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"Lance Burton is one of the top 10 magicians of all time. He is currently the only one performing."
— Variety Magazine
Recent posts from Lance's Facebook page
| Aug 07 2017 7:52 PM |
| BILLY TOPIT MASTER MAGICIAN REVIEW What a great time we had in Louisville last month at the Billy Topit Master Magician screening! We were the kick-off event for the combined convention of The International Brotherhood of Magicians and The Society of American Magicians. The Kentucky Center for the Arts is a beautiful 2,500 seat state of the art theater. After the screening I was joined on stage by Joelle Righetti- Jenson and her son Dante, Fielding West, Michael Goudeau, and Mac King for a Question and Answer session. We then went to the lobby for a couple of hours of meet and greets and signing DVDs and posters. We raised $1,700.00 for the Kentucky Humane Society and a great time was had by all! It was especially nice to hear the reaction from a mainly magician audience. All the little inside jokes got laughs and that made us all feel great! The August issue of The Linking Ring, the official publication of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, contains a glowing review of the film, written by Rick Heath, and I am including it here with permission. (Along with a photo of the Q&A taken by Simone Marron) If you are not already a member of the IBM, you should be! It is a great organization and I have been a member for 43 years! Billy Topit is available now at BillyTopit.com and on Amazon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET What better way to launch the magical festivities than with the pre-convention Louisville Premiere of Lance Burton’s award-winning film, Billy Topit Master Magician, at the Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall, the city’s main stage for the performing arts. The Tuesday, July 11, 6:00 p.m. Red Carpet Reception in the theater’s spacious lobby allowed a veritable who’s who of magic’s luminaries to gather in one place and to show their appreciation for Lance’s foray into filmmaking. It was also photo-op time. Mobile devices have replaced flash cameras at such events, and there were ample opportunities for selfies with Lance and the film’s cast preceding the 7:00 p.m. screening. Not surprisingly, the performers were just as accessible after the film and the on-stage question-and-answer session. With Las Vegas as his backdrop, Lance deftly blended a family-friendly mix of adventure, romance, humor, and, of course, expert magic into the birthday-party-magician-to-headliner plot. He employed a number of engaging elements, such as boy-meets-girl, lowbrow bad guys, a band of eccentric buddies, and the “aw shucks” sincerity of Billy, played by Lance. The film is laced with infectious tongue-in-cheek humor (“Will Vivaldi be okay?” queries a musician when tuxedoed magician Billy requests music) and peppered with don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-one appearances of some of magic’s favorites, including a stellar turn by Johnny Thompson as the crime syndicate boss. Lance also showcased his consummate artistry, from intimate close-up magic to grand stage illusions, sans CGI or camera trickery. In addition, public ticket sales raised money for the Kentucky Humane Society. Said Lance, whose guests included family and his third grade and drama teachers, “I feel like being a guest of honor at this Combined Convention has brought me full circle.” The Linking Ring Official Publication of the International Brotherhood of Magicians |