Watch: Mark Thomas Performs Magic with Jim Spinnato at Comix Roadhouse

 A full-length performance video gives magic fans a chance to watch magician Mark Thomas performing alongside Jim Spinnato at Comix Roadhouse at Mohegan Sun.

The video, titled “Mark Thomas magician magic show at Comix November 2024 with Jim Spinnato,” captures Thomas performing during a November 2024 show at the Connecticut entertainment venue.

For magic fans, videos like this offer something a little different from the highly edited performances we frequently see on television and social media.

This is magic in front of a live audience.

Magic at Comix Roadhouse

Comix Roadhouse at Mohegan Sun has become a regular home for Jim Spinnato's comedy magic performances.

Spinnato's show combines magic, comedy and audience interaction, with other magicians regularly joining him as featured performers.

Mark Thomas is among the magicians who have appeared as part of the lineup, bringing another style and personality to the show.

The November 2024 video provides viewers with the opportunity to experience Thomas' performance from outside the club and see how the material plays for an actual audience.

Where Magic and Comedy Meet

A comedy club creates an interesting environment for a magician.

Unlike a traditional theater magic show, audiences arriving at a comedy venue are expecting to laugh—and the performer has to establish a connection with the room quickly.

That makes personality and audience interaction every bit as important as the magic itself.

It's also one of the reasons comedy and magic have worked together so successfully for generations.

The impossible moment creates surprise.

The comedy creates personality.

Combine the two effectively, and audiences aren't simply watching a collection of tricks. They're getting to know the performer along the way.

The Importance of Live Performance

There is another reason performances like this are worth watching, particularly for magicians.

Magic ultimately lives in front of an audience.

A trick can be practiced hundreds of times at home, but the real education begins when it's performed for people.

Where do they laugh?

When do they react?

How long should you wait before delivering the next line?

When should you reveal the magic?

And what happens when a spectator does something you weren't expecting?

Those lessons are difficult to learn from a magic book or instructional video.

They come from performing.

Watching an experienced magician work through a complete live set can therefore be valuable for more than simply learning what tricks someone performs. You're also seeing timing, pacing, audience management and personality at work.

A Look Inside the Working World of Magic

It's easy to associate professional magic with television competitions, Las Vegas productions and enormous theatrical illusions.

But there's another side of the profession that deserves attention.

Every week, magicians are working comedy clubs, resorts, theaters, restaurants, corporate events and countless other venues around the country.

These are the places where routines are tested, presentations evolve and performers develop the experience that can only come from spending years in front of real audiences.

The November 2024 performance featuring Mark Thomas and Jim Spinnato offers a glimpse into that world.

And for anyone interested in the craft of performing—not merely the secrets behind the tricks—that may be the most interesting magic lesson in the entire video.

Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic Documentary Explores the Life of “The Professor”

 A fascinating documentary available online gives magic fans a chance to revisit the life, work and extraordinary influence of Dai Vernon, the legendary magician known throughout the magic community simply as “The Professor.”

Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic explores the story of one of the most influential figures in close-up magic, combining archival material with interviews from some remarkable names in the art.

Born David Frederick Wingfield Verner in Ottawa, Canada, in 1894, Vernon devoted much of his life to studying, refining and advancing sleight-of-hand magic.

More than three decades after his death in 1992, his influence can still be found throughout modern close-up magic.

The Spirit of Magic

The documentary was originally created for Canadian television in 1999 and was directed by Daniel Zuckerbrot and narrated by Patrick Watson. Magician and historian David Ben served as associate producer and magic consultant.

What makes the film particularly valuable to magic historians is the collection of people who contributed to it.

The documentary features insights from Max Maven, Herb Zarrow, John Carney, Jackie Flosso, Ricky Jay, Steve Freeman and Persi Diaconis, among others.

Vernon's sons, Edward and Derek Verner, also appear, providing a more personal perspective on their father beyond his legendary reputation in the magic world.

The film even includes restored black-and-white footage showing a younger Vernon demonstrating his sleight-of-hand.

The Man Who Fooled Houdini

One story has followed Vernon throughout magic history: he fooled Harry Houdini.

Houdini was famously associated with the claim that he could determine the secret behind a trick after seeing it performed several times.

Vernon reportedly presented a version of the Ambitious Card, in which a selected card repeatedly returns to the top of the deck.

Houdini watched again.

And again.

Vernon continued fooling him.

The encounter eventually helped give Vernon one of the most famous descriptions in magic history: “The Man Who Fooled Houdini.”

For a young magician still establishing his reputation, fooling arguably the most famous magician in the world was no small accomplishment.

But Vernon's lasting importance to magic extends far beyond one encounter with Houdini.

The Professor

Vernon became obsessed with making sleight-of-hand look natural.

Rather than simply learning a secret move and considering the job finished, he studied the smallest details of how an action should look.

That philosophy helped shape generations of close-up magicians.

Vernon's work touched cards, coins, linking rings, cups and balls and numerous other areas of close-up and sleight-of-hand magic.

His approach wasn't simply about collecting tricks. It was about understanding why deception worked and eliminating unnecessary movements that could alert an audience that something secret had happened.

That dedication earned him the nickname “The Professor.”

Searching for the Best

One of the most fascinating aspects of Vernon's story was his willingness to search outside the traditional magic community for techniques.

He became fascinated with the skills of gamblers and card cheats.

If someone possessed a move Vernon wanted to understand, he was willing to travel to find that person.

One famous example involved Vernon and fellow magician Charlie Miller searching for Allen Kennedy, a gambler reputed to possess the ability to deal cards from the center of the deck.

Stories like these demonstrate just how seriously Vernon approached sleight of hand.

Magic wasn't merely his profession.

It was a lifelong pursuit.

A Generation Gathered Around Vernon

Later in his life, Vernon became closely associated with The Magic Castle in Hollywood, where his presence attracted magicians eager to learn, exchange ideas and simply spend time around “The Professor.”

His influence spread through the performers who studied his techniques and philosophy and then passed those lessons to another generation.

That's part of what makes The Spirit of Magic particularly interesting today.

Viewers aren't simply hearing historians discuss Vernon decades later. They are hearing from accomplished magicians who knew him, learned from him and experienced his influence firsthand.

Preserving an Important Piece of Magic History

David Ben has written that the documentary was initially available only briefly on VHS. Over the years, poor-quality copies circulated online.

Eventually, Magicana provided Historica Canada with a clean transfer made from the broadcast master so the documentary could be properly preserved and made available to viewers.

Ben, who would later write extensively about Vernon, has gone so far as to argue that Vernon wasn't merely the most influential magician of the 20th century—but potentially the most influential magician of all time.

Whether every magician would go quite that far is a discussion that could probably keep a magic convention session going well into the night.

What is much harder to dispute is the enormous footprint Vernon left on close-up magic.

More Than Tricks

Perhaps that's the most important reason for today's magicians to watch Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic.

Magic changes.

New tricks are invented. New performers become famous. New technology provides magicians with tools Vernon could never have imagined.

But many of the fundamentals remain remarkably similar.

Study the details.

Make movements natural.

Never stop learning.

And don't settle for simply knowing how a trick works when you can spend a lifetime learning how to make it better.

That's the spirit of magic Dai Vernon helped pass to generations of magicians.

And more than 30 years after “The Professor” left us, the lesson continues.

Video: Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic

Sources: The original documentary and historical information from Magicana. The documentary was originally produced for Canadian television in 1999 and features interviews with magicians, family members and others who knew Vernon.

Shadow Rabbit

 Now available at www.magiciansmagicshop.com 

A colorful, interactive piece of children's and family magic that's perfect for birthday parties, libraries, schools and family shows!

The magician displays a small black silk and white silk and attempts to magically make them change places. Things don't go exactly according to plan, eventually leading to the appearance of a large black-and-white rabbit picture silk.

Now the audience gets involved!

Spectators are asked to choose the colors they think the rabbit should be. After plenty of opportunities for audience participation, comedy and magical mishaps, the magician tries the magic one more time.

When the rabbit is displayed again, it has amazingly transformed from black and white into a bright, colorful rabbit!

Shadow Rabbit is designed around audience interaction, making it especially well suited for children's entertainers and family magicians. The routine provides plenty of room to develop your own presentation and get the entire audience involved before the colorful final revelation.

Features:

• Fun, visual silk magic
• Great audience participation
• Excellent for children's and family shows
• Colorful transformation finale
• Packs small and plays big
• Easy to incorporate into an existing silk routine
• New Old Stock

A fun piece of visual magic that's ready to go back onstage after spending years waiting on the shelf!

Retail Price $35.00 

Our Price $30.00 

Penn & Teller’s Brilliant 1986 SNL Performance Still Holds Up 40 Years Later

 Nearly 40 years ago, Penn & Teller walked onto the stage of Saturday Night Live and delivered a routine that perfectly demonstrated why the duo would become one of the most distinctive acts in the history of magic.

In a classic clip titled “Penn and Teller: The Best Magicians in the World,” Penn Jillette and Teller set out to prove that they aren't simply comedy magicians—they're the greatest magicians in the world.

What follows is approximately seven minutes of strange, funny and increasingly impossible-looking magic before a final revelation forces the audience to reconsider virtually everything they just watched.

The segment originally aired on February 8, 1986, during the 11th season of Saturday Night Live.

“Are We Live?”

From the beginning, Penn makes one thing particularly important.

The performance is happening live.

Penn repeatedly asks the studio audience to confirm that what viewers at home are seeing is really taking place in the studio without camera edits, blue screens or back projection.

It's an important condition because Penn & Teller proceed to demonstrate a series of apparent impossibilities.

Objects behave in ways they shouldn't.

Gravity doesn't seem to work quite the way audiences expect.

And throughout it all, Penn maintains the fast-talking, comedic presentation that would become one of the trademarks of the duo, while Teller silently handles much of the physical magic.

The tricks themselves are entertaining.

But they're really setting up something much bigger.

Don't Spoil the Ending

If you've never watched this routine before, stop reading and watch the video before continuing.

The ending is too good to spoil.

Seriously.

Go watch it.

Still here?

When the camera finally changes perspective, the secret behind much of what viewers have been watching is revealed:

Penn & Teller have been performing the routine upside down.

What appeared to be impossible behavior from various objects suddenly makes perfect sense.

Gravity wasn't being defeated at all.

The audience was simply looking at everything from the wrong perspective.

It's an extraordinarily simple idea executed on a very large scale—and on live television.

The Secret Makes It Better

One of the characteristics that would eventually become synonymous with Penn & Teller is their willingness to reveal methods.

Traditional magic often treats the secret as the most valuable part of an illusion.

Penn & Teller have repeatedly played with that assumption.

Sometimes knowing the secret actually makes a performance more impressive.

This SNL appearance is a perfect example.

Once viewers understand what's happening, the performance doesn't become less interesting. Instead, you're suddenly thinking about what Penn and Teller physically had to do to make the illusion work.

They're not relying on a television edit to create the effect.

They're actually performing while inverted.

That changes the reveal from “Oh, that's how they did it” into something closer to “Wait—they actually did THAT?”

Penn & Teller Were Already Breaking the Rules

It's also fascinating to watch the clip knowing what Penn & Teller would eventually become.

This was years before Penn & Teller: Fool Us introduced another generation of viewers to the duo.

Yet so much of the Penn & Teller formula is already present.

There's comedy.

There's legitimate technical skill.

There's an unconventional premise.

There's an acknowledgement that magic has secrets.

And there's the willingness to let the audience in on the method when doing so creates an even stronger piece of entertainment.

Instead of asking viewers simply to believe they possess supernatural powers, Penn & Teller invite the audience to appreciate the construction of the illusion.

A Classic Piece of Television Magic

Magic created specifically for television can sometimes age poorly.

Camera technology changes. Editing techniques become familiar. Special effects that once seemed extraordinary eventually become commonplace.

This routine has largely avoided that problem.

The basic concept is just as understandable today as it was in 1986.

More importantly, the final revelation still works.

Once the perspective changes, viewers immediately understand the deception.

No complicated explanation is necessary.

That's elegant magic.

Penn & Teller took something everyone understands—gravity—changed the audience's perspective and turned it into several minutes of apparent impossibility.

Four decades later, the routine remains a wonderful example of what happens when a magic trick is built around a great idea rather than simply a great secret.

And perhaps that's the funniest part of a routine called “The Best Magicians in the World.”

By the end, Penn & Teller show you exactly how they fooled you.

And somehow that makes the magic even better.

Robert-Houdin: The Man Who Became the Father of Modern Magic

 A video exploring the life of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin takes viewers back to the roots of modern theatrical magic and the remarkable career of the man whose influence can still be seen in magic performances today.

Titled “Robert-Houdin | The Art of Becoming a Legend | Who Was the Father of Modern Magic?”, the video examines the life and legacy of a performer frequently described as the father of modern magic.

For today's magicians, Robert-Houdin is much more than a name from the history books. His approach to performance helped change how audiences viewed magicians and played an important role in shaping the theatrical art we recognize today.

From Watchmaker to Magician

Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin was born in Blois, France, in 1805.

Before becoming one of history's most influential magicians, Robert-Houdin trained as a watchmaker. His knowledge of mechanics would become extremely important to his magical career.

At a time when mechanical automata fascinated the public, Robert-Houdin combined his technical abilities with theatrical presentation to create remarkable demonstrations and illusions.

His interests in mechanics, electricity and emerging technology helped him develop effects that must have appeared almost unimaginable to audiences of the 19th century.

But his importance to magic went far beyond clever machinery.

Changing the Image of the Magician

Robert-Houdin helped transform the presentation of magic.

Rather than presenting himself as a mysterious conjurer dressed in robes or exotic costumes, he appeared before audiences dressed more like an elegant gentleman of his era.

His performances helped move conjuring toward the sophisticated theatrical entertainment that would influence generations of magicians who followed.

In 1845, Robert-Houdin opened his own theater in Paris, where audiences could experience his carefully constructed combination of magic, illusion, mechanical wonders and showmanship.

Among the effects associated with Robert-Houdin are classics such as The Light and Heavy Chest, The Ethereal Suspension and his famous Orange Tree illusion.

The ideas behind some of his creations would continue influencing magicians long after his lifetime.

The Magician Who Inspired Houdini

Perhaps the clearest indication of Robert-Houdin's influence can be found in the name of another legendary magician.

Born Erik Weisz, the young performer who would become Harry Houdini adopted his famous stage name in admiration of Robert-Houdin.

Houdini initially believed adding an “i” to Houdin essentially meant “like Houdin.”

Interestingly, Houdini's admiration would later become much more complicated.

In 1908, Houdini published The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, attacking the reputation of the magician who had once inspired his own stage name and arguing that Robert-Houdin had received credit for innovations created by earlier performers.

The book remains one of the more fascinating controversies in magic history.

Regardless of that later criticism, Robert-Houdin's influence on the presentation and popular perception of magic is undeniable.

More Than 200 Years Later

Robert-Houdin died in 1871, but his name remains firmly connected to the history of magic more than 150 years later.

Modern magicians perform in a completely different world—television, social media and massive technological advances have transformed what is possible both onstage and on screen.

Yet many of the principles Robert-Houdin embraced remain remarkably familiar.

Presentation matters.

Character matters.

Technology can be used to create wonder.

And the magician is not simply demonstrating a puzzle but presenting a piece of entertainment to an audience.

That's part of what makes revisiting the story of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin so worthwhile.

Magic constantly evolves, but understanding where the art has been can provide a greater appreciation for where it is today.

More than two centuries after his birth, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin remains one of the foundational figures in the history of modern magic.

BGT Winner Harry Moulding Reflects on Magic, Perseverance and Performing for King Charles

 Britain’s Got Talent winner Harry Moulding has opened up about his journey from performing tricks for classmates on the school bus to winning one of Britain’s biggest television competitions and performing for King Charles.

In a new interview with BBC Bitesize, the Blackpool-based magician reflected on his early days in magic, the importance of perseverance and why remaining willing to learn has played such an important role in his success.

Moulding’s life changed dramatically on May 31, 2025, when the then-24-year-old magician was crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. His victory earned him the opportunity to appear at the Royal Variety Performance and introduced his magic to a huge television audience.

But his journey began much earlier.

Inspired by a Magician at School

According to Moulding, his fascination with magic began when he was just 10 years old after seeing a magician perform at his primary school.

The experience made such an impression that his mother bought him a magic set for Christmas. Before long, magic had become much more than a casual hobby.

By Year 7, Moulding was trying his developing skills on other students while riding the school bus. Like virtually every magician learning the craft, those early performances didn't always work.

Moulding told BBC Bitesize that his classmates would sometimes catch him because he simply wasn't very good yet.

Instead of quitting, he continued practicing.

It wasn't until around Year 11 that he felt his classmates really began to become impressed with his magic.

That persistence would eventually become one of the defining themes of his career.

Creating His Own Opportunity

As a teenager, Moulding took an unusually ambitious step toward becoming a professional magician.

Unable to find the work-experience opportunity he wanted in the UK, the 14-year-old wrote to the owner of a magic and illusion bar in Spain and explained that he wanted to pursue magic professionally.

The letter resulted in an audition and a one-week work experience opportunity with the cast.

He returned for two weeks when he was 15 and then for a month at 16. Eventually, Moulding joined the theatre full-time and would spend six years living and performing in Spain.

The experience gave the young magician something difficult to recreate through practice alone: repeated experience performing for real audiences.

Almost Talking Himself Out of BGT

Despite years of professional experience, Moulding revealed that self-doubt nearly prevented his Britain’s Got Talent journey from happening.

After applying for the show, he began thinking about everything that could potentially go wrong during his performance.

A conversation with a friend helped change his perspective.

Moulding made a list of the possible negatives but also considered what could happen if things went well—even if he only made it through the first round.

The potential opportunities outweighed the risks.

He auditioned.

That decision ultimately led to a memorable semifinal performance, a Golden Buzzer from KSI and, eventually, Moulding being named the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2025.

From the School Bus to King Charles

Since his BGT victory, Moulding's magic career has continued to grow.

According to the BBC interview, he has now performed for several well-known figures, including rapper Aitch, former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and King Charles III.

It's an extraordinary progression for someone whose first audiences included classmates watching him practice newly learned tricks on their school bus.

Moulding also credits growing up in Blackpool with helping shape his ambitions. With the city's long history of live entertainment and variety performance, he was surrounded by examples of entertainers who had gone on to achieve national recognition.

“Remaining Teachable”

Perhaps the most valuable part of Moulding's BBC interview isn't about winning a television competition at all.

It's his advice about continuing to learn.

“Remaining teachable and being willing to learn is massive,” Moulding told BBC Bitesize.

He pointed to hard work, discipline and practice as skills that extend far beyond magic. Progress doesn't necessarily happen immediately, but consistently putting time and effort into developing a skill can eventually produce results.

It's a lesson that will sound familiar to magicians.

Every professional magician was once the beginner whose trick didn't work. Every polished routine started as something that needed rehearsal, adjustment and experience in front of an audience.

For Moulding, that process took him from performing tricks for classmates, to seeking out his own work experience overseas, to six years of professional performance in Spain—and eventually to the Britain’s Got Talent stage.

His advice to his younger self is equally simple: enjoy the journey and continue putting one foot in front of the other.

Considering where that first step eventually took him, it seems particularly appropriate.

Source: BBC Bitesize, “BGT winner Harry Moulding on the magic of school, perseverance and performing for King Charles,” published September 2026.

Amsterdam Museum Exhibition Celebrates the History of Magic and Illusionists

 

The long and fascinating history of magic is taking center stage in Amsterdam, where a museum exhibition is giving visitors a look into the world of magicians, illusionists and some of the classic imagery associated with the art.

New photographs published by DPA / Picture Alliance via Reuters Connect offer a glimpse inside an Amsterdam exhibition dedicated to the history of magic and illusion.

One of the images, photographed by Annette Birschel, captures 12-year-old Gianni Marsie peering out from inside a milk can displayed as part of the exhibition.

For magic fans, the milk can is instantly recognizable as more than simply an unusual piece of equipment.

The Milk Can and Magic History

The Milk Can Escape became one of the classic images of escape magic during the early 20th century, most famously through the performances of legendary escape artist Harry Houdini.

The premise was wonderfully simple—and terrifying.

A performer would be confined inside a large metal milk can filled with water. The lid would then be secured, leaving the performer with the seemingly impossible task of escaping.

Like many great pieces of magic history, the apparatus itself tells part of the story. Long before today's giant LED screens, elaborate theatrical lighting and modern technology, magicians created enormous suspense using relatively ordinary-looking objects.

A milk can could become an instrument of danger.

A wooden cabinet could make someone disappear.

A simple box could apparently cut an assistant into pieces.

Objects such as these helped create the visual language of stage magic that audiences still recognize today.

Preserving the History of Magic

Exhibitions devoted to magic also serve another important purpose: preserving a performing art that can easily disappear once a performance is over.

Magic has traditionally been passed from one generation of performers to another through books, personal instruction, clubs, conventions and professional relationships. The props, posters, photographs and other artifacts left behind provide a physical record of how the art developed.

They can also introduce people who have never studied magic to just how deep its history runs.

What audiences see on stages and television today is connected to generations of performers who experimented with new methods, theatrical presentations and increasingly ambitious illusions.

Museum exhibitions give the public an opportunity to see some of that evolution outside of a live performance.

Magic Continues to Fascinate New Generations

Perhaps the most fitting image from the Amsterdam exhibition is that of a 12-year-old looking out from a piece of classic magic apparatus.

Many professional magicians can trace their own interest in the art back to childhood—seeing a magician for the first time, receiving a magic set, discovering a magic book or encountering an illusion that seemed completely impossible.

Decades and even centuries after some of these classic illusions were created, that sense of curiosity remains.

Methods change. Performers change. Technology changes.

But the question that has driven generations of audiences remains exactly the same:

How did they do that?

And as exhibitions like this one in Amsterdam demonstrate, the history behind that question is every bit as fascinating as the secret.

Source: DPA / Picture Alliance via Reuters Connect. Photograph by Annette Birschel/dpa, published September 24, 2026.