Secret Cabaret
Encyclopedia
Secret Cabaret was a magic
-based television programme that ran for two series, of six episodes each, on Channel 4
in the UK during the early 1990s. It was conceived and fronted by British magician Simon Drake
and was praised for giving a new and shocking twist to the presentation of illusions. In addition to various magicians the show featured sideshow acts and presentations by experts on fraud and confidence trick
s, all interspersed with vintage archive footage of freak show
s and daredevil stunts. It was nominated for a Royal Television Society
Award.
. One of the features that gained it attention were illusion segments performed by Drake in a guise that owed much to punk
and heavy metal
. These sections were often embellished with realistic looking blood and gore reminiscent of the infamous performances of Peruvian magician Richiardi Jr
. A substantial part of the running time of the show was given over to guest performers and various filmed items, ranging from archive footage to close-up presentations or exposures of scams and swindles.
Simon Drake
devised the series, saying:
"On television in the UK then, were Wayne Dobson and Paul Daniels, but they didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to see something darker, more fast-paced and rock-and-roll, more sexy, more weird.”http://magic-review.co.uk/2010/02/the-secret-cabaret/
The series was conceived by Drake and produced by the company Open Media. It had strong input from sleight-of-hand magician Ricky Jay
, who made special appearances in each show and was credited as a writer. Also credited as a writer was poet and playwright Heathcote Williams
. Noted illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer
was credited as one of the producers.
Regular guests included magicians James Randi
, Geno Munari, Max Maven
and David Berglas
and reformed fraudster turned security expert Frank Abagnale
. This was a decade before Abagnale became world famous through the 2002 bio-pic Catch Me If You Can
produced by Steven Spielberg.
Simon Drakehttp://magic-review.co.uk/2010/02/the-secret-cabaret/
On-screen cast
Production personnel
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
-based television programme that ran for two series, of six episodes each, on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK during the early 1990s. It was conceived and fronted by British magician Simon Drake
Simon Drake
Simon Drake is the stage name of Simon Alexander; a British magician based in London. He is best known for the innovative and shocking television series Secret Cabaret made for Britain's Channel 4.-Early life:...
and was praised for giving a new and shocking twist to the presentation of illusions. In addition to various magicians the show featured sideshow acts and presentations by experts on fraud and confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
s, all interspersed with vintage archive footage of freak show
Freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
s and daredevil stunts. It was nominated for a Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award.
Description and production details
Each programme revolved around a theatre-based show presented by Simon Drake and featuring illusions performed by him in various guises. The styling of the show was dark and mysterious with some elements that reflected goth subcultureGoth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
. One of the features that gained it attention were illusion segments performed by Drake in a guise that owed much to punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. These sections were often embellished with realistic looking blood and gore reminiscent of the infamous performances of Peruvian magician Richiardi Jr
Richiardi Jr
Richiardi Jr. , was the stage name of magician Aldo Izquierdo , who became infamous for dramatic and gory stage presentations of classic stage illusions....
. A substantial part of the running time of the show was given over to guest performers and various filmed items, ranging from archive footage to close-up presentations or exposures of scams and swindles.
Simon Drake
Simon Drake
Simon Drake is the stage name of Simon Alexander; a British magician based in London. He is best known for the innovative and shocking television series Secret Cabaret made for Britain's Channel 4.-Early life:...
devised the series, saying:
"On television in the UK then, were Wayne Dobson and Paul Daniels, but they didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to see something darker, more fast-paced and rock-and-roll, more sexy, more weird.”http://magic-review.co.uk/2010/02/the-secret-cabaret/
The series was conceived by Drake and produced by the company Open Media. It had strong input from sleight-of-hand magician Ricky Jay
Ricky Jay
Richard Jay Potash , better known by the stage name Ricky Jay, is an American stage magician, actor, and writer. He is a sleight-of-hand expert and is notable for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter.-Life and career:...
, who made special appearances in each show and was credited as a writer. Also credited as a writer was poet and playwright Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
. Noted illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer is an internationally respected designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. His best known illusions include Origami, Interlude, and Walking Through a Mirror. He is also an author, consultant and producer....
was credited as one of the producers.
Regular guests included magicians James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, Geno Munari, Max Maven
Max Maven
Max Maven is an American magician and mentalist. He often appears on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks that work for the television audience....
and David Berglas
David Berglas
David Berglas is a psychological illusionist and mentalist.-Early Life:Berglas escaped from Nazi Germany and fled to Britain at the age of 12. He later joined US Army in WWII, as an intelligence officer, after lying about his age...
and reformed fraudster turned security expert Frank Abagnale
Frank Abagnale
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is an American security consultant known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, impostor, and escape artist...
. This was a decade before Abagnale became world famous through the 2002 bio-pic Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
produced by Steven Spielberg.
Episodes and broadcast dates
The following information was compiled by taking cast information from the listing given on Open Media's website and cross-checking it with data on the BFI database and with tapes of some episodes.Series 1
- Show 1 (first broadcast 9 January 1990) - guests included contortionist Rocky Rendall, ghost hunter Tony Ehlert and knife jugglers Carletti & Belle.
- Show 2 (first broadcast 16 January 1990) - guests included Mike Comerford, Mark Raffles and Fluke.
- Show 3 (first broadcast 23 January 1990) - guests included Les Hilton, Jeanin Lionet, Tony Andruzzi, Stromboli and John Gaughan.
- Show 4 (first broadcast 30 January 1990) - guests included Bartschelly, Jenny RandlesJenny RandlesJenny Randles is a British author and former director of investigations with the British UFO Research Association , serving in that role from 1982 through to 1994.-Career:Randles specializes in writing books on UFOs and paranormal phenomena...
and John GaughanJohn GaughanJohn Gaughan is a manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology.... - Show 5 (first broadcast 6 February 1990) - guests included trapeze artist Sue Brent, Charlie Marsden & Lloyd Williams, vaudevillian Jay Marshall, escapologist Alan AlanAlan AlanAlan Alan is a retired British escapologist and magician. He originated tricks that have subsequently become familiar features of the repertoire of other performers and he has been honoured by The Magic Circle....
and vampire hunter Sean ManchesterHighgate VampireThe Highgate Vampire was a media sensation surrounding reports of supposed supernatural activity at Highgate Cemetery in London.-A modern vampire story:...
. - Show 6 (first broadcast 13 February 1990) - guests included Watt the Man, Normando Rojas, Tony Andruzzi and Rocky Rendall.
Series 2
“The second series was better, because we knew what we were doing. We knew we had to up the ante from the first series. It was slicker. I like it better.”Simon Drakehttp://magic-review.co.uk/2010/02/the-secret-cabaret/
- Show 1 (first broadcast 15 January 1992) - guests included Matthew Gryczan, Jeanie, Named Seuqcaj and Enrica.
- Show 2 (first broadcast 22 January 1992) - guests included Tkach, Charles Black, Snake Lady and La Dorina.
- Show 3 (first broadcast 29 January 1992) - guests included Stevie Starr, Len Di Maggio and Staubertis.
- Show 4 (first broadcast 5 February 1992) - guests included Max Oscar, Bessie Standing, Matthew Gryczan and Named Seuqcaj.
- Show 5 (first broadcast 12 February 1992) - guests included Elvis Mokko, Tony Zavosky, Anne Marie Bates and David Benn.
- Show 6 (first broadcast 19 February 1992) - guests included The Mandragores, Percilla & Emmitt Bejano, Jonny King, and Matthew Gryczan. (Open Media and BFI also list "Dorian Grey" but that is the name of an illusion performed by Simon Drake and not a performer).
Other broadcasts
The BFI lists a show broadcast on 7 December 1993, but it seems that this was a repeat of either show 1 or show 4 of series 2.Other credits
In addition to those named above, the following appeared in various end credits:On-screen cast
- Sarah Jane Cresswell
- Juliette Hardy
- Anthony Georghiou
- Peter Mandell
- Joanne Robley Dixon
- Desmond Williams
- Frances Wingate
- Charlotte Chatton
- Sue Brent
- Ann Pownall
- Helen Bee
Production personnel
- Researchers (series 1): David Britland and Isabel MacIver
- Researchers (series 2): David Britland and Sarah Wynn Parry
- Film researcher: Cy Young
- Additional magic (series 1)/Magic consultant(series 2): Patrick Page
- Costume Designer: Robin Betts
- Makeup (series 2): Nosh
- Original music: Robert Lockhart
- Sound designer: Nigel Holland
- Choreographer (series 2): Jonathan Thrift
- Designer: Ray Oxley
- Titles: Willy Smax
- Lighting designer: Simon Rickman
- Theatre director (series 1): Vincent Stafford
- Theatre director (series 2): Don Coutts
- Director: Sebastian Harris
- Executive producer: Sebastian Cody
- Producers: Frankie Glass and Jim SteinmeyerJim SteinmeyerJim Steinmeyer is an internationally respected designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. His best known illusions include Origami, Interlude, and Walking Through a Mirror. He is also an author, consultant and producer....
Further reading
- covers Simon Drake's current projects but also touches on Secret Cabaret.- Secret Cabaret was the subject of the cover story of the January 1992 issue of Magic magazine