Travel News

Travel with the Millionaires’ Magician Steve Cohen

Locations in this article:  Brooklyn, NY Las Vegas, NV London, England

PG: I got really interested when you told me the history behind these tricks. Can you give me an example?

SC: There was Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, who was actually the man who inspired Houdini to take his name. Robert-Houdin was considered the father of modern magic and near the end of his career the French government and Napoleon III, asked him to go down to Algeria and quell a rebellion by the Marabouts, a tribe of wonder-working religious fanatics who were troubling the French politicians in Algeria. His job, from the government, was to prove that his magic, and French magic, was more powerful than the Algerian magic. He actually did a magic trick which basically stopped a rebellion, changing history. It’s one of the most extraordinary things that a magician has ever been involved in–he actually stopped a war.

PG: And, you do that trick.

Robert Houdin

SC: Robert-Houdin went to one of the strongest warriors and said “I’m going to strip away your power using magic” and he said “Here’s a little box, even a 4-year-old child could lift this box up” and he had a kid come over there, the kid could pick up the box, and then he went to this warrior, and the magician made a magic pass over his face, and said, “Now you are unable to lift it – behold, you are weaker than a child. Try to lift up the box.” And sure enough, the strongest warrior of these Marabouts could not lift up the box and then once again the child was able to lift it, and the strongest man there couldn’t. Eventually the last time went to lift it up, and he was shocked by this incredible electrical charge, and he ran away in fear and screaming that the French magician is so much stronger than their personal magic, and this was actually able to shut down the rebellion.

PG: Amazing. And that’s just one of a number of amazing tricks that you’re going share. The show itself is as much of a magic show as it is a travel show because you’re taking the audience to London, India, California and the Midwest.

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