stuff in here, which tightly folded arms do
nothing to unlock.

This is a first – we've never seen a review in The Times willing to criticize the
audience for not appreciating the performance.
Good for Mr. Salem and good for The
Times.

We wish Mr. Salem continued success and a speedy recovery.

Check out Mr. Salem's impressive web site here.

You can check out the Tricycle Theatre's page promoting the
show by going here.

We've spoken highly of the incredible Mark Salem over the
years and he has yet to disappoint. His
presence on stage convinces you that he may very well have the power to
influence your thoughts and actions. He's appeared on 60 Minutes and just about
every major market around the world. He
is, as we say in the biz, really, really good.