Secret Cabaret

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Description and production details
2 Episodes and broadcast dates
3 References
4 External links

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 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 vintage archive footage (including freak show material) as well as experts on fraud and confidence tricks. It was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award.

[edit] 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 gothic subculture. 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. But most 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.

The series was produced by the company Open Media and 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.^[1] ^[2]

Regular guests included magicians James Randi, Geno Munari, Max Maven and David Berglas and reformed fraudster turned security expert Frank Abagnale.^[3] This was a decade before Abagnale became world famous through the 2002 bio-pic Catch Me If You Can produced by Steven Spielberg.

[edit] 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.^[4] ^[5] ^[6]

[edit] Series 1

Show 1 (first broadcast 9 Jan 1990) - guests included contortionist Rocky Rendall, ghost hunter Tony Ehlert and knife jugglers Carletti & Belle.
Show 2 (first broadcast 16 Jan 1990) - guests included Mike Comerford, Mark Raffles and Fluke.
Show 3 (first broadcast 23 Jan 1990) - guests included Les Hilton, Jeanin Lionet, Tony Andruzzi, Stromboli and John Gaughan.
Show 4 (first broadcast 30 Jan 1990) - guests included Bartschelly, Jenny Randles and John Gaughan
Show 5 (first broadcast 6 Feb 1990) - guests included trapeze artist Sue Brent, Charlie Marsden & Lloyd Williams, vaudevillian Jay Marshall, escapologist Alan Alan and vampire hunter Sean Manchester.
Show 6 (first broadcast 13 Feb 1990) - guests included Watt the Man, Normando Rojas, Tony Andruzzi and Rocky Rendall.

[edit] Series 2

Show 1 (first broadcast 15 Jan 1992) - guests included Matthew Gryczan, Jeanie, Named Seuqcaj and Enrica.
Show 2 (first broadcast 22 Jan 1992) - guests included Tkach, Charles Black, Snake Lady and La Dorina.
Show 3 (first broadcast 29 Jan 1992) - guests included Stevie Starr, Len Di Maggio and Staubertis.
Show 4 (first broadcast 5 Feb 1992) - guests included Max Oscar, Bessie Standing, Matthew Gryczan and Named Seuqcaj.
Show 5 (first broadcast 12 Feb 1992) - guests included Elvis Mokko, Tony Zavosky, Anne Marie Bates and David Benn.
Show 6 (first broadcast 19 Feb 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).^[7]

[edit] Other credits

In addition to those named above, the following appeared in various end credits:

This should not be taken as a complete list as it has been compiled by different editors using available tapes of only some of the episodes. Where a particular series is noted in parentheses it means the name was found on credits for that series but it does not imply the person was not involved in both series.

On-screen cast^[8]

Sarah Jane Cresswell
Juliette Hardy
Anthony Georghiou
Peter Mandell
Joanne Roaley Dixon
Desmond Williams
Frances Wingate

Production personnel^[9]

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 Steinmeyer

[edit] 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.^[10]

[edit] References

^ Secret Cabaret. Open Media. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ The Secret Cabaret. The British Film Institute. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Secret Cabaret. Open Media. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Secret Cabaret. Open Media. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ The Secret Cabaret (series 1). The British Film Institute. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ The Secret Cabaret (series 2). The British Film Institute. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ The information for this episode was checked directly with the credits in a recorded copy of Secret Cabaret - series 2 episode 6, Open Media and Channel 4
^ From tape of Secret Cabaret - series 2 episode 6, Open Media and Channel 4
^ From tapes of Secret Cabaret - series 1 episode 6, Open Media and Channel 4 and Secret Cabaret - series 2 episode 6, Open Media and Channel 4
^ The Secret Cabaret with Simon Drake [07/12/93]. The British Film Institute. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.