May 27, 2014 Magic of Japan Week at the Magic Castle
I think that anyone who lives in L.A. has to visit The Magic Castle before he or she dies or moves. It’s one of the most unique and secretive spots in the city. Or anywhere. Established in 1963 to showcase magic for members of the Academy of Magical Arts, it’s pretty much the equivalent of Club 33 in terms of exclusivity but sits right off the Boulevard of Broken Dreams instead of Disneyland.
Only magicians and friends of magicians are invited into the lovingly restored old mansion crammed with posters, portraits, and artifacts, and only the world’s finest magicians are allowed to entertain at the building’s 13 stages, close-up tables, and bars. And because audiences are exclusively made up of hardcore magic freaks, the show are both irony free and lacking pretense of being goth, rock ‘n’ roll, or cool. The magic shows are as geeky as they are entertaining as hell. Does it get any better than that?
Maybe so. Once a year, Magic of Japan Week adds a layer of Japanese game show sensibilities to the mix–which is awesome–and the fourth annual event just took place. I was thrilled to be invited to not only check it out but actually meet some of the participating magicians.
Sitting at a felt-covered card table by the upstairs bar between the Palace of Mystery and Parlour of Prestidigitation, organizer Shoot Ogawa began telling me how he left Tokyo to pursue a career in magic in Los Angeles. Now that he has become hugely successful and respected in the field on either side of the Pacific Ocean, he has made it his mission to bring out other magicians from Japan. It requires months of work to not only line up the talent but secure travel and lodging–and then hope that props don’t get destroyed on the way over–but it really isn’t as crazy as it seems. Ogawa is carrying on a longstanding tradition of magicians coming to the big city, becoming established, and inviting friends over to sleep on the couch and enter the fray as well. The distance is a little longer and the aesthetics are further out, but the story is classic.
Aki Mitsui, who was also hanging out at the table, is another Japanese magician who moved to L.A. to elevate his craft at the Magic Castle. I’ve actually seen him perform there when he was still under 21 and could only play all-ages weekend brunches. He says that it’s more fun now that he can play evenings for drunks. And parents are able to enjoy the show rather than keep an eye on their kids and feign respectability. Translation: They can lose their shit. This was Aki’s first Magic of Japan week and he was pretty stoked to be part of it.
Shoot says that there are more Japanese-speaking guests of the magicians, not to mention random fans of Japanese culture, but it’s not like Anime Expo with cosplay everywhere or even Hello Kitty T-shirts in the club. After all, audiences still have to get in through membership and there is a formal dress code in effect.
That night in the Close-Up Gallery (my favorite) I saw Aki’s newest and even more mind-blowing coin and card tricks, topped off by a cups-and-balls mutation involving a martini shaker. So unassuming, so brilliant. At the Parlour of Prestidigitation, Motti added a Rubik’s Cube to the canon of props while Wakaba brought her self-deprecating and extremely likable sense of humor. The Palace of Mystery performers had all the flash and showmanship that one would expect at the club’s biggest stage. The bleached blond Japanese TV star HAMAchan had full-on choreography complete with a dancing girl to do a Coke can trick, while Toritto had a decidedly and comically un-magic approach to MCing show. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Masataka Jimbo’s prestidigitation skills were both nonstop and over the top even for the most jaded members. I’m a casual fan and occasional guest, and the sheer volume of cards he pulled out of thin air was shocking to me–like Chow Yun-Fat’s endless supply of bullets in a John Woo movie.
At the downstairs bar by the lobby, a friend and Academy of Magical Arts member introduced to me to Milt Larsen, who founded the Magic Castle with his late brother Bill in 1963. In Milt’s estimation, Magic of Japan Week is really no different than any other time at the Magic Castle. It shows off the best in the world, as usual, but they all just happen to come from Japan. What an interesting guy, with both warmth and stories that go on forever.
Okay, so maybe Magic of Japan Week isn’t that different than any other time at the Magic Castle. It builds on familiar traditions with everyday standards that are always through the roof. But I had a ball and Shoot presents top-shelf magicians that you probably won’t be seeing again any time soon–a subculture of a subculture. Keep any eye on The Magic Castle’s calendar for his excellent annual event and any other excuse for you to visit one of L.A.’s treasures. After that it’s up to you to find a way in, but with any luck I’ll see you there.
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