Learning some new tricks on a magic night out

When: 20th July 2011

Where: Barts, Sloane Avenue, London

What is it?

Barts is a speakeasy style bar in Chelsea, half-hidden inside a fancy apartment building. The bar itself is decorated with an eclectic mix of trinkets, pictures and furniture which gives it a great quirky and slightly retro feel.  The evening was the launch of their monthly Dark Arts Society nights where you can watch a bit of magic and then learn some of the tricks of the trade.

The evening was presented by ‘prestige conjuror’ The Deceptionist, who began by performing a few tricks to the audience.  This was followed by a masterclass in magic which The Deceptionist, aka magician Sav, ran through the set-up and performance of tricks to an audience.  He was a little unused to giving classes but apart from unnecessarily using a laptop it was all fairly well presented and interesting stuff.

The tricks we were shown all used props that can be found in a bar or office, so ideal for learning and then impressing friends and colleagues.  Apart from one trick with a bottle of beer (which I’m not sure would fool anyone who isn’t drunk) I thought they were great for budding magicians and with a bit of practise easy enough to pull off.

The idea of having the evening at Barts was a good one.  The secretive nature of the bar’s speakeasy style suited an evening of magic and trickery.  The bar itself serves cocktails, some of which are served in a teapot with teacups to drink out of instead glasses.  I loved this idea and the one I tried tasted very good but it’s not for anyone on a budget!

I shall be off to the pub this weekend to make my friends’ money disappear…

More info: Visit Barts website.  For magic classes by The Deceptionist visit sleightclub.co.uk.