London has so many places where you can see magic shows and see amazing magicians from all over the world.
One of my favorite magic shows is Magic Night, a twice-monthly show held at Madame JoJo’s cabaret club in Soho. There is always a first-class lineup of magicians and variety acts.
Volupte, is another great place to see London’s magicians. Magic shows offer a mix of burlesque, magic and comedy. There are great shows throughout the week, but I especially recommend the Sunday afternoon tea sessions, aptly named Voluptea.
A visit to Davenports, the oldest family owned magic shop in the world, is a must. It hosts the Magic Symphony, a highly unusual show where the theater orchestra is made up of playing cards and the conductor has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Covent Garden is famous for its street performers, and for the modest price of a few pounds on the hat, you can see some of London’s best magicians. An area of Covent Garden called the Magic Corner is dedicated to street magicians. Throughout the day you can see some amazing magicians on the streets of London.
It’s always worth looking for magic shows in the newspapers and on websites like Last Minute, View London and Time Out. Almost always something happens. I’ve seen shows in London by great magicians like Penn & Teller, Derren Brown and Hans Klok.
It may be that you are interested in learning some magic tricks yourself, in which case, London has some great magic shops. I already mentioned Davenports Magic, which is a wonderful place, as dark and mysterious as you imagine a magic shop to be. Buy some tricks there and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an amazing magician.
There’s also the International Magic and Magic Cave, which has a magic stall you can visit in Covent Garden. Tell the people behind the counter that you are interested in learning magic and they will be able to recommend some good tricks to get you started.
Browse your local library or bookstores and you’ll find a good selection of magic books for beginners. People are sometimes put off by magic books as they can seem a bit dry and technical. However, they are the most valuable learning tools if you really want to become a top-tier magician in London.
You can choose to become a close-up magician, an illusionist, a mind reader, a comedy magician, or a stage magician, to name a few possibilities. You must choose the style that you like the most, and the one that best suits your personality.
Watching videos of magicians can be a valuable learning tool. You have to be careful, because it can be easy to imitate magicians you admire, sometimes without even realizing it, when you should be developing your own style as a magician.
However, watching other magicians perform can be an effective way to learn the different aspects that go into performing as a good magician. But before you specialize, it’s a good idea to try out all the different styles of magic, so you can decide which one you prefer later. You can find many magical videos on sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
