Last week I finally had a free day to visit the Smoke and mirrors exhibition at the Wellcome collection in London. The exhibition explores the the world of psychology, magic and psychic mediums whist looking at what magic and conjuring can tell us about the human mind. The exhibition is divided into sections looking at magic, mentalism and the part I was most interested in, the world of the 19th century psychic medium. In the part of the exhibition they had some fascinating artifacts including letters to and from Houdini to the infamous medium, Marjorie the medium, the chair Marjorie sat on when she conducted seances and a replica of the cabinet Houdini had made for here when testing her abilities. Turns out she couldn't contact the dead, fancy that! Finally saw a picture of one of Marjorie's classic acts of trickery I've often heard about but never seen before, Marjorie would often undertake her seances in a state of undress. Everyone would hold hands to ensure no one was getting up to no good when the lights were turned off. Marjorie would place the hand of the gentleman sitting beside her between her legs (remember she's partially naked) meaning she could get up to trickery whilst the poor man beside her was engaged in the ultimate act of misdirection!

Many of the items are ones I covet for myself and a few I'm the proud owner of in my modest collection of antique books and posters. Basically the exhibition is how I would decorate most of my house if I had the money and a wall large enough to display the largest magic poster, for carter the great, I've ever seen. They also have live performances each day (which I missed). A fascinating exhibition which I recommend to everyone.

The Wellcome collection has a permanent exhibition on the first floor looking at medicine through the ages, I didn't have much time to look around this but it was equally fascinating and something I will have to take another look at when I have more time. The book shop at the collection is to die for. So many lovely books, with an emphasis on magic and psychology in keeping the exhibition. The exhibition has a book produced in conjunction, The Spectacle of Illusion, a beautiful hardback that I would also recommend.

Edward Crawford is a LONDON MAGICIAN performing throughout the world at  corporate and private events. He performs a style of magic known as mentalism, better described as psychological illusion or magic of the mind, to make things easier he prefers to call himself a mind reader.

A couple of weeks ago I was hired to perform for a group of psychologists at a conference in Surrey. They wanted  me to demonstrate the more psychological aspects of mentalism. This is an ideal booking for me as a common term for what I do is psychological illusionist, although I prefer the more mysterious Mind Reader! A large number of my routines rely to an extent on psychological principles, and where they don't I can pretend they do and see if the psychologists can figure out which is genuine and which is not.

I decided to start with a test for the entire audience and thought I'd try something new, here's what I used........take a look at the image below, once you've looked at it try to reconstruct the image in your mind.

Most people (I include myself in this when I first saw it) believe they have read the words "Oxford in The Spring" with the text on two superimposed triangles. Most people would be wrong. The text actually says Oxford in the THE (thats 2 x The) spring and it's actually 3 V shapes. This is known as an illusion of omission and demonstrates that simply looking at something does not result in noticing.

This particular image was taken from the rather fabulous The Spectacle of Illusion by Matthew Tompkins, written in conjunction with the exhibition The Psychology of Magic at the Wellcome collection which I heartily recommend everyone go and see, it's fabulous.

Edward is a professional mind meddler, better known as a mentalist or a mind magician. In this particular instance he was working as a Surrey magician but can be found performing throughout the world. Check out the links above for more details.

 

 

One of the things I love most about my job is getting to visit new places each week. The travel itself isn't such a joy, particularly the trip I have to take around the M25 most days but when I arrive in a new place it's always fun to explore. I always like to arrive at a venue a few hours before performing to give myself time to set up. This is usually far too early so gives me time to have a look around the area. Last week I found myself driving through a very rural part of Surrey, with the occasional traditional English village. Driving through one, I have no idea what it was called, I notices an antique/junk shop. Many years ago I worked as an antique restorer and will always stop at an antique shop when I see one. My great passion is for antique books, my house is full of them, with creaking shelves in every room. I've got to the point where I have to sneak books into the house as I've been forbidden from buying more!

The shop itself was a veritable treasure chest of junk, they had one small shelf of books and sitting amongst them I found a first edition of The Magician, The Witch and The law by Peter Edwards for a mere 50p! I've been after a copy of this for a while. A few years ago I performed for a law society who asked me to give a brief speech as part of the show detailing how the law effects performing as a magician. This book came to my attention whilst researching that performance but I never managed to get hold of a copy

The book looks at how magic in the middle ages was associated with heresy and sorcery and how the magician and the witch could be punished for such. It's fair to say the book is fairly dry in style as it is written from a scholarly point of view and therefore only for those truly interested in the subject of the occult in the middle ages. Ultimately what I take from it is if I had been performing at this period I almost certainly would have been burnt at the stake! With that in mind, how can I resist buying more books when on my travels around this world, if I was to ever be sent back in time I've learnt it's very important not to tell people I can read minds, this book may have saved my life!

Edward Crawford is a full time professional magician and mind reader (known as a mentalist). In this particular case he was performing in Surrey so if you're after a magician in the Surrey area feel free to go to the Surrey Magician page. For everyone else, click the Home button in the top menu.

 

Whilst generally in this blog I discuss the esoteric field of mentalism and mind reading in a general manner I thought I'd use this opportunity to discuss a specific booking in some details. Approximately 70% of my work falls into the area of corporate entertainment, a mixture of trade shows, conferences, dinner parties and drinks parties. I have a number of shows designed for these events including a stage show for the largest events, my parlour show for smaller events, dinner show for dinners, unsurprisingly and a close up performance for more informal dinner and drink parties. I will always add an element to the show that is relevant to the event and will often a theme or create entire routines relevant to the company.

For this particular performance I was hired by an events company to perform for a large pharmaceutical company. The event was taking place at The Grand Hotel in Brighton, one of my favourite places to perform. The staff are super friendly and organised and it's always a really lovely environment. The event was a 3 day sales conference culminating in a dinner and drinks party, This is the part of the event I was hired for. I would say this is about as standard as any of my bookings ever get. The original discussion was for a close up performance just for the dinner but I suggested performing throughout the drinks reception as well (as people first arrive) this gives me more time to get around everyone. I should add here that I don't charge extra for the drinks reception as well as the dinner. I have a standard fee for a close up performance so whether it's an hour or 3 it really doesn't matter.

On the night in question I arrived about an hour early. Even when it's a venue I'm familiar with I like to arrive early, this gives me a chance to meet with the staff at the venue, check everything I need is in place and that there are no last minute changes to plans. It also gives me some breathing space if there is a problem with traffic on the journey. I met up with the events organiser to discuss the evening. Thankfully they were extremely organised and everything was ready to go and running on time. At 7pm on the dot the guests started to arrive in the bar area and I got started performing. At this point in the evening I always like to keep things informal. I mixed and mingled with the guests as they drank performing for small groups at a time. For each group I would perform a short routine making sure to include all the guests. Here's a typical routine I performed at this time. I would write something down and place it on the floor, I would then ask the guests between them to imagine a pack of playing cards and imagine taking a card out of the deck, whatever the card they named would be what I had written down earlier! I perform this routine to demonstrate suggestion and how it is possible to put thoughts into peoples heads. After this I would perform something a little more random. I may ask someone to draw a picture, I would then attempt to read their minds and draw an identical picture!

At 8pm all the guests (about 100) went through to the dining room were there were 10 round tables. For dinners of this nature I will perform between the courses of the meal and if necessary whilst the starter and desert are served just to ensure I get around everyone but I will always stop whilst the main course is served. There was some time pressure here as they had a band ready to start at 9.30pm. I performed at each table (a five to ten minute routine per table), again I ensured everyone at the tables were involved in further feats of mind reading and psychological magic.  Coming towards the end of the evening the event organiser informed that the CEO of the company wanted to see more so I decided a really memorable way to end the evening would be to perform a routine from my cabaret show for everyone to watch at the same time. Thankfully microphones were in place so I called up the CEO and one of hos colleagues and performed a routine that involves and demonstrates how we're all capable of reading minds! This is a really powerful routine and I was pleased to receive a standing ovation. After this performance the band started up and I went off to the bar to pack up but ended up staying another hour as people approached me wanting to see more, always my favourite compliment. It was a really fun evening and was very pleased to be asked to perform at another event later in the year for the same company.

I hope this gives a basic idea of a corporate performance. There are in fact no typical performances and every show is tailored to suit the client. For more details here's my corporate entertainment page ,for general details click on the home button above or give me a call to discuss your event.

A couple of weeks ago I performed a corporate show at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. After the show I was chatting to a couple of audience members and one paid me a compliment along the lines of “When I see someone on television reading minds I always assume it’s fake. The audience are in on it or something has been set up in advance but seeing you do it for real blew my mind!” A really lovely compliment. We ended up chatting about TV magic and the extent to which it can be faked. That night I got home, put on the TV and discovered a new magic show late on channel 5. The performer claimed to be a mind reader and then proceeded to perform a number of routines that could only be carried out for TV due to the heavy editing required to make them appear even remotely magical. So to what extent is magic on tv faked?

When magic first came to television many thought it wouldn’t work. Magic requires so much misdirection and whilst it’s possible to misdirect an audience directly in front of you, it’s not so easy to misdirect an audience sitting at home. This problem was resolved with camera angles. When the magician was up to no good ensure the camera was pointed elsewhere. Nothing wrong with this. Just misdirection on a more extreme level. Camera tricks were used, the most famous example of this was David Copperfields disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. A trick that relied solely on camera trickery and impossible to perform for an actual audience. Less sure if this is acceptable. My view is that if you can’t perform a trick one on one to an actual person it shouldn’t be performed at all. The 90’s and early 2000’s saw the rise of magic fakery on TV. Entire routines were being performed that couldn’t be shown in real life. Audience members were stooges and reactions were faked. Obviously this is not magic, just acting.

 In recent years it has become increasingly popular to only show half the trick on TV. Everything is set up in advance, the viewers at home only get to see the later half of the trick. What you’re seeing may appear miraculous but to those actually taking part they’re only seeing a mediocre magic trick. A good example of this is the show, which shall remain nameless, I saw on Channel 5 a few nights ago. To the TV viewer the magician appeared to ask someone to look at any of their contacts on their phone. He then “read the mind” of the participant and told them the name they were thinking of. He then asked them to send this person a message, the magician could tell them exactly what the message was. A true miracle right? Except what you didn’t see was that prior to the cameras turning on the magician briefly borrowed the persons phone, by using a clever and quite illegal bit of technology, they cloned the persons phone so they would know every message that was being sent. The fact that the magician had to resort to illegal methods to perform a trick that if shown in full wouldn’t have flown past the most naïve viewer proves the weakness of television magic. This isn’t editing for the sake of brevity or to take the place of misdirection as with early TV magic. This is plain fraud. As I stated before, if it can’t be performed in real life it shouldn’t be on TV. If you want camera trickery, watch the latest super hero film. The audience is being conned and if you saw this magician performing in real life you’d be highly disappointed.

Due to the ease with which people can pause, rewind, watch in slow motion and download to you tube, where every move can be analysed, I can understand why more editing is required but there is a vast dichotomy between clever editing and all out fakery and too many modern magicians are choosing to fake their tricks for TV.  Amongst the esoteric world of magician there is an entire market for you tube magic tricks. Tricks that you can perform on your social media channel which look amazing with a camera directly in front of you. If these same tricks were performed in the real world no one would be fooled. TV magic has created a genre of magician who spend their entire lives isolated in their bedrooms performing for a camera, completely incapable of performing for actual real people. Whilst this is probably the best place for them, to appreciate the pure joy of magic it needs to witnessed in person. TV will always be a pale imitation of the art of magic and modern magic is often nothing more than camera trickery and bad acting by the performer and the audience.

There are many great performers of TV magic out there, David Blaine and Derren Brown to name a few but increasingly modern TV magicians don’t have the requisite set of skills to perform for an intelligent audience and instead resort to faking it. Magic has found a new popularity in recent years and thanks to this there are live magic shows being performed in theatres, bars and restaurants throughout the UK every night. To get a true impression of the joy that a performance of magic can bring you need to get away from your TV screen and view one of these shows close up and personal.

Edward Crawford is a professional mind reader, also known as a mentalist. He performs throughout the world at corporate events, private parties and weddings. Each year he puts on a number of public shows, contact him for more details. This particular blog came about following a conversation after a show in Brighton and as the main purpose of blogging is to create links for my website here’s more details about hiring a Brighton magician. For the rest of the world hit the home button at the top.

noun

  1. a magician who performs feats that apparently demonstrate extraordinary mental powers, such as mind-reading.

  2. INFORMAL BRITISH - an eccentric or mad person

For thousands of years people have claimed to be able to read minds and predict the future. There are accounts of ancient Greek Seers and oracles who could perform these feats, for a small fee.  In the 19th century psychics, spiritualists and mediums became hugely popular and many became fabulously wealthy by claiming to be able to contact the dead.  A number of magicians decided to start replicating these abilities, some admitting they were using trickery, others claiming it was all quite genuine, and hence the mentalist was born.

The term mentalist dates back to the 1960’s when people performing in this style needed a term to differentiate themselves from standard magicians. Quite frankly they really should have created a better word and due to the secondary meaning in the UK of a mad person the term is most commonly used in North America.

Whilst the early mentalists frequently employed trickery and slight of hand to achieve their results, throughout the later half of the 20th century  performers began to push the boundaries of psychology and by using hypnosis, neuro linguistic programming, natural intuition, cold reading, suggestion and psychology a small number of leading mentalists began to perform using these natural abilities to appear to read minds. These days some mentalists claim to be able to read body language, others say is  all down to a natural ability whilst others admit to using trickery. The truth is most use a combination of the three.

Possibly the most famous mentalist to have ever lived is Uri Geller. He became a household name thanks to his ability to bend metal with his mind. Over the years he has been tested by scientists and time and time again they have declared his abilities as genuine. Thanks to his performance style and charisma he is responsible for bringing the art of mentalism to the forefront of modern culture.

Thanks to the popularity of performers such as Derren Brown mentalism has reached the height of it’s popularity in the UK throughout the 21st century. Despite this there are only a small handful of full time professional performers due to the difficulty of learning this esoteric art form.

Edward Crawford is one of these full time professional mentalists. Based in Brighton, Edward prefers to refer to himself as a mind reader and magician as it means he doesn’t have to explain what he does for the millionth time! Click HERE for the main website.

Each year I perform at a vast array or different events, performing both close up and my cabaret show. About 70% of my work is corporate event entertainment. These are some of my favourite events to perform at, particularly my cabaret show as it gives me the opportunity to tailor my show for the company. Every show gets a unique script and often entire routines developed to fit into the theme of the event. At a recent event for Peterborough law society in Cambridgeshire I was asked to give a brief speech during my cabaret show discussing the legal implications of performing magic, particularly the mind reading side of magic I specialise in. This is a fascinating subject that deals with the terrifying sounding witchcraft act. Below I have pasted the speech I gave. Hopefully I won't be prosecuted any time soon!

"The correct term for what I do is mentalism and I am a mentalist. I’ve never cared for these terms and choose to describe myself as a mind reader. I will go into some detail later as to what I actually mean by mind reader but  to call myself a mind reader without some form of disclaimer could make me guilty under the consumer protection regulations which replaced the 1952 fraudulent medium act which in turn had replaced the 1735 witchcraft act.

Mentalism as a form of entertainment began in the late 1800’s. The was the period when spiritualism, contacting the dead, and psychics in general  was at it’s absolute pinnacle. Many of  the psychological techniques used by psychics  were also being used by mentalists  but where as psychics were working with the aim of extracting as much money as possible from public the mentalist were working as entertainers, all be it some what unethical ones. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that mentalists started to offer a disclaimer that what they did used psychological principles. It is thought that they started to offer this disclaimer because of the 1952 fraudulent medium act.

The act was brought in to protect people from the spiritualists who were prevalent at the time, the industry was huge and people were paying a fortune to attempt to contact dead relatives and loved ones, they were being conned every time. Unfortunately it is very hard to prove. The fraudulent medium act was a complete failure, in the 66 years it was a law only a handful of people were ever successfully prosecuted.  The act which was meant to prevent spiritualism and psychic fraud was actually brought in at the behest of spiritualists who felt that the witchcraft act from 1735 under which they were regularly prosecuted prevented them from working. By 1735 in general people no longer believed in witches and magic, they were far more enlightened, the law was brought in to prosecute people who claiming these powers for money without actually having any power. Mentalists in the 1900’s who claimed psychic powers were successfully prosecuted under the witchcraft act.

The current law which covers, psychics, spiritualists  and mentalists is the consumer protection act from 2008.It wasn’t brought in with psychics and mediums in mind but in fact covers anyone who accepts payment for a service, from doorstep to those who claim to contact the dead and heal the sick. Psychic mediums are now having to add a disclaimer that what they are doing is just an experiment, the results of which cannot be guaranteed.  Basically the law affects anyone who offers a service and takes payment for it. If I have a shop and claim to be having a closing down sale offering fabulous discounts which turn out to be false I could be prosecuted, equally if I take money to perform for you and tell you that we will do something that involves you reading facial expressions, judging a persons character from their photo and absolutely  no influence is used where as the  complete opposite is true I could also in theory be prosecuted under the consumer protection act.

The question is whether I need to offer a disclaimer. I don’t claim any psychic powers but I claim to use psychological principles which is generally true. I may not always be using the principles I claim to at that exact time but if I mislead I do so to make the psychology that much stronger. Ultimately, I may lie but, like a politician, it’s for your benefit."

I hope this gives an idea of the way I can tailor a performance to suit your event. If you're after a Cambridgeshire Magician (click HERE for the rest of the world) please get in touch to discuss how I can create a unique performance for your event.

It's surprising how much news there is about the wonderful world of magic. As a magician in Kent who weaves his spells across the South of England on all sorts of special occasions, I like to keep my eye on what's going on, and I've been searching online for the best magic stories of the moment. Here they are.

Australia's 'Naked Magicians' delight US audiences

When a magician wears clothing, who knows where they're hiding the tools of their trade. But when they're naked... well, there's no place to hide! The Naked Magicians, namely Australians Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler, are taking the USA by storm with their naked magic act, an act where absolutely nothing is hidden. They've been billed as 'the world’s funniest and naughtiest magic show', a wickedly amusing blend of magic, humour and nudity. A big hit on America's Got Talent, so far they have done their cheeky thing in more than 200 North American cities.

The idea came to Wayne and Tyler back in 2014, when it struck the duo that combination of male stripping and sleight of hand might prove entertaining. They looked at each other, fell about laughing, and decided to make it happen. Now they've created the planet's first ever naked magic show. Apparently it isn't crude, but it is very naughty and strictly for grown-ups.

When magic brings warring nations together

In a very unusual peace-making gesture, South Korea has invited a group of North Korean magicians to an international magic event in Busan. They haven't had a reply yet, but they're hoping for one soon. The World Championships of Magic take place from July 9th to the 15th in the city, marking a new era for the nation that has been split in two for so long.

Have you seen The Magicians on TV yet?

Hit SyFy TV series The Magicians is about to kick off its third series on the 5Star channel, and there's a fourth in the pipeline for 2019. The show is inspired by the trilogy of books from Lev Grossman, which follows the life and times of a group of young adults as they study magic and explore the magical realm of Fillory. Imagine Harry Potter for grown ups and you get the picture. If you like the sound of it you'll probably want to start from series one, and you can find it on the SciFi Channel, Netflix or Amazon Instant Video.

Science and magic – The perfect match

Science and magic go hand in hand thanks to magician Paul Brewer, who has been touring the world with his act for four decades. Now he and his daughter Brooklyn have built a uniquely fascinating magic show centred around science, technology, engineering, and maths, also known as the STEM subjects. He harnesses his tricks to “get kids excited about staying in school and about making their time productive" with the support of characters like Einstein the rabbit and Aristotle the bird. The children learn that magic can help drive innovation and technology to make people's lives better.

A magical summer - South Texas Magic Camp

Summer camps are big news over in the USA, much less so here. The kids in South Texas are in for a real treat in 2018 because the Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department is offering them the chance to attend a Magic Camp this summer. Children aged 8-12 will learn the tricks of the trade in true magician style thanks to the presence of the illusionist and magician Val Dino, whose 18 years of experience in the field are set to ensure the kids have a truly magical time. The idea is to give the kids the tools they need to impress their friends, amaze their families and boost their own confidence.

Is the Indian Rope Trick a myth?

The Indian Rope Trick is probably the world's most infamous magic trick. Yet nobody has actually seen it performed live. Is it real, or it it an almighty hoax? The trick was allegedly performed widely in and around India during the 1800s, involving a magician shimmying up a rope and disappearing off the top, only to reappear out of thin air to climb back down shortly afterwards.

During the 1990s the trick was unveiled as a suspected hoax carried out in 1890 by John Wilkie of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Some say there were no worthwhile references to the trick before 1890, and all the stage performances since then were merely based on what Wilkie described. On the other hand ancient accounts of a similar trick do exist, dating back as far as the 9th century.

There are several versions of the trick, the most bizarre of which involves the magician climbing back down the rope amid a shower of dismembered arms and legs. While plenty of people have described it, there's no evidence that it was ever actually performed.

Have magic, will travel – Do you need a magician in Kent?

If you'd like to bring a little magic into your life, whatever the occasion, I'm your man. For a dazzling magician in Kent or any of the home counties, get in touch for an informal chat. And come back again to read more about my extraordinary world

You're planning an event. A very special event. It might be a conference or a team building day. It might be a birthday party, an anniversary, a wedding, a hen night or stag night.

These days the pressure is on as an increasing numbers of people push the boat out to make their particular event special, unique, unforgettable. Luckily Edward Crawford is at your service, a magician whose magic skills are so fine-tuned, so well-honed that they will blow your mind!

Contemporary magic – Crawford's work is both dazzling and unforgettable

Not so long ago magic was a dying art, a dull thing of card tricks, bunnies in hats, not-so-mysterious interlocking metal rings and ladies sawn in half. But in recent years a fresh new breed of remarkably talented magicians has brought magic back to sparkling life.

Think Penn and Teller, Dynamo, Derren Brown, Criss Angel, Ricky Jay, Kevin Spencer, Harry Houdini and more, all of whom are packing enormous venues to the rafters and thrilling thousands. They're superstars. Imagine if you could hire your very own magician to explode your event into extraordinary life, delight your audience and create a vivid impact they'll remember forever?

Luckily Edward Crawford offers exactly that – live contemporary magic designed to blow your mind, baffle you, make you exclaim out loud, keep you awake nights. If you're looking to hire a dazzling magician in Kent, Edward will be delighted to oblige.

The coolest magic show on earth

Edward Crawford is a magician for grown-ups. He's smart, sophisticated and charming, and he'll help make your event go with a proper bang. Remarkable close up magic, an extraordinary stage show and a close-up feast of a parlour show make for intimately fascinating performances as Edward astonishes guests with his mind reading skills, sleight of hand and extraordinary brand of psychological entertainment.

Magic tailored specially to your event

Whether you require a full stage show or an intimate close up performance, Edward will tailor his act to suit you. And that means every single performance is unique. No cookie-cutter 'here we go again' stuff, just fresh, compelling contemporary magic that helps showcase your event perfectly.

A specialist in corporate entertainment

Because Edward specialises in corporate event entertainment, he isn't phased by large crowds. In fact he thrives on them, putting on at least 150 shows every year for large, respected brands like Glaxo Smith Kline, Nokia and M&S, all rich in audience participation and designed to dovetail perfectly with the ethos of the brand.

Loving working with smaller crowds

Smaller crowds and events are also a passion of Edward's becase they let him home in on close-up magic, the kind it's really hard to get away with because people are on the alert, watching your every move. However sharp-eyed you are, you won't be able to spot how he does it. Sometimes magic really does feel like genuine magic, and this is one of those times.

You'll find his style incredibly entertaining. You might be cynical, you might not believe in magic... but you'll still find yourself wondering how on earth it's done. He keeps everyone entertained, on the edge of their seats, and his sharp, humourous delivery adds an extra slice of tension and delight. No silly costumes. No sparkly stuff. Just a very smart man, in a very smart suit, doing very smart things.

Magic for every occasion

Let's talk about magic for your next event

A magician covers those awkward pauses when people are at a loose end. They can perform whatever the weather. And magic really does bring people together, as they marvel at what they've just seen but can't quite believe. It's funny. It's interactive. It's full of surprises. If you want to treat your guests to all that and more, complete the form here (link to form) and Edward will get right back to you.

If you'd like to see some video footage of Edward in action, head to YouTube

There's a lot more to contemporary magic than meets the eye. Today's magicians are more creative, more daring, more talented and skilled than ever, and plenty of them have become household names.

Stars like the award-winning Dynamo and mentalist Derren Brown, magician-comedian Pete Firman, and Ben Hanlin, who describes himself as a mix of David Blaine and Derren Brown. People like the magician and illusionist Jamie Raven have changed the way we feel about magic, elevating it way beyond the traditional card tricks, bunnies out of hats and sawn-in-half ladies of previous generations.

So what can you expect from a wedding magician in Surrey? If you hire Edward Crawford, you'll find yourself transported into a world where nothing is the way it seems, where your thoughts aren't your own, where very strange things happen, things you really can't explain.

Are you ready to experience the extraordinary power of the human mind for yourself? Are you prepared for a truly amazing display of beautifully bizarre talent without a single card trick in sight? No doves, no bunnies, no boring strings of hankies or yawningly un-magical metal hoops, just a wholly convincing, awe-inspiring performance that'll leave you breathless, baffled and begging for more.

Hire Edward Crawford for brilliant close up magic

Why stand aloof on a stage when you can mingle with your audience and blow their minds with the very finest in close-up magic? Edward loves to mix with people, and he'll mix with your guests. He gets a kick out of engaging people in intimate displays of mind reading and contemporary magic, and it shows. You quite literally won't believe your eyes.

Hire a magician to add extra glitter to weddings

Weddings these days are magical events in themselves, so much more creative and imaginative than they used to be. It's great to see. No wonder Edward's wedding magician performances are so popular, the ideal way to entertain guests in between the ceremony and wedding breakfast, or the daytime and evening events, those quiet times when things can slow down a bit too much.

Book unforgettable magic for corporate events

You want to impress your clients, treat them to something special, pull something unusual out of the bag to boost your brand? Hey presto, Edward specialises in unique corporate entertainment, whether it's a dinner party or cocktail party, team building event, trade show or awards night.

Add extra sparkle to Christmas parties

Christmas is sparkly all on its own. But add a magician and it really glitters. Edward loves entertaining at seasonal events like private parties, balls and banquets, whatever their size. His performance adds extra excitement to festive events, leaving audiences gasping in astonishment. How on earth does he do it?Hire him and see.

Arrange a full stage show

Edward's exceptional stage show combines mind reading with humour, and because he involves his audiences intimately throughout the show, with plenty of participation throughout, the impact is truly personal, truly special.

Create a dinner show or parlour show with a difference

It's a winning combination. It's powerful stuff. When Edward combines the thrilling theatricality of a stage show with plenty of intimate personal interaction with your guests, the result is quite simply awesome.

A quirky combination that delivers delight

Because Edward has spent so much time exploring psychology, parapsychology, the supernatural and the fine art of the con, his act is extraordinary. Combining all the elements of modern magic he's most fascinated by, the results are uniquely entertaining. To book Edward Crawford for your event, click on the contact link at the top of the page.

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