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On Saturday 23rd July I was lucky enough to catch Jerry Sadowitz at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London.

For those who don't know him, he's one of the top sleight-of-hand and close-up magicians around today. He is also not for the easily offended. Over 18's only I'm afraid.

He had a theme for his show, that card magic was technically difficult, so he started small and worked up to tricks with the whole deck.

The first trick was a 3 card trick, the next a 4 card, then an 8 card. Then he pulled an entire suit from the deck using a different flourish for each card revealed. He then did a number of full-deck tricks involving audience members selecting cards. I'm not going to go into details here... I'll just say go and see him if you get the chance. I sat in the front row, and was watching his hands all night (I can't help myself) He never slipped up on anything. We also got to see his amazing collection of magic wands.

The one thing that disappointed me was that I saw him before the show, and I asked him if he would sign a deck of cards for me. He refused, but that's artistic license I guess.

I saw him when he played the Soho Theatre earlier in the year, and I think that venue suited him better. The Riverside was, I felt, too big for close-up stuff, whereas the Soho was pretty small and intimate. There were about 60 people there, but because of the size, it looked emptier than it was.

All-in-all it was a great show, just over an hour, and I don't think he showed us a quarter of the skills he has. If you don't mind offensive language and jokes, you'll absolutely love the magic!

Cheers,

Big fan of Jerry's stuff myself. Saw him at the Soho theatre last year, and was impressed. I wont sit in the front row again though. He wound me up a bit, but you dare not respond as you would then be his target for the rest of the show.

Shame about not signing your cards though. I have heard that he can be a little off on occasions. But cant we all?

I saw him at the Soho too. I thought it was a better venue for him.

Me and my friends sat in the front at both gigs. At Soho, he mercilessly picked on this American couple. It was only a couple of weeks after the tsunami disaster too, so you can guess what some of his material was about.

He has a lot of anger in him, and it has, so I've heard, led to him being a manic depressive on occasion. It's a pity his amazing skills haven't earned him the recognition he wants, and I think this is why he's a little 'off' sometimes.

It's a pity really as he's a superb cardician. Some of the stuff he does with cards is unbelievable.

Yeah, he does seems to have a lot of anger in him, however I really thought that it was just all part of his act. I guess not.

If you like his stuff, I can strongly recommend "Cards on the Table" by him. Not easy self working stuff, but very good effects, and very clearly written. Will keep you busy for a long while.

Jerry is a master although I’ve seen him make mistakes before. I just bought Jerry's trick "mindwarp" from international magic. A very funny piece of mentalism. The technique behind the trick is brilliant. I would have never guessed it in a million years. Can't wait to try it out

Can you let us know how you get on with Midwarp. I have thought about getting this for a while. Cheers.

Yeah, that would be good.

I have just recieved my copy of 'Card Tricks Made Easy' the DVD, by Jerry Sadowitz, in the post.

Will post a review when I have watched it.

Cheers.

I'd really love to see him. He is performing in Edinburgh this month...but that's just too far out for a Londonder, with having to spend a couple of hundred quid and all, for a 1 hr show.

I'll definitely catch him when he's around...I'll have to keep an eye out.

Skeen,

Keep your eyes peeled when reading Time Out. He usually does one-off shows, so you have to be quick to catch him!

Have you been in International Magic on Clerkenwell Rd? He works in there sometimes, usually at the weekend. They also stock a few of his tricks... I just bought Joker's Wild from there yesterday. Pretty cool little effect.

The Magic Cavern in Barons Court is great for live magic too. Check it out.

Cheers,

Hey Mark, thanks for the tips. Seeing Jerry on C4 back in the day furthered my passion for card manipulation.

It was a highlight of my week when I was younger, I used to laff my head off (even though me and my brother where probably too young to be watching!)

I think we should start a 'Bring Back Jerry' compaign to get him back on TV (Im sure C5 would be up for it, it'll sure beat live plastic surgery)


Rob

ps The Canadian incident was a big highlight in his carear.

Do you remember the 'Pallbearers Review'? And 'The People vs Jerry Sadowitz'?

Wish I'd thought of recording them on video when they were on, they were hilarious. I can't believe the amount of abuse he used to deal out to people without getting punched (unlike Canada!)

If there's a 'Bring Back Jerry' campaign, I'd sign up for it too!

Jer-ry... Jer-ry... Jer-ry...

Do you remember the 'Pallbearers Review'? And 'The People vs Jerry Sadowitz'?

Don't forget the 'Jerry-A-Trick' show too.

I'm a massive fan, both of his performances and his teaching material too.
Truly a master of his art.

mark_c1975 wrote:Do you remember the 'Pallbearers Review'? And 'The People vs Jerry Sadowitz'?

Ye I remember them, but I'd forgotten about 'The People...' untill you mentioned it. He really didnt give a monkeys did he.

Funny as hell - no wonder I got a odd humour what with growing up with Jerry and Rik Mayhall etc.

Rob

I often wondered why my sense of humour is a little 'warped'...

A steady diet of Jerry Sadowitz, The Young Ones, The Comic Strip, Derek and Clive and Seinfeld has given me a somewhat darker sense of humour than most.

Mwahahahaha