The Newest Tops

“What was the stage name of Ehrich Weiss?”

If you are prompted for a password on this site, the answer to the above question in lower case is the password.

Occasionally we will post an article that has a magic secret. To protect the secret from the general public and curiosity seekers we ask a simple question (password hint) that will be easily answered by a magician but not to a lay person.

Steve Spill has spent his entire life performing magic, producing magic shows around the globe in places such as the French Riviera’s Cannes Film Festival, Universal Studios Hollywood, Harrah’s Tahoe, Toronto’s Massey Hall, and consulting for theatrical productions, films, and television. Among the projects on which Spill has provided expertise are the CBS TV special “The World Greatest Magicians,” The Learning Channel TV special “Magic’s Greatest Illusions,” the A&E TV series “Comedy on the Road” and the FX TV series “Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular.” In 1998 Spill opened Magicopolis in Santa Monica, which is the permanent home of “Escape Reality,” his two hour theater show.
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Bobby has been entertaining since 11 and brings with him over 20 years of experience in amazing, and amusing everyone in he comes into contact with. For the last ten years Bobby has been using his experience as a street performer, wit, and high energy level to become a much sought after entertainer for Corporate events, Trade Shows, and Hospitality Suites. Even though he is fast becoming a premier corporate entertainer, he still manages to stay close to his roots as a street performer by appearing on the streets of America and at several Festivals throughout the year. “Staying sharp” as he like to put it, and staying out where he loves to be… On the street and in front of the people!

Julie Sobanski is an award winning magicienne from Milwaukee, WI and is known for her infamous straitjacket escape on rollerskates while wearing a dress. She is a performer (juliesobanski.com), an author (Dustin It Off with Dean Montalbano), writer (her articles on magic history have graced magazine pages both in and out of the magic community), editor, lecturer (Dell O’Dell, Talma, June Merlin and more) and the foremost magic historian of female magicians. Julie is in the process of writing a book, Makin Waves: Female Magician in the Art of Magic. Remember this lovely ladies face and name – she’s a persistent force in magic and you’ll be seeing a lot of her!

Ron has won first place in the 2002 Michigan Magic Day Close up contest, first place in 2004 Percy Abbotts Peoples choice in both close up and stage at the Abbotts Magic get together and 1st place in 1999 Curly’s Close up contest. His phenomenal skill in magic and entertaining has earned him the nickname of “Magic Man”. As a child Ron was profoundly hearing impaired but as he got older, his hearing has decreased to the point of deafness.

Jeff Hobson is one of the most in-demand comedy magicians working today. His refreshing and clever mix of comedy and magic has brought him back for repeat performances all over the world. Hobson has won numerous awards for his skills. Among the most recent is his Best Comedy Magic award given by the International Magic Awards Association as well as an award of Best Magic Review by the World Magic Awards for his role as star and producer of the critically acclaimed Carnival of Wonders show at the Reno Hilton Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada. His television appearances include HBO, Showtime’s Comedy Club Network, Fox Family’s Masters of Illusion, NBC’s World’s Greatest Magic as well as the star of Thames Television’s Magic Comedy Strip a 16 week television series in England.

Alexander ‘Sandy’ Marshall has over forty years experience as a writer, director, producer, and actor. For twenty-five years he was CEO of Sanmar Productions, Inc., a successful New York-based film company. He has won The American Film Festival, two Emmy Awards (seven nominations), Gold medals at the New York Film & TV Festival, and a dozen international awards. No stranger to magic, Sandy comes by it honestly. He is directly related to two Deans of the Society of American Magicians; his grandfather was Al Baker and his father was Jay Marshall. He is currently in the process of writing a biography about his father’s life. Sandy’s play, “And in the End” (The Death and Life of John Lennon), is Broadway-bound.

“Roger Magic Bus” is a current member of F.C.M., I.B.M., S.A.M. and KIDabra! He lectured in 2007 for The Fellowship of Christian Magicians international convention and formerly was the President of FCM West Michigan Chapter. Roger is the Executive Producer of Now That’s Magic! made for cable tv series which currently airs throughout Southwest Michigan on ChristianMagician.org. Roger enjoys being an active member of Ring 211 in Grand Rapids and has performed in Michigan and on missions trips including in Grenada with Operation Mobilization.

Bob Zoerman is a returning author of the “Magic for the Gospel Magician” column from Tops Magazine during the nineties. MagicBob earned a Ph.D. in seminary and has also earned an engineering degree and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. He is the president of the largest magic club in Michigan, the June Horowitz/John deVries Ring, IBM Ring #211 in Grand Rapids. Although MagicBob is employed full-time, he and his wife SuZie perform frequently. Working with Campus Crusade for Christ, they are currently planning their seventh trip to India where a typical audience will be 1,000+ university students.

Senor Rai has been described as “Hysterically funny!” by Carol Channing and “A must see act!” by Joan Rivers. Senor Rai’s parents were Varety Hall performers and his sister a famous dancer. Following in their footsteps, Senor performed at night clubs such as Chez Paree and Latin Quatre before becoming internationally recognized with the Royal Hanneford Circus as their “Million Dollar Ringmaster” (doing illusions in all three rings)! He has headlined in many shows in Vegas, inculding two years in ” Hallelujah Las Vegas”, A year in “Comedy Cabaret”, Six Months in “Westward Ho”, Three years in “Naughty Ladies”, 1 year in “Diamonds and Pearls” and finally in” Moulin Rouge” at Caesars Palace.

Richard is an “Order of Merlin” member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Life Member of the Society of American Magicians, Magic Collectors Society and Texas Association of Magicians. He listed in “Who’s Who in Magic” and in “Encyclopedia of Magicians”. He has lectured at the exclusive Magic Castle in Hollywood, IBM and SAM National Conventions and many regional conventions. His expertise is unsurpassed and recognized worldwide. Richard is also generally regarded as the world’s leading authority on feather flower magic, having been trained by Horace Marshall. He helped recreate the legendary Blackstone Enchanted Garden Act, not once but twice for two different performers. He owns and operates Hughes Magic LLC. Richard has experience of working with some of the best in the business onstage and backstage. Making the show or act work and keeping it practical are driving forces behind Richard’s magic.

Chezaday’s a rock ‘n’ roller. His large-scale illusion show involves plenty of pyrotechnics, flashing lights and – yes – a spandex costume with a lightning bolt on the chest. There are three women, all dancers, in Chezaday’s big show. He calls them the Chezababes. They tour the country with two technical assistants for most of the summer, levitating women from guitars and cutting them up in various ways. Steves television appearances included The Bozo Show, Wild Chicago, Jerry Springer, Kidding Around, National Geographic Explorer, WCW Halloween Havoc, and UPN50′s Up ‘n’ Running

David is a returning writer from Tops Magazine during the mid eighties. He studied theater at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he graduated with honors and a BFA degree. On campus he created a benefit show that ran for ten years. A featured performer at the SAM National Convention, David has also created specialized magical performances for Ford, Oldsmobile, Buick, McDonald’s, IBM, General Electric, Sony, Miller Brewing, Mercury Marine, and Walgreen’s. He has also appeared at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle, long considered a crown jewel in magicdom

Tim Wright is an experienced entertainer who blends audience participation with humor and mystifying magic into a people pleasing performance. Tim also specializes in theme-focused programs designed to educate, enlighten and entertain.

Tim is a rare two time winner of the Neil Foster / Bill Baird Award for Manipulation during the 2003 and 2009 Get Togethers and also a recipient of the Best Stage Performer Award at the Columbus Magi Fest in 1995. Tim is a regular performing member of The Magic Castle Hollywood and also an International Brotherhood of Magicians life member. Be sure to visit him at http://www.skilldini.com

Paul is an avid magic performer, collector, and owner of two magic shops in metro Detroit, Wunderground Magic and Wunderground Magic West. He has been performing magic since he was nine, but took a short hiatus to get a Ph.D. in computer science, serve on the faculty of a major university, and founded a software company that builds massive-scale simulations. Paul has authored over fifty papers, articles, and book chapters and does lectures on the history of magic.