Doug Henning (1947-2000) made his mark as a magnificent illusionist, who brought the craft to the general public in an unprecedented entertaining manner. He also transformed the image of the magician from the top hat and tails to denim jacket and jeans.
He changed illusionists' formerly austere, mysterious ambiance to one of playfulness, fun and joy. His smile was infectious; he loved what he did and made the audience feel the same way.
It was my privilege to have attended "The Magic Show" on Broadway in 1974. I returned three more times, bringing along friends, who likewise loved it. Make no mistake, though--even though he bounces and jives to the music, like your average kid on the block, this is one awesome, truly great magician.
The only extant recording of his work is this 1981 revised and modified version of "The Magic Show" done at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto. For some inexplicable reason, the score and production was drastically tampered with, to the extreme chagrin of the original presentation.
Therefore, its value here lies in the fact that this is the only surviving recorded of Mr. Henning's work. It's also to be remembered that work of illusionists that followed Henning used his work as their yardstick to "surpass." In other words, what Henning did was then history making--taking its heritage directly from Classicists Houdini, Dunninger, Blackstone, et al.
Henning combined all achievements of those greats, then added his own unique contributions. What I adore about Henning is his positive vibration; his smile is genuine, and his love of life's the "real-McCoy."
Thus, this recording of "The Magic Show" becomes a valuable document in the history of magic and illusion, thanks to the work of one of the all-time greats: Henning.
He changed illusionists' formerly austere, mysterious ambiance to one of playfulness, fun and joy. His smile was infectious; he loved what he did and made the audience feel the same way.
It was my privilege to have attended "The Magic Show" on Broadway in 1974. I returned three more times, bringing along friends, who likewise loved it. Make no mistake, though--even though he bounces and jives to the music, like your average kid on the block, this is one awesome, truly great magician.
The only extant recording of his work is this 1981 revised and modified version of "The Magic Show" done at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto. For some inexplicable reason, the score and production was drastically tampered with, to the extreme chagrin of the original presentation.
Therefore, its value here lies in the fact that this is the only surviving recorded of Mr. Henning's work. It's also to be remembered that work of illusionists that followed Henning used his work as their yardstick to "surpass." In other words, what Henning did was then history making--taking its heritage directly from Classicists Houdini, Dunninger, Blackstone, et al.
Henning combined all achievements of those greats, then added his own unique contributions. What I adore about Henning is his positive vibration; his smile is genuine, and his love of life's the "real-McCoy."
Thus, this recording of "The Magic Show" becomes a valuable document in the history of magic and illusion, thanks to the work of one of the all-time greats: Henning.