SORCAR: The World's Greatest Magician
by Goodliffe, Magician, Editor of Abracadabra, Magical Weekly, England
As far back as I can remember, the wise men of magic have been saying,
"Magic is dying"- killed by modern marvels, by education, by radio and
the cinema and television, by the crippling costs of transport, of orchestras,
and of stage crews. And as far back as I can remember, outstanding characters
have been proving, not perhaps that the wise men were wrong but that even
if they were right there was still a long time to go before magic finally
gave up the struggle. Magic was born in the Mysterious East. It seems just
that today the one great full-evening magic show should have its home in
India ... but it seems quite unjust that we in the West should have to
travel thousands of miles for an experience which once we enjoyed in our
own theatres. Still, the wheel of fortune turns and now The Great Sorcar's
own people can enjoy the thrill of seeing the world's greatest on their
own doorstep. To tell you of my first meeting with this 20th century mystic
I have to turn the clock back to 1950, when i took a party of magicians
to the first combined IBM/SAM Convention held in the most magi-minded city
in the world:Chicago. Hit of the Convention, publicitywise, was The Great
Sorcar, resplendent in his white robes, a striking, distinctive figure
who, I recall, made a great impression on me when appeared together on
a TV programme. He did a close-up item, which seems not quite what one
would expect of an illusionist, but then that is just like Sorcar an all-round
expert. I had the privilege, too, of introducing him on the International
Gala Show held in the Eighth Street Theatre, an intimate sort of place
seating 1200, where he presented his "X-Ray Vision" item to close the first
half. I never saw his big illusion show as it can be seen in India today,
or even the more modest, but still gigantic, touring version which he has,
during the past two or three years, taken to Russia and Japan. I saw the
sensational publicity material, through read the reviews and heard of the
"House Full" boards going out, crows being turned away, runs being extended
and extra performances laid on to meet the demand. In these days, it sounds
like a fairy story ... but there are the facts and figures to prove it.
Friends of mine, whose opinion I value, who have seen the show in all its
glory, tell me that Sorcar is without doubt, today, the World's Greatest
Magician. If hard work, relentless attention to detail, constant striving
after improvement, and above all real devotion after improvement, and above
all real devotion to the craft, are the way to the top, then Sorcar deserves
to have arrived, deserves the decoration which a grateful Government bestowed
on him some time ago, deserves the rewards of the acclaim of all the world's
magicians for keeping the big magic show alive. Let me add one further
word. In my time I have met and talked to most of the big "names" in the
game. I never met a more charming gentleman than Sorcar. Ballyhoo is an
essential part of big-time magic; without flamboyant publicity and much
beating of the big drum even the greatest show on earth would find it difficult
to go off the ground. Hence in some folk's eyes arises the impression
of a bombastic, overbearing professional who believes his own publicity.
I see a quiet, pleasant, very easy-to-get-on-with wand-wielder who really
loves magic and magicians and who sees himself not as "The World's Greatest"
but as one of a great fraternity. We could do with a few more like him.
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