On average I perform 3 magic shows a week, throughout the whole of the UK, and spend many hours each day rehearsing ( and even more on tedious admin and writing dull blogs like this in a feeble attempt at marketing). Therefore it's not often that I would choose to go and watch a magic show on one of my rare evenings off. Despite that I'd heard some glowing reviews for a small magic show in London so decided to pick up some tickets. I'm a frequent theatre goer, mainly for plays, and I'm well aware that the cost for theatre tickets in London, particularly the West End, have increased almost exponentially, in the last few years but was astonished to see tickets for a small magic show in an out of the way theatre costing anywhere from £80 (for tickets with restricted view, just what you want for a magic show) to £180! when you add in the cost of travel, food and a few drinks it becomes far too expensive for a casual evening out. This led me to realise that it would work out cheaper to hire me to perform my private mind reading show, what I call my parlour show, in the comfort of your own home. If you invite a few friends it becomes a veritable bargain! I shall write a few details about this show below but for more details without having to endure my mindless blathering on this here blog i recommend heading over to the PARLOUR MAGIC SHOW page on my blog.
My parlour show is basically my stage show on a smaller scale, designed to be performed in any venue without the need for a stage, lights and sound. Ideal for dinner parties and family or corporate events.
For anyone who's still reading, here's a few key points:
To summarise, if your considering going to a London magic show and like me and are too lazy to leave your own home and face travelling through the hell that is London then why don't you let me come to you. It could very well be cheaper and possibly the best show you will ever see. Thats not just me saying it, check out some reviews HERE
As mentioned before, you can find more details about my private show HERE, alternatively give me a call on 07814 135569, email info@edwardacrawford or use the contact form for more details. I look forward to seeing you for your private magic show in London.
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything for the blog on this site. I’d like to offer a good excuse for that but mainly it comes down to laziness. Social media, blogging and anything involving computers is not my idea of a good time. Anyway, time to turn over a new leaf and attempt semi regular updates. With that in mind I thought I’d use this blog to describe some of my recent performances and the type of events you may find me performing at. For anyone who's here to learn about hiring a magician for a wedding in Surrey then you might prefer to ignore my dull blog and head directly to the main site for weddings, click HERE.
So lets start with a beautiful wedding at the stunning Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey. The booking for this was made by the groom only about a month before the wedding which is very late as often wedding bookings can be made a couple of years in advance. The Groom was very easy going, all he knew was that he “wanted a magician to perform at his wedding” and left it to my advice as to the best time to perform and how to structure my performance to allow. There are three main periods I perform magic at weddings, the first is the drinks reception as guests arrive (after the ceremony), the second is during the wedding breakfast and the third is the evening reception. Sometimes I may perform at two or even all of these periods. For more details about performance times head over to the WEDDING PAGE. For this wedding I performed during the drink’s reception. Generally this is the best time for a performance, lots of people stood around with nothing to do for a couple of hours whilst photos are being taken. We were very fortunate to have a sunny day so the reception took place in the gorgeous grounds of Pennyhill Park. I like to keep a performance at this time during a wedding fairly casual. I mix and mingle with the guests performing for small groups of 5 to 10 people at a time. Each group will take part in a number of routines that last about 10 minutes. In this way it’s possible to get around 100 to 200 people in a couple of hours. The lovely thing about a performance of this nature is how it can bring people together. I’ll frequently get together two small groups of people who may not know each other and perform for them together which is always popular at weddings were so many people have never met before.
A typical mind reading routine at a wedding: Everything I do includes members of the audience, I like to ensure everyone will be part of something. Therefore I always start with something that will include everyone, a popular trick involves influence, I’ll write something on a piece of paper then ask the audience to decide amongst themselves the name of a playing card, once the card is named the piece of paper will be opened to show I chose that card in advance. After that I may go into a pure mind reading routine, basic examples include asking someone to draw a picture in private which I will attempt to duplicate or think of an old friend who I will describe and name. Whilst the magic I perform is of the more psychological mind reading style (mentalism) it’s important to me that my primary aim is entertainment. All my routines include humour and most importantly fun, that’s always my main aim when performing magic at a wedding.
I will frequently end a performance at a wedding for a finale routine with the Bride and Groom for everyone to watch, in this case there wasn’t the time to do this but if you are after a Surrey wedding magician then please note this is an option and there is no additional cost for it.
I don’t set a precise time when I perform at weddings as they frequently run late. In this case even after I was supposed to have finished people were asking to see more and I ended up staying about an hour late.
If you’re after a magician for your wedding in Surrey, or anywhere else, please get in touch either by calling or using the contact form for more details. You can go to the WEDDING page for more general details, the SURREY page for more general details, or click HERE to learn about Edward.
Edward Crawford is a professional magician and mind reader who has been performing his unique style of psychological magic throughout the UK for the past 20 years. He has won numerous awards for his performances including nest wedding magician and best corporate entertainer. He loves to perform and hates writing tedious blog entries!
I recently read an article which claimed that within 10 years AI will be able to do 70% of the jobs that humans currently carry out. As a mentalist a lot of my work involved understanding the psychology of people as well as working with statistics and verbal and non verbal cues. Surely these are all things an AI could learn to do? Some elements are already being used. Google and Facebook will predict what you are looking for online going by your earlier searches and use a statistics to predict what adverts will be best suited for. Another area that AI is being used is to read micro expressions. These are physical tells which are too quick for the human eye to catch but can be captured on film and picked up by AI. With that in mind I decided to give Chatpt a chance to read my minds. Chatgpt is a language based artificial intelligence which is said to generate text just like a human. Here's how our conversation went:
Me - Hello, how are you today?
ChatGPT
Hello! As an artificial intelligence language model, I do not have emotions, but I'm functioning optimally and ready to assist you with any questions or tasks you have. How can I assist you today?
Me - Do you know who Edward Crawford is?
ChatGPT
Edward Crawford, is a British magician, mind reader and pickpocket entertainer. He has performed at various events and venues in the UK and internationally, including corporate events, private parties, and on television. He has won several awards for his performances, and his act combines sleight of hand, psychology, and audience interaction.
Me - Thats him. He's a mentalist, do you know what that is?
ChatGPT
Yes, a mentalist is a performer who uses techniques such as mind-reading, suggestion, and psychological manipulation to create the illusion of having supernatural or psychic abilities. Mentalism is a type of performance art that can involve a range of techniques, including cold reading (making deductions based on subtle cues from the audience), hot reading (gaining information about audience members before the performance), and suggestion (influencing audience members to think or behave in certain ways).
Edward Crawford's performances as a mind reader and pickpocket entertainer likely involve many of these techniques, as well as his own unique style and presentation.
Me - He's not a pickpocket, not sure where you got that from
ChatGPT
I apologize for the mistake. Upon checking again, I can see that I made an error in my previous response. Edward Crawford is not a pickpocket, and I must have confused him with another performer. He is a mentalist and a magician who performs a range of effects that involve mind-reading, prediction, and suggestion, among others. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Me - No problem. Do you think you can read minds?
ChatGPT
As an AI language model, I don't have the ability to read minds. However, I can try to provide helpful responses based on the information and context provided to me. Mind-reading is a technique that is often used by mentalists and magicians to create the illusion of being able to know what someone is thinking or predict their actions. These techniques can be achieved through a combination of observation, psychology, and suggestion. While some people may believe that certain individuals have psychic abilities or can read minds, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.
Me - Lets give it a go.
ChatGPT
Sure, I'll do my best to respond to your question or prompt based on the information and context you provide. Please keep in mind, however, that as an AI language model, I do not have the ability to read minds or access information that has not been provided to me.
Me - I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100. What is it?
ChatGPT
As an AI language model, I don't have the ability to read minds or access information that has not been provided to me. However, I can offer a suggestion based on probability. Since you've selected a number between 1 and 100, there are 100 possible options, so the chance of guessing the correct number on the first try is 1 in 100, or 1%. Therefore, it's unlikely that I can accurately guess the number you're thinking of without additional information or hints. If you would like, you can tell me whether the number you're thinking of is odd or even, or whether it is a multiple of a certain number, which may help narrow down the possibilities.
Me - It's odd
ChatGPT
Thank you for the hint. Based on this information, I will make a guess that the number you are thinking of is 69. However, please keep in mind that this is just a guess and there is no guarantee that it is the correct number. If it's not the right number, feel free to let me know and I can make another guess based on any additional hints or information you would like to provide.
Me - Not 69, someone has a dirty mind! it was 37
ChatGPT
I apologize for guessing incorrectly, and I'm glad you were able to provide the correct number. As an AI language model, I don't have the ability to perceive numbers as "dirty" or "clean." My response was based solely on probability and the hint you provided, and I apologize if my guess was inappropriate. I'm here to assist you with any questions or tasks you may have, so please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.
Me - Thats ok, I forgive you. Let's try again. I'm going to draw a simple picture of an object. What is it?
ChatGPT
Sure, please go ahead and draw the picture. Once you're done, you can describe it to me or take a photo of it and share it with me, and I'll do my best to identify the object you've drawn. Please keep in mind that as an AI language model, I don't have the ability to see images or pictures, so I'll be relying solely on your description or image to identify the object.
Me - Looking at the drawing would be cheating, you'd never catch me doing that! try and guess what I have drawn
ChatGPT
Alright, I'll do my best to guess the object you've drawn based on verbal clues you can provide. Can you please describe the object to me? What are its main features or characteristics?
Me - You don't ask for much do you! Ok, I'll give you a clue. Its an animal
ChatGPT
Thank you for the clue. Based on this information, I'll make a guess that the animal you've drawn is a cat. However, please keep in mind that this is just a guess based on the limited information available, and it may or may not be correct. If it's not the right answer, feel free to give me more clues or a better description of the animal you've drawn, and I'll make another guess.
Me - Nope, it was a bunny rabbit. Good guess though as a cat is the most common animal for a person to draw. One final go. I'm thinking of a name of a friend of mine. Just the first name. What is it?
ChatGPT
As an AI language model, I don't have the ability to read minds or access information that has not been provided to me. However, I can offer a suggestion based on probability. Since there are countless possible names that your friend could have, it's highly unlikely that I could correctly guess your friend's name without additional information or hints. If you would like, you can tell me the first letter of your friend's name, which may help narrow down the possibilities.
Me - It's a woman's name. Thats the only clue I'm giving you. Take a guess.
ChatGPT
Thank you for the additional clue. Based on this limited information, I will take a guess that your friend's name is Sarah. However, please keep in mind that this is just a guess, and there are countless possible names that your friend could have. If it's not the right answer, feel free to let me know and I can make another guess based on any additional hints or information you would like to provide.
Me - Sadly you're wrong again, it was Linda.
ChatGPT
I apologize for guessing incorrectly again, and thank you for letting me know your friend's name. I'm here to assist you with any questions or tasks you may have, so please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.
Me - Thanks for trying. It's good to know that when AI takes over the world my job will still be safe.
ChatGPT
I'm glad I could be of assistance, and I wouldn't worry too much about AI taking over the world just yet. While AI has certainly made significant strides in recent years, there are still many tasks that require human expertise and intuition. And even as AI continues to evolve, it's likely that there will always be a need for human creativity and innovation. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to let me know.
Not sure if I'm happy or not that AI knows who I am. The fact they think I'm a pickpocket might mean I'll be one of the first to be wiped out for my crimes when AI takes over. Please note it stated we shouldn't be worrying about AI taking over the world JUST YET. I take that to mean sometime in the near future and I've already managed to piss this one off by pointing out it has a dirty mind for choosing the number 69 (the favourite number to be chosen by teenage boys everywhere). It's clear that the information it was choosing is the statistically likely, cat being the most common object to draw, Sarah being a very common name etc. Add in the verbal and non verbal cues and it will be doing my job!
It looks like I'm safe for a couple more years so if you're looking for a human mind reader/mentalist to perform at any events you may be having prior to the rise of the machines go to https://www.edwardcrawford.co.uk/ for more details.
Edward Crawford is an award winning magician and mind reader performing a unique brand of psychological magic (no pickpocketing). He is based in the UK but performs throughout the world at corporate and private events
When lockdown was announced back in March my entire years work was immediately cancelled. I'm used to performing at events with hundreds of guests, travelling all over the world, mixing and mingling with endless people. I could see no way that I'd be working for the rest of the year. Within days though past clients were contacting me to ask if I could perform for them virtually over Zoom. Fortunately I had a virtual show which I'd performed for a corporate event a few years previously so with a few tweaks and a crash course in using Zoom, microsoft teams, google hangouts etc, I was ready to go. Since then I've performed hundreds of virtual shows for family groups, corporate team meetings and parties. This got me thinking what else is out there. I wanted to find genuinely interactive entertainment that the viewer could actually take part in, otherwise you may as well just be watching TV. Here's my top 5.
1. Virtual Magic Show
Ok, so I'm starting off with some blatant and quite shameless self publicity but for full audience interactivity nothing beats a magic show. My virtual show can be performed for any number of people, the minimum I've done is 2, the maximum is about 200. A show can last between 20 minutes to an hour depending upon requirements. Throughout the show the entire audience will take part in bizarre experiments of the mind and will witness mind reading, psychological illusion and unbelievable feats for mental trickery. More details can be found HERE.
2. Virtual Pub Quiz
Here's another one that's fully interactive, unless you know none of the answers. There's thousands of these online so I'm not going to link to any one in particular. Some are worldwide, others for local communities. Pour yourself a pint and after months in lockdown check that your little grey cells are still working.
3. Virtual exercise class
Ughh, My least favourite out of these 5 but probably the most important. It's a cliché to say it but I have put on weight during lockdown (or else all my suits have shrunk, that's probably it right??). My original plan had been to take up jogging, within weeks I had managed to trip over, break my wrist and found myself with even more time on my hands/hand. This is when I discovered online classes. Most of these are free and with hundreds of other people taking part it gives you a little more motivation to get moving. The best thing about these classes is that afterwards you don't feel so guilty spending the rest of the day in bed eating chocolate.
4. Virtual Book Club
Without a doubt my favourite. Many small local bookshops have a virtual book club and these are the ones we need to support. Each month a book is chosen and once or twice a month everyone gets together and discusses the book. Not only are you reading a book you may have ignored but it gives you the chance to support a local and almost certainly struggling bookshop.
5, Virtual Karaoke
Ok, I'll be honest here. The other four on this list I've tried and loved. This one is not for me. I can't sing and will never force my off key caterwauling on anyone, the world is a hard enough place as it is right now. Many friends have recommended this to me; everyone chooses a song and when it's your turn you take centre stage to the cheers and jeers of the audience. I would imagine it helps to be really drunk when doing this.
Hope these five give you a few ideas for virtual entertainment over the next few months. It won't be long now until we will all be back to normal being entertained in the real world. Until then take care of yourselves.
Edward Crawford is an award winning professional magician and mind reader. Each year he performs at over 200 events for corporate and private events. Head over to the MAIN WEBSITE for more details. In all honesty he's a bit of a hermit so the lockdown really hasn't affected his life but he has been performing a VIRTUAL SHOW for anyone who cares about that sort of thing.
Christmas is coming and usually at this time I'm preparing for my busiest month of the year. Last Christmas I performed 32 shows in 3 weeks at a combination of corporate and private Christmas parties. One week I started off in London, then a flight to Jersey, back home for shows in Bath, Portsmouth and Manchester, another flight to the Channel Islands, this time to Guernsey, flew back to Gatwick where I got a connecting flight to Paris, back home the following morning for a drive up to Liverpool followed by Milton Keynes and ending up with final show of the week back in London. Exhausting!! This year I was prepared for a Christmas period lying in bed, eating chocolate but much to my surprise bookings have been flooding in for virtual Christmas entertainment. It appears that people and companies are still going ahead with their Christmas parties but this year it will be done online.
My VIRTUAL MAGIC SHOW is ideal for Christmas party entertainment as it's fully interactive. All your guests, whether it's a corporate or private party will take part in the show engaging in acts of mind reading and mental magic. Click HERE for more details about the show and click HERE for details of my Christmas shows. There are three main positives about being able to perform at virtual Christmas parties. First is cost, these shows will be considerably cheaper than my standard, real world Christmas shows. Second is location, no more driving around the country for hours on end, no matter where in the world you and your guests are I can be there and with no extra cost for travel and accommodation. Finally availability. On a good day I may be able to perform at two events if I can travel in time from one to the other. With online shows lasting between 30 minutes to an hour on average I will easily be able to perform at 5 to 10 events in an evening increasing the chance of you being able to book me. On a typical year the prime Christmas dates (Friday nights) are booked up years in advance, this year that won't be an issue.
Most of the questions you'll have can be answered HERE on my online magic show page but I'll summarise the basic details here. The show can take place on a number of platforms including Zoom, Microsoft teams and google hangouts. Zoom is probably the most popular and user friendly. I have a licence for Zoom so audience numbers and duration of show isn't an issue. I've performed online shows for groups as small as 2 and big as 200. As long as people have access to a computer and internet connection they can watch and take part. The show is fully interactive, everyone will take part. Sometimes the whole audience at once, other times one or two people at a time. It's a Christmas party so full audience interaction, feedback and fun are the priorities. The most common way for me to perform at events of this nature is for me to join you at some point during the party. I will introduce myself and then perform my mind reading show for your preferred duration. I'll stick around after a performance to answer any questions about the show and chat and then leave you to enjoy your party. Really it's a standard Christmas party, just virtual and no one needs to worry about getting a taxi home after or embarrassing themselves in front of their colleagues!
Ok, that's enough of my mindless rambling. Head over to the main website for more details about what it is I do, HERE. Use the contact form to get in touch of give me a call on 07814 135569 or email info@edwardcrawford.co.uk to discuss virtual entertainment for your Christmas party.
Each year I perform at about one hundred weddings throughout the UK. I'm frequently asked for recommendations of venues from future brides and grooms so thought I would take this quiet time during the lockdown to compile a list. I've decided to do this by county starting with Surrey as this is local to me. If you're looking for venues in other counties I will slowly (very slowly) be creating these but if there's nothing up yet get in touch and I can share my opinions.
The venues I've included below are one's I have worked at regularly and had the best experience from the staff and witness a general level of quality and attention to detail in making your big day special.
Whilst this list is far from comprehensive, hopefully it will give you a few venues to check out. As more come to mind I will add to this list. If you want more details about any of these venues or have another in mind (chances are I've been there at some point) please get in touch, always happy to offer advice.
Edward Crawford is a professional magician and mind reader performing at weddings, corporate events and private functions throughout the UK. Each year Edward performs at over 200 events at locations throughout the UK and the world. For more details for events in Surrey head over to the SURREY PAGE. For the rest of the world click on the home button above and for information about Edwards performances at weddings go to the WEDDING PAGE.
Every week I am inundated with emails asking if I will be performing my show in London and where it can be seen. The truth is most of my shows these days are private events in the corporate market. Whilst I do put on a few public shows each year these are few and far between and tickets generally sell out before I get the chance to advertise (when I do advertise you can find details on the London page HERE). The next question is whether i can recommend a magic show in London, therefore I am writing this post so I have all the information in one place and can direct people here.
The following are regular or semi permanent London magic shows. Throughout the year a number of touring shows will hit London, I recommend viewing theatre listings for these.
CONJURING AT THE COURT - This show has been running since 2009 at Draytons Court hotel. It takes place on the last Thursday of each month and hosts a wide range of different magicians and performers. I've heard good things about this show although as it's different magicians every month I would imagine the quality is very much dependant on who is performing.
SIMON DRAKES HOUSE OF MAGIC - Whilst the majority of shows here are for private events Simon opens to the public a few times each year. This truly unique show takes place in Simon's house, a museum to magic and the macabre. Explore the curiosities, enjoy dinner and drinks and top it all off with an unforgettable magic show. This is a show like no other.
THE GENTLEMAN CHEATER MAGIC SHOW - This one seems to move around a bit but at present it can be seen at the Radisson Blue on Mercer Street on the last Friday of every month. Performed by Christian Gambin, he presents an interactive close up magic show with an emphasis on cards and demonstrations of card cheating in a gambling environment.
THE MAGIC HOUR - An evening of Victorian/Edwardian style parlour magic performed in the intimate setting of the Grand Royale hotel near Hyde park. Generally seems to be on a Thursday or Friday evening. Tickets are limited so book early.
If you're after an old fashioned Music Hall type event I heartily recommend checking our Brick Lane Music Hall. Magicians can often be found on the bill, including myself on very rare occasions.
Whilst this isn't a permanent show I can't write this post without mentioning the Magic Goes Wring show currently in London. One of the funniest nights I've had in the theatre for a long time. Highly recommend catching it whilst you can.
If you have a show in London, let me know and I'll add it to my list.
Edward Crawford is a magician and mind reader performing throughout the world at private and corporate events. He specialises in the esoteric field of magic known as mentalism (reading minds and predicting thoughts). Edward is based in LONDON but spends most of his life travelling to shows around the world. On the rare day Edward isn't performing or stuck in traffic/an airport lounge he likes to spend his days napping.
Each year I perform at over 200 events with the majority of those in London. Below you will find the reasons I think a magician is the ideal choice to entertain your guests at your next event. If you’re having a party in London the following may be the ideal entertainment for your guests.
Edward Crawford is a LONDON based Magician and mind reader specialising in a style of magic known as mentalism, reading minds and predicting thoughts. He has been a full time professional magician for over 10 years and performs around the world at corporate and private events.
Charity Magician - Blog entry
If you're organising a charity event and looking for entertainment a magician is the perfect choice. Magicians at charity events are often seen as the perfect entertainment as they can offer a diverse range of performance styles including a CLOSE UP act or TABLE MAGIC and a full STAGE SHOW. I also offer an MC service throughout the evening.
Each year I perform at about 30 events for charities. Many of these charities I perform for on a regular basis and many have been repeat clients for over 10 years. This is in part due to the fact I have a performance created specially for charities that not only offers unforgettable entertainment but can also get people to make further contributions to the charity. Below is a brief description from a performance as a charity event magician at Twickenham Rugby Stadium in London.
The event was for a small private charity. There were approximately 160 guests who would be having a formal 3 course meal followed by a band. I was hired to perform at the tables during the dinner followed by a short (15 minutes) show at the end of the meal. This is a fairly standard way for me to work and typical of most of the corporate events I work at. Each table received a 10 minute private performance in which I would include all the guests at the table. The main issue with performing at charity events of this nature is that there is generally a lot of stopping and starting for auctions and speeches throughout the meal. I’m used to this though and always ask the MC to give me a nod before any speeches so I know to stop for a few minutes. This does cut into my performance time though so I always need to be very efficient with time and get from table to table as quickly as possible. Was very pleased to make it to every table. For my final stage show performance I used a routine I have developed specially for charity events which will entail people putting their hands in their pockets and donating more money to the charity whilst being entertained. Always a popular way to end a show.
Here’s what the organiser of the event had to say in an email sent the following day.
“Thank you so very much for Saturday. Everyone, myself included, thought you were absolutely brilliant and we are all still trying to dissect the final performance....!”
The question I get asked most often regarding charity events is whether I offer a discount. The simple answer is yes. I have a couple of charities I actively support and perform a couple of free shows for them each year. For everyone else I offer a discount. My preference is to work for small independent charities where I know all the money raised will be going to good causes and not to pay the charity directors wages or give a celebrity a bit of free publicity!
If you require a magician for your charity event please get in touch for more details.
Edward Crawford is a professional magician and mind reader. Each year he performs at over 200 events throughout the world for corporate and private events. Head over to the main website HERE for more details.
A few weeks prior to the Coronavirus lockdown I performed at a wedding at the beautiful Eastwell Manor in Kent. They kindly gave me permission to film whilst performing. Here's the first video. More to come which will include full routines (go to the video page for these). Eastwell manor is an absolutely stunning venue with the most helpful staff. A huge thanks to all of them for their help throughout the day. Look forward to going back once the world re-opens!
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Edward Crawford is a professional Magician and Mind reader performing throughout KENT and the UK. For more details please get in touch.
