5 years of The Magic Hour
Saturday 24th March, the birthday of Harry Houdini, marks the 5 year anniversary of The Magic Hour – London’s premier magic show, running twice weekly at the historic Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel. It also makes it the longest running parlour magic show in London. Sold out most weeks, both locals and tourists queue up to discover one of London’s best kept secrets. Established in 2013, Tony Middleton ‘Sonic’, as seen on Penn & Teller: Fool Us (ITV1, CW) stuns audiences with Victorian style parlour magic. He has fast become the brand leader for immersive small scale high class magic shows in London. Dressed in white tie and tails against the evocative backdrop of the dark wood paneled Oak Room, he takes his audience on a journey into the Golden Age of Magic. Evoking the spirit of the past, his show features classic sleight of hand, mind reading, and even a spooky séance. Audiences love the close up nature of the show. Following 5 star reviews and sell out shows since its inception, The Magic Hour has received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence every year. Top celebrities have also been amazed by his magic, including the late Sir Roger Moore who commented ‘one of the finest magicians I have ever seen’.
Sonic brings weaves together stories of trickery and deceit with deft demonstrations of the art of magic. He brings to life the ingenuity of the past masters of deception, and the magic of London in the 1900’s. Audiences leave questioning whether it’s real or just an illusion, as objects vanish, time stops still, and spirits write messages from ‘the other side’.
Tony Middleton ‘Sonic’, studied Drama & Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Theatre Directing at Birkbeck. Bringing together his skills as a performer and producer, he is now the leading parlour magician in London. Aged 33, Sonic has already performed at almost all the top London hotels including The Ned, Claridges, Mandarin Oriental, Savoy, and Simpsons at the Strand, where his other production Sleight of Hand on the Strand plays every Saturday - see www.magichourshow.com/savoy-show
Sonic comments ‘since our beginning at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, where I was appointed Resident Magician for 1 year, I never thought The Magic Hour would develop into the weekly sell-out sensation that it has. I feel so lucky and privileged to deliver this show in such an opulent setting at the Park Lane Hotel. My background in theatre, and wish showcase magic in an intimate by theatrical setting, has really helped make this production the success that it is today. I wanted to give people a unique and personal experience – something totally different to everything else on offer. I care deeply about magic, it’s history, and the wonderful images it evokes. London around the turn of the century was truly the magic capital of the world. It is thanks to those great illusionists of the past that I can delight audiences with such magic today.
