It is with regret that I have to inform you all of the death of legendary magician Roger Klause. Roger is credited with assisting the careers of the some of the great close-up magicians of the past 30 years. Sadly for us, Roger was also best friend to Bill Malone which means that Bill will not be able to be with us this weekend. Bill's wife Barbara called me from LA where they were about to board the plane to Australia when the news broke. Bill flew immediately to Texas where he will console the family and act as pallbearer to his friend Roger Klause later this week. Bill called me later to express his deep regret at not being able to come. The Malones were due to spend time with Roger on the way back to Florida from Australia.
I have dreaded the day that one of our guests could not attend and it has finally arrived. Those of you who know Taylor's will understand that nothing but the best is good enough for us and, rather than try to put a bandaid over the problem, Diana and I wanted to ensure that those of you coming to Sydney would enjoy the promised, world class weekend of magic.
I have now spent over 6 hours on the telephone to the USA and sent more than 70 emails. It wasn't easy since its labour day weekend in the USA and nobody is easy to track down. You can't begin to imagine how difficult it is to find a world class performer in less than 1 day. Thankfully our event and indeed our business, now in its 12th year, is held in very high regard and our friends and contacts have worked hard to help me fix the dilema. I am delighted to report that I have secured, at very short notice, the services of John Carney.
John Carney is the most awarded magician in the losng history of the Academy Of Magical Arts and is the only person to win in all categories
John Carney is the author of The Book of Secrets and Carneycopia - 2 of the greatest ever texts on the art of sleight of hand.
John Carney is a comedy stage performer, close-up performer, writer and lecturer who has performed all over the world but NOT in Australia.
John Carney is no ordinary "magician". His approach is smart, engaging and always surprising. He is widely acknowledged as one of the top sleight of hand magicians in the world with unique, thoughtful, and often hilarious presentations. He has performed in casinos in Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, as well as made appearances on The Jerry Seinfeld HBO Special and CBS Magicians Favorite Magicians. He has served as spokesman for MasterCard, performing magic for their national television commercials.
Johns versatility means that he will fill the spaces for us and then some. Carney is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest teachers in magic and if you ask any American magician who they consider to be the best sleight of hand man around, there is a very good chance that the name Carney will come up.
We would like to thank John for altering his schedule, cancelling several events and stepping in at such short notice.
You can find more about John HERE
You can see him in action HERE
On behalf of Diana and myself, and all of the Taylor's team, thank you everyone in advance for your support of this event. Let me assure you all that you are in for a terrific weekend of magic along with the usual hospitality you have come to expect from this special occasion.
Sean Taylor
But, if anyone's based in Sydney/staying in Sydney past this one weekend, let me know (PM/MSN) and I'd be happy to meet up..
