It took about a split-second after meeting Michael Uslan to know that I’d encountered one of the coolest people on the planet. We met at the Buzz Aldrin event I wrote about recently, and he overwhelmed me with his effervescent enthusiasm toward one of my secret loves: Batman.
Uslan is the creator and executive producer of the Batman movies (all of them since 1989’s Batman with Jack Nicholson, up to and including the most recent Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). He also has a compelling new book out, titled The Boy Who Loved Batman.
Ever since 1975, I’ve been a serious Batman fan. I collected many comics through high school and college (“Mom, did you throw them away? They’re worth a bundle now!”) but the only titles I purchased consistently were Batman and Detective Comics.
Throughout elementary school I dressed up like Batman and walked through town. In costume!! I built my own utility belt out of oaktag and paper fasteners, and thought that every umbrella in our house might be one of the Penguin’s trick umbrellas.
On my 6th birthday my father said, “It’s time for your birthday party, Steven.” Wearing cape and cowl, I replied, “I’m not Steven, I’m Batman.”
Dad threatened, “Well if Steven is not here, then there won’t be any birthday party.” I swiftly ducked into my room, took off my costume, and transformed into my alter-ego, little Steve Cohen.
Last night, I enjoyed a presentation about Batman, given by Michael Uslan at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in Soho. […]
Magicians and secrets have a funny relationship. The normal people who comprise our audiences watch us perform miracles and cannot begin to imagine how a person might learn the requisite techniques and other arcane knowledge to accomplish the impossible. Magicians on the other hand know all about the vast oceans of literature (in print and on film) obsessively detailing and documenting the history and lineage of all these bizarre, clever and wonderful ideas. They know you can walk into a magic shop and buy whatever you like without having to fight a dragon or some other kind of mystic wizard’s trial. They worry that their audiences will run home after watching a performance and look for the explanations on YouTube. The “secrets” are out there, if you care enough and know where to look. And yet, magicians and laymen can look at the same “miracle” and both be mystified—if for different reasons.
For example, many close-up magicians know the story of Max Malini’s famous production of a brick or a block of ice from under a hat as recounted by Dai Vernon in Stars of Magic. Vernon was tasked with watching Malini over the course of an evening’s dinner performance to try to pin down the little man’s sleight-of-hand secrets—in particular the the block-of-ice-under-the-hat trick. Throughout the full evening’s meal, Malini never left the table. Malini then proceeded to perform the trick and “…when Malini lifted the hat, a block of ice the size of four fists lay in the center of the table […] Vernon swears to this day that ‘The little bugger had no time to load up.’” While the regular audience members wondered how the ice got under the hat, Vernon was dumbfounded as to how the ice got to the table at all. A bribe to the waiter proved unsuccessful, and they never found out from where Malini had procured the ice.
On the other hand, whenever Steve Cohen performs the trick as the opener of his exclusive Miracles At Midnight show, the source of the block of ice is somewhat less of a mystery. The show is his second as part of his residence at the über-opulent Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan. The kitchen at the Waldorf-Astoria is located on the second floor and takes up the area of a full city block. “They have a huge walk-in freezer, and they’ve let me have a whole shelf in there just for blocks of ice for this trick. I used to go down myself to fetch the ice, but it gets so cold in that freezer that our arrangement now is that I simply ring down to the kitchen and they run one upstairs for me at the beginning of each show.” Of course. Everything’s easy once you know the secret.
But while Steve’s audiences—like Malini’s—are astounded at the appearance of the ice under the hat, magicians marvel at something else. They don’t marvel at how the ice appeared under the hat or how the ice got to the table, but at how Steve Cohen himself has managed to “magically appear” in residence at the Waldorf-Astoria with not one, but two elegant, high-end magic shows—one of which costs $250 per person. For close-up magic! And coming this January, Steve will be premiering a stage show at a local Manhattan venue named Carnegie Hall. Compared to those “miracles”, blocks of ice and bricks under hats might as well be the old stretching thumb trick your uncle does […]
As readers of this blog know, I am somewhat infatuated by Max Malini, the extraordinary magician who entertained celebrities, tycoons and aristocrats. I’ve modeled my career on his, and have been tracking down Malini stories for years. Many of these stories are chronicled throughout this blog.
I recently acquired Malini’s advertising booklet at auction (circa 1926) and was delighted for two reasons simultaneously. First, it is an honor to own this historic memorabilia of a prominent magic figure. The booklet is in very good hands.
Second, the text of the booklet has confirmed that Max Malini stayed and performed regularly at the hotel where I’ve presented Chamber Magic for the last decade: the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
In his advertising booklet, he includes laudatory letters from prominent figures, including President Harding. Here is one of the inside pages, containing personal notes from General Pershing and Vice President Charles Dawes […]
The magicians Steve Cohen, Joshua Jay, Eric Jones, and Todd Robbins talk about where their ideas come from, in a discussion and demonstration at the Library for the Performing Arts. (917-275-6975.)
Here is the press release for the November 17th event, organized by photographer and writer Herb Scher.
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Magic is an art that draws heavily from its heritage, and many effects with cards, coins, ropes, and levitating ladies have long been staples of the repertoire. Yet, like other art forms, it requires a well-spring of new ideas to avoid stagnation. In a field characterized by secrets and mystery where do new ideas come from and how are they realized? And what role does magic play in the realm of the broader expressive arts? Can it remain relevant in an era when movies, video games, and the internet offer heightened experiences that were not earlier available. A panel of four innovative and accomplished magicians, Steve Cohen, Joshua Jay, Eric Jones, and Todd Robbins will address these and many other questions in Beyond Amazing: Creativity and Innovation in the World of Magic, a panel discussion with demonstrations of relevant effects, presented November 17, 2011, at 6 p.m. at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The program will be moderated by photographer and writer Herb Scher. The event will be held in the Library’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. Admission is free.
Read the full press release for this upcoming panel discussion here […]
Buzz Aldrin after my performance in New York: “I used to think Saturn V was a miracle. But your show – this was a real miracle.”
I performed magic last week for NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a fascinating group of space tourism supporters.
Buzz let me use his ring for one of my tricks – the ring HE WORE ON THE MOON!
Without a doubt, that experience trumps all the other notable rings I’ve borrowed in the past, including a Super Bowl ring, and Ellen Barkin’s wedding ring.
I still can’t get over it. I held the ring Buzz Aldrin wore while walking on the moon. And he let me use it in my show. What an honor.
I’m a fan of movie star Renée Zellweger, and was thrilled when I found her sitting in the front row at my show last night. In this blog post, read what she had to say about the show […]
It’s near the end of Steve Cohen’s Chamber Magic show, and he reaches for his legendary teakettle. Yeah–here it comes. Our small group has already been gobsmacked by an hour of warp-speed trickery within inches of our bugged-out eyes. A silver dollar turns into a clay brick. Three rings borrowed from fingers in the audience become interconnected. Playing cards disappear here, reappear there, change colors and suits with the wave of a hand.
We’re in Cohen’s Waldorf-Astoria suite in New York, where on weekends he performs shows for up to 50 people. And we’ve been waiting for the teakettle. It’s the hocus-pocus prop for Cohen’s signature Think-a Drink trick, where he pours any requested beverage from this one container.
A woman asks for an apple martini, and Cohen pours one. Someone yells out “Long Island Iced Tea,” and that drink comes splashing from the spout. A man wants red wine, and out it comes. Each person sips the requested drink and confirms its authenticity. Shazam–we’re talking some serious magic.
Cohen is billed as the “Millionaire’s Magician” because of his private shows for megabucks folks like Warren Buffet, Michael Bloomberg, and Martha Stewart. And from years of performing for these powerful people, Cohen has conjured up secrets on how to captivate audiences.
Cohen’s a magician, but he’s also a salesperson, each night selling the joys of being mystified by his legerdemain. Try using his showmanship secrets to better sell your ideas to bosses, clients, and other decision makers.
Have you ever wanted to see the inside of the legendary Friars Club in New York City? It’s a private members-only club with rich show business history. Then read on, and enjoy a few in-action photos from my recent induction ceremony, held on September 20, 2011. The ceremony was held in the Frank Sinatra dining […]
My favorite comment after returning from my Philadelphia tour was an email I received from a guest. He wrote, “Your show is a thing of beauty, a magical symphony.” Wow. What a nice compliment. But I must say that Philadelphia audiences – who came out in droves to the magnificent Four Seasons hotel last week – made my job a pleasure indeed.
Whenever I launch the show in a new city, there is considerable risk on my part. Will people show up? How do I get the word out? Do I have any fans in that city who can help drum up interest?
Fortunately, Philadelphia is close enough to my home base in NYC that the word spread quickly. I even got a little advance press on a cool blog that has a large local following. The four shows sold-out swiftly, even before I arrived in town.
Another part of the risk in performing in a new city is that […]
It’s the dream of any performer to stand on-stage at Carnegie Hall, presenting what they’ve trained their entire life to perfect.
I’ll have my chance on January 12, 2012, and I’d love it if you would share this momentous evening with me.
Carnegie Hall has three performance venues – I’ll be performing in their most intimate: Weill Recital Hall. Tickets went on sale this morning at 11:00am, and the box office tells me that they had people queuing up on the phones, waiting for the sale to begin.
This is a one-night only performance of my stage show “Theater of Wonder” – which is entirely different from “Chamber Magic,” now in its eleventh year at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. If you’ve been to my smaller show and want to see more magic, “Theater of Wonder” is for you.
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall box office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue), through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online […]
