We live in Sydney and continue to be impressed by the range of activities and experiences available. When we found out about ‘The Gentleman Magician’ this appealed to us as something quite different. This is a classic magical show for adults held in the Sir Stamford, Circular Quay.
We do a read up before attending the show, and we are impressed to hear the show is rated 2nd highest on trip advisor. And when you’re second behind the Opera House in ranking, that’s certainly testament to the quality of the show.
The ‘Gentleman Magician’ is dubbed a magical soiree, with Bruce Glen, an actor, storyteller and magician hosting a meticulously planned show full of intrigue.
Bruce is a polished performer with a reputation that precedes him, having been selected as an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle, a club with only 1400 members worldwide. Bruce has performed around the world in events such as at the Fringe Festival and even in Edinburgh. Having been in this field for over 25 years, he has for the past 3 years has been holding his magical soiree in the Sir Stamford Hotel, Circular Quay on Friday and Saturday nights.
Sir Stamford is the perfect venue for the show, as the historic hotel, with its beautiful heritage features and hanging chandeliers is apt for a show that draws its inspiration from the ‘salons’ of 18 -19th century Europe. The show is held in a small room with an elegant setting on the third floor with its intimate seating arrangement seating anywhere between 10-45 people. The ambience is perfect for the show.
We meet at 7:03 for a show to start at 7:33 and are treated to a glass of champagne and roving canapes; dumplings, curry puffs and lemon meringue pie as we are met by assistant Catherine who ensures the guests feel welcome and comfortable in the setting. She is there throughout the show to assist Bruce.
We sit in rows, with Bruce on stage taking us through a series of magical acts that have been inspired by magician Eugene Robert-Houdin, Max Malini, Johann Hofzinser and Steve Cohen.
Bruce is softly spoken, charismatic and captivates the audience through his friendly smile and storytelling. He connects each act with stories about magicians and tales from the classics from Orson Welles, to Lewis Carrol, Mark Twain and his childhood favourite Rudyard Kipling. We love this aspect as it is a way to make this show feel like a story which has been carefully prepared, rather than a conglomeration of acts.
Bruce draws us in to the story with his magical imaginative performances and a melange of tricks using a rope, a cup and ball, wine glasses, playing cards and illusion which is surrounded in mystery and amazement. He encourages audience participation and despite the intimate setting and close seating we have no idea how these acts are possible -it is all about the illusion and imagination. We will not go into what each performance is, to allow mystery to remain and encourage you to see for yourselves.
You can even join Bruce for a drink afterwards in the Highlander bar, where you can have a chat, ask questions and learn more about the craft.
We thoroughly recommend this show as an experience that’s a little out of the box and something to provide wonderful entertainment, mystery and fun.
We left with a new appreciation of the artistry of a magician and were happy to be introduced into his world.
