Events

13th June - Club Show, Stanford le Hope Cricket Club

Friday 13th saw the Sorcerers ensemble trundle into Stanford-le-Hope for another of our fund raising shows, this time to raise money for the cricket club to buy new equipment for their colts teams.

About 70 people witnessed the show although there were too many children for the likes of some of us! Due to a cricket match taking place and some of those playing due to attend the show, we didn't get started until 8.30pm. This sadly meant our scheduled 5 close up slots were reduced to three and Rick cut his stage act down to just two tricks so that in the end we did finish on time at 10.30. 

My grateful thanks, as always, to all the performers who turned out and entertained a fairly raucous crowd, but who warmed up to us as the evening wore on. Those performing close up at the tables were: James Holdsworth, Robert Dean, Adrian Fox, Lewis Clifton, Leon Rye, Daniel Brookes, Rob Newson and Richard Graham. It was also nice to see ex member Ray Tarten there helping out with some close up. I believe Ray is a member of the cricket club and got us the gig in the first place. Needless to say, Ray drew the greatest round of applause at the end although Daniel and James ran him close.

The cabaret acts saw Stuart Charlesworth performing his first stage show for us and he gave a very competent and confident performance. He managed to seduce a lady member of the audience to assist him on stage who spent his entire act helping him whilst wearing a very fetching Viking helmet! According to Stuart, this made her look 'very horny' ! Stuart started with an invisible card routine which got him a few gropes from his assistant as she tried to find the card on his person. The invisible card finally materialised for real in his wallet but alas it was the wrong card! Never mind, a quick tap on the wallet saw it change into her chosen card.

Stuart then followed with his inimitable egg bag routine which sees him clucking around the stage as the egg vanishes and re-appears. He finished with a silk routine using a change bag in which separate silks come out the bag all tied together but including a range of clothing and underwear. Stuart performed with great enthusiasm and thoroughly deserved his concluding round of applause. Hopefully, we can now add Stuart's name to our expanding number of members able and willing to perform a stage act for us.

Richard Graham followed next, starting with his signature piece, a variation on the Wayne Dobson Invisible card routine, weaving in and out the audience as an invisible card is randomly chosen but which then materialised in his invisible magic purse. He concluded with the half dyed hanky routine, a variation on the colour changing silk routine using dye tubes but with a sucker finish.

Adrian Fox concluded the show, starting with his routine to rhyme and using the 'flip chart' type approach to get an' audience member to choose a card, which Adrian then hopelessly fails to find after several attempts. Needless to say, all works out OK in the end. Adrian continued with his spectacular 'Da Vinci code' routine where a spectator merely thinks of a card and consequently reveals the name of a film written on the back of that chosen card, which Adrian has already predicted and reveals to great visual effect. Adrian concluded with his new mutilated parasol routine (new 'cos his other one broke!), where silks (and a sock!) get placed into a change bag. The change bag then morphs into the parasol covering and the silks etc appear attached to each spoke of the parasol. A very colourful and visual transformation.

Everyone then went home, tired but happy with the organisers already looking forward to booking us again next year. Thanks again to all performers - it's much appreciated.