Thursday, February 11, 2010

Project 365 (42/365): Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee

.:42/365: Paul Daniels And Debbie McGee:.


Yet another power couple in magic.

Few people in the magic industry are completely oblivious to the existence of one Paul Daniels, the very witty and talented British magician who has made a name for himself by having a magic show on television for seventeen years. Throughout his long-running stint, he has made a very notable for himself, and has earned the respect of his peers all over the world. He’s very outspoken and opinionated, and not even a brief attempt by Penn and Teller to compete with him (Via “The Unpleasant World of Penn and Teller,” which lasted all of six episodes.) could faze the juggernaut that was the Paul Daniels show.

His love story with his equally famous wife, Ms. Debbie McGee, is just as magical as his career. Having been married to Ms. Jacqueline Skipworth in 1960, then after that marriage ended, married Debbie in 1988. While Debbie McGee can easily be identified as an assistant of sorts for Paul Daniels and one whose beauty could easily provide the perfect misdirection, what makes Debbie amazing is that her stage presence is just so strong that it takes over the entire act itself. She has a charm that is all hers, and it’s hard to knock how good she is as Paul’s assistant and partner.

Paul Daniels’s routines are very lively, and while he’s not the king of energetic performances, he’s not your average run-of-the-mill magician who glides onstage to mask his lack of ability to use words to enhance his magic. Paul Daniels is versatile enough to speak at a motormouth pace, and use physical cues to convey ideas all the same. The fact that Debbie McGee is capable of almost the same thing just makes them an amazing tandem to watch.

If you’ve never seen Paul and Debbie in action, check out their numerous online vids. You’re bound to be amazed not just by Paul’s skill, but his unmistakable chemistry with Debbie McGee. There’s real magic going on whenever they’re together onstage, and no matter how many Magic: Exposed specials Valentino comes up with, they’d never be quite able to discover the real secret behind the continued success Paul and Debbie are blessed with.

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