Hi everyone ! Just a quick little question from a mostly magical audience based comp , Do you think it is wise of me to replicate okito's act or some other rare act from the period and perform it as a historical depiction or to do my own act which has won awards previously , not so much init to win it as I am mostly in the show to perform for the fun of performing.
Thank You
Liam

A historical recreation is certainly interesting but has a very limited market. Basically magic conventions. Laymen don't care or get it.

David Charvet did a wonderful job with Harry Blackstone. Those of us that knew Harry well, it was a very emotional trip down memory lane for us.

Commercially, it makes more sense to use the old timer's acts as a basis to develop from for new routines and such that are more pleasing today's audiences.

Richard

I believe that at the 1960 combined IBM-SAM convention in Boston that Bernard Whitman was a hit with his recreation of Thurston's floating ball routine. Johnny Gaughan has presented the Hooker Rising Cards at the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. But keep in mind that these are homages to magicians who are no longer with us and that they are often one-time only performances.

You may also recall that Dai Vernon was a little "suspicious" when Alan Wakeling presented his billiard ball routine at The Magic Castle. Vernon asked Wakeling where he learned it, and Wakeling said, "From Roy Benson." Just to be sure that Wakeling had the right to perform the routine, Vernon called Benson and Benson confirmed that he had indeed taught the routine to Wakeling. Benson was also happy to hear from Vernon that Wakeling did an outstanding job with the billiard balls.

Tom Mullica does an historical recreation of Red Skelton--but as he notes on his website:
http://www.tommullica.com/
it is "The only Red Skelton Tribute show in America Authorized by the Red Skelton Estate and Lothian Skelton."

I suppose, too, that to a certain extent anyone who does a strait jacket escape or sub trunk is basically doing an "historical recreation" of Houdini's act. They may add their own touch--like a costume change in the sub trunk or an unbelievably rapid change--but Houdini paved the way.

----- Sonny