Where to See Live Magic
Continental Europe
Continental
Europe offers a lot of opportunities to see live
magic. So far, I can give you a first-hand account only
of magic in Paris but I’m planning to visit some
other places soon and will, of course, keep you posted.
Paris
A trip to Paris is a joy
for most people but the City of Light holds some particular
treasures for magicians and magic fans. For me, the
highlights were:
Le
Double Fond
This is a café-bar with a tiny theatre underneath,
devoted to magic. It has regular shows  downstairs
and ad-hoc table magic in the bar. The two principal
magicians there are Dominique and Alexandra Duvivier,
father and daughter, who perform separately and together.
I’ve seen them a couple of times in Blackpool
and they’re very good.
The Duviviers weren’t
around when we were there but we saw a terrific show
and hugely enjoyed the whole experience. If you’re
going, I recommend you e-mail them in advance, to check
what’s going to be happening at the Double Fond
while you’re in Paris.
Magic Dream
This fantastic magic shop is run by Damien Vappereau
and Jean-Marc Gaheri, two great  magicians
whom you may have met at a magic
convention somewhere if you’re a convention-goer.
They’ve got it exactly
right, in my view: you’re free to wander and nose
about as much as you want to but if you ask for some
advice or a demonstration, the guys are most obliging,
as well as knowledgeable. Loads of top tricks –
I bought Printing, a Duvivier (see above) effect that
Josh Jay does brilliantly.
(For more about this trick, see the Card
Magic page.)
There are several other magic shops in Paris but we
didn’t have time to visit them (we were in town
only four days). When I have checked them out, I’ll
report back.
Beyond the magic café-bar,
you can find magic in restaurants, on a boat, at the
pub and frequently on stage. If you visit the Magic
Museum, a short live magic show is included in the
price of your ticket.
For much more
detail about the magic in Paris and tons more information
about having fun in Paris generally, please see my dedicated
site Paris
Magic.
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