Mystique::Mundane Tasks of the Unreal
Stockholm City Theatre, December 7 – 10, 2023
The full show (80 minutes)
Four conjurers try to bring order to the chaos they call “life”. An existence where things do everything but what is expected of them, where each magician is faced with the distorted realities of others; eggs appear in unexpected places, milk reproduces and lint rollers take on lives of their own. In the end, you might just give up and dance the tango.
Now they visit Stockholm City Theater with a non-verbal show consisting of absurd images and oddities.
Thursday, December 7 kl 19:00 – PREMIÄR
Friday, December 8 kl 19:00
Saturday, December 9 kl 14:00 – Matiné
Saturday, December 9 kl 18:00
Sunday, December 10 kl 16:00
What is Mystique?
Mystique is an experimental ensemble group consisting of the curious gentlemen Tom Stone, Martin Hansson, Leif Olberius & John-Henry Larsson.
The group was created in 2017, partly as a desire to continue the work initiated in the courses Magic 1 and Magic 2 at the Stockholm University of the Arts, and partly as a backlash to a lackluster market which rarely allows you to test your limits.
The goal was to, once a month, create a new 90-minute performance that expanded both theatrical expressions and conjuring’s own unique expression. No material was to be recycled from performance to performance. At the start in 2017, the group thought that the creativity would be enough for 3-4 productions – but so far there have been 38 different productions , including guest performances in Hollywood, Helsinki, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Lund. Each production has been performed only once and has been immediately retired. In Mundane Tasks of the Unreal, the group has cherrypicked their favorite acts and made a “best of” collection.
The group is non-profit and by design must not make a profit. All proceeds are spent on flights and hotels for interesting artists from Europe who are invited to make guest appearances. 40% of these guest artists have been female magicians.
The Ensemble
Tom Stone: Expert, researcher in the field. Author of nonfiction books for magicians, instructor of further educations for magicians, recipient of the 2015 Creative Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts.
Leif Olberius: Theater trained, artistic director of Teater Satori, long-time leader of the Swedish Magic Circle’s junior activities.
Martin Hansson: Long experience of “guerrilla magic” at tough gigs, 3rd prize winner at FISM Europe 2021, initiator of Mystique.
John-Henry Larsson: Appreciated performer at European cultural festivals, prop builder, creator of Mystique’s most surreal works.
Program
The performance consists of the following works:
Sign of Silk (Mystique, 2019)
For the production ”Deceptive Behaviour” (”Bedrägligt Beteende”, 2019), we wanted to create a piece that was based on one of the most classic and elementary magic tricks – the disappearance of a small red handkerchief (William Humpage, 1885) – but which brought a new perspective on the trick because it had become such a “standard” that many in the magic field had become blind to its elegance, and even think of it with disdain. We figured that the best way to accentuate the trick’s strengths was to start by completely failing at it. Unusually, we added no technical finesse, beyond Scotsman John Ramsay’s techniques from the 1940s – the basic component of the piece is still roughly what it was in 1885. Also incorporates “Palmo” (Harold Rice, c:a 1943).
Black Coffee (John-Henry Larsson, 2018)
For the show ”Among the Shadows” (”Bland Skuggorna”, 2018), John-Henry created this remarkable choreography that is filled with quirky ingenuity. The work’s central technique is something that is already described in The Discoverie of Witchcraft (Reginald Scot, 1584), but which did not take modern form until the Closeup genre began to develop around the 1950s. There are also vague influences from Baltass (Yann Frisch, 2012).
Clockbox (Leif Olberius, 2019)
In Hamburg in 1934, János Bartl developed a work named “Demon Wonder Box”, which is in many ways as iconic as it is pointless. Because despite the artfulness of the interesting prop, a competent magician can easily achieve an identical effect with ordinary dexterity, and the existence of the box has therefore been completely superfluous. The Demon Wonder Box has therefore been something you could often see as an ornament in magicians’ homes, but rarely on stage. It would take over 80 years before the American Jonathan Neal (2018) managed to develop the work into something of artistic significance, which is what Leif’s work is based on.
Multum in Parvo (Tan Hock Chuan, 1947)
The Malaysian magician Tan Hock Chuan published this astonishing work in the British trade journal “The Magic Wand” in 1947. The work quickly became a classic and many stage floors were wet with spilled milk during the 1950s. The Belgian prop manufacturer Mephisto Huis developed a significant improvement on the piece in 1960, which sadly has not been adopted by later manufacturers. Since the work is considered a bit dated in professional circles, we at Mystique had never even considered looking at it, until we inherited the props from the Swedish magician Sanelli (1940-2017). Since the props were from a small unique Swedish series produced by Jack Lowely c:a 1960, which also incorporated Mephisto Huis’s improvements, we felt obliged to build some kind of framing drama that utilized the gift in the best way. And by “best way”, we of course mean war.
Weird Beard (John-Henry Larsson, 2018)
Some ideas have required several iterations before finding their true form. What started as an idea to shake gambling chips out of John-Henry’s beard, was modified to use eggs instead of chips, and then quickly evolved into a story about a somewhat unsympathetic waiter who reluctantly conjures an entire breakfast out of his beard . From that point on, the efforts has been focused on creating the right combination of choreography and magic deception, so that both illusion and drama strive in the same direction, and what is presented now is John-Henry’s fifth version.
Stygian Soap (Tom Stone, 2022)
In 1939, Howard B. Kayton fled Germany and became an American citizen. Two years later, he got immortalized when he created the work “Soft Soap” (1941), an iconic work that is as silly as it is baffling. The work spread like wildfire among magicians, in many cases via theft and plagiarism, and between 1950-1980 the work was in the repertoire of almost every magician in the world. Then the trick suddenly disappeared completely. While the work was popular, dozens of versions were published in the trade media, but all were minute variations of the script, while the actual magic design has not evolved or changed at all since its creation in 1941. Within conjuring aesthetics, sneakiness is valued higher than fake props. The less cheating needed in a work, the more elegant it is considered to be. And based on those parameters, “Soft Soap”, despite its popularity, is not an elegant work. A dichotomy that Tom Stone has pondered since 1997, when he asked the question – Is it possible to recreate the work from scratch, make it more elegant, so that the trick can be completed without the presence of any cheating at all? Twenty-two years later, Tom found that the answer to that question is “Yes”.
Bubbles! (Leif Olberius och John-Henry Larsson, 2023)
Any child can confirm that there is something magical about soap bubbles. Both Leif and John-Henry have therefore, since a long time back, had soap bubble routines in their own personal repertoires. Leif’s has been inspired by Fred Kaps (Holland) and John-Henry’s was inspired by Topper Martyn (Sweden). For “Mundane Tasks of the Unreal” they decided to combine their two individual acts into one mutual act.
Magic Loop (John-Henry Larsson, 2020)
For the production ”Treachery of the Eye” (”Ögats Förräderi”, 2019), John-Henry had the idea to make an abstract choreography that gradually changes into an object manipulation when objects suddenly appear and give the previously incomprehensible movements clear purposes and intents, after which the objects gradually disappear and the movements return to being abstract again. Although it is easy to describe the idea in words, it has been amazingly difficult to realize them and make it real. This is John-Henry’s third iteration, and likely not his final version.
Milk Mystery (Jack Hughes, 1946)
“Backstage” is the name of a plot in magic that is as popular as it is difficult to portrait. There is something pleasurable in showing a trick from the “wrong side”, thus exposing it, and yet bring it to a deceptive ending. The big problem is always finding a believable motivation for why you do it, and most renditions tend to be artificial and contrived. In the autumn of 2017, for the show “Midwinter magic” (Midvintermagi), Tom Stone realized that the root of the problem is that you always think of the magician as a solo artist – and that it automatically becomes difficult when the solo artist tries to act out a drama that has such a clear inherent conflict as in the ”Backstage” plot. But that all those problems can be overcome when you are a whole ensemble, when the drama can be played out organically, naturally and simply. As a “case in point”, we took Englishman Jack Hughes’ old “Backstage Milk Glass Vanish” and breathed new life into it.
Roses for Leif (Martin Hansson & Leif Olberius, 2019)
Bond Lee (Hong Kong) created the work “The Rose” in 2016. Partly as a joke, Tom bought the work as a gift for Martin. Martin took one look at the work, quickly threw away all of Bond Lee’s clever innovations, and then, together with Leif, did something totally different with what was left.
Meet:oo (Mystique, 2017)
In some pieces, it is difficult to remember whom of us came up with what. Before our performance “Unnatural Living” (”Onaturligt Leverne”, 2017) we wanted, just like in “Sign of Silk”, to take something from the history of magic that has become so classic and familiar that it it is viewed with contempt, and try to breathe new life into it. We landed on Jesse J. Lybarger’s “Phantom Balls” from 1925, or “Sponge balls” as it is usually referred to today. For some unfathomable reason, during the rehearsals, one of us patted the assisting spectator on the shoulder. A gesture that, despite its outwards appearance of kindness, gave a deeply unpleasant impression, as the pat came so gratuitously and unexpectedly. It brought a sort of predatory undertone to the whole thing just because of the little shoulder pat, so we quickly decided to revel in the discomfort and add loads of shoulder pats. The thoughts goes to how those with predatory mentality often move the boundaries via smaller steps that each seem harmless compared to the step before, so that you don’t notice how you are brought to an undesireable situation.
Fizz Master (Paul Harris & Eric Mead, 1996)
Paul Harris (USA) is a major figure in the history of modern magic, who over the years has gained a reputation for rather abstract magic dramas, as in this trick involving a teleported condition. It is not about the soda can, the drink or its carbonation, but about the condition of having been shaken. In 1998, in the show “Close-up”, Tom Stone and Peter Rosengren turned it into a two-person drama, which is what today’s version is based on.
Three Sting Game (John-Henry Larsson & Leif Olberius, 2018)
This drama is based on the infamous street scam “Three shell game” where you have to try to keep track of where a small pellet ends up. As a mystery, the piece is probably not very mysterious, but it is quite entertaining to see a man lose drink, cookies, money and sense to two con artists.
Balls and Brutality (Mystique, 2018)
This hybrid of prestidigitation and pugilism was voted into the show 3 to 1. The work arose as a result of Martin being captivated by a piece of music and exclaiming “We must do something with this!”. Exactly what, he didn’t know, other than having a vision of the four of us around a table, and that it involved a red ball. So we sat down at a table and started improvising. During the improvisations, someone came up with the idea that it would be funny if Tom got pummeled for no reason.
Cookies (John-Henry Larsson & Tom Stone, 2017)
This piece was initiated by John-Henry who said that it would be fun to build a joint piece based on the American Gene Gordon’s “Biting a coin” from the book “Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic” (1952). Gordon’s trick is only 3 seconds long, so it took some exploration to make it into a group piece. We quickly exchanged the coins for cookies, and this is the result.
Flowers (Leif Olberius & Martin Hansson, 2019)
Around 1890, the Frenchman Buatier De Kolta created an astonishing work. He rolled up a piece of paper into a cone, which became a veritable cornucopia through which vast amounts of flowers mysteriously flowed. Based on that basic idea, Martin and Leif created their own version.
Bottle Battle (Tom Stone & Leif Olberius, 2018)
In Chicago, around 1920, Arthur P. Felsman created a classic work; “Multiplying Bottles”. However, the work remained relatively unknown until 1949, when it was stolen and plagiarized by a number of prop dealers, and it quickly became a popular number among magicians around the world. However, there was no significant development of the number, all innovation ceased with the Englishman Ken Brooke’s routine from the 1950s. A stagnation that worried Tom Stone to the point that in 2009 he published “Moonshine Monologues”, a small book filled with new ideas, works and sequences for Multiplying Bottles. With Leif’s help, these ideas were developed into an ensemble piece.
Liquid Sands (Alan Wakeling, 1993)
In December 1941, William Larsen published an odd idea – to make “Sands of the Desert” – a classic first described in 1764 in the Japanese book Hōkasen – but using different colored drinks instead of different colored sand. Larsen’s own solution to the problem was highly impractical, but the idea appealed to illusion designer Alan Wakeling, who some 20 years later created a smooth and practical choreography that he kept to himself until 1993. Tom Stone modified the handling in 2002, so that it can done without any preparatory preparations.
Brothers Best Brushing (John-Henry Larsson, 2018)
It is often John-Henry who comes up with the ideas for our ensemble pieces, and so here too. The very first version in 2018 probably wasn’t particularly deceptive, but we performed it anyway, just because it was fun to do. Since then, John-Henry, via several iterations, has added to the cleverness and today’s version should be as inexplicable as it is amusing.
For whom the bell tolls (Tom Stone, 2023)
For our show ”A Strange Relationship” (”Ett Sällsamt Släktskap”, 2018) we had a running gag which was to say “In order to succeed with the trick I need to divert your attention”, followed by a Tom Jones roar as Leif runs in, hits a xylophone, bows, and runs out. After a second’s pause; “Did you feel diverted?” and then the completion of the current trick was shown. When Leif was appointed director of our current show, he decided, being the dictator that he is, that the joke should be reused – albeit without the set-up and punchline – more as an abstract event. When Tom, in a pleading voice, wondered if the incident should not at least end with some kind of trick, Leif answered in a frosty voice; “Then you’ll have to come up with one!”. Which he did.
Production
Director: Leif Olberius
Lighting designer: Otto Stockhaus
Sound technician: Gustav Hällegårdh
Sound Design: Tom Stone
Works by: Mystique et al.
Script: Leif Olberius and Tom Stone
Scenography: Mystique
Poster photo: Martin Lundström
Performance photos: Olav Holten
Music in the show
(Youtube playlist)
Roar from ”If I Only Knew” with Tom Jones
La Divina by Parov Stelar
Black Coffee with Ella Fitzgerald
Direct Voice by Origamibiro
Body and Soul by Lester Young
Conspiracy Part 1 by Cristobal Tapia de Veer
An Ending (Ascent) by Brian Eno
#11 by Aphex Twin
Utopia Overture by Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Lunar Distance by Sie
This Is Your Song by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Moving Magic by John-Henry Larsson
#7 by Aphex Twin
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Barry Adamson
Meet:oo Intro by Tom Stone
Close to You by Ian Ballamy
Mrs. Bagwell’s Rhumba by Ian Ballamy
Battleblock Menu Theme by Analogik
God Russik by Analogik
Rivers of Smack by Funki Porcini
Balloon Ride by Xavier Mortimer & Maxime Rodriguez
The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Cymbals by Xavier Mortimer & Maxime Rodriguez
Global Awards Fanfares by PMWA
I’m Ready by Commodores
The following tunes are free downloads from: https://filmmusic.io
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Eternal World Dreamy Ambient Music by Palash Sunvaiya
Rain on the Windowpane by Justin Allan Arnold
Careful There by Justin Allan Arnold
Sweet Nothingness by Philip Rice
Tension Lane by Woeha
Loopster by Kevin MacLeod
Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod
Serpentine Trek by Kevin MacLeod
Long Road Ahead by Kevin MacLeod
Mining by Moonlight by Kevin MacLeod
Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod
Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod
We also extend our gratitude to Kulturhuset Stadsteatern for their trust in us. As far as we know, this is the first time magicians have been invited to their stages.
