From time immortal we have loved magic. In childhood, every child has wished to be a magician, or at least his assistant & perform on the stage. ‘The wizard of Oz’ is a 1939 film. but do we think it is jaded & old ? NO.
“The Illusionist’ is an American film made in 2006 is about a magician in turn-of century Vienna, who reunites with his childhood love, a woman far above his social standing.
‘Houdini’ a two part mini series made in 2014 winning an Emmy was no fluke. The phrase ,’doing a Houdini’ emphasizes his magic. The film traces the life of the legendary illusionist & escape artist from poverty to worldwide fame.
‘The Sound of Magic’ a South Korean TV series made in 2022 tells story of a mysterious magician who appears in front of a girl who has lost her dreams & a boy who is forced to dream.
Raghuveer Sarkar or Jadugaar Kushsboo were seen with awe & booked for the weeks they were in town. A girl trained under her dad would get an easy entry into his world. I had rarely thought of it as a ‘Man ‘s world’!
Today’s article in the ‘Indian Express’ made me think again. The Magic Circle is based in London. It was founded in 1905,lists celebrities like illusionists David Copperfield & Criss Angel among it ‘s honorary members.
For decades only male magicians were ale to join- until two women set out to call their bluff. Jenny Winstanley told the Canadian broadcaster CBC in 1991, ‘I always wanted to be the first lady in the Magic Circle’. ‘Really wanted to prove that women are as good as men’.
But she was already regionally known as a magician at that time, so she turned to a young actress who went by the name of Sophie Lloyd. She said, ‘I did it for Jenny’. Lloyd in the same interview explained,’ She thought that it was so unfair that lady magicians could n ‘t get into the Circle’.
The women told CBC that they spent two years building the Raymond Lloyd character. Winstanley said she taught the actress magic tricks & they found ways to disguise. The test to gain membership in The Magic Circle involved performing a 20 minute show with tricks & spending over an hour speaking with her examiner, a magician. She passed, earning full membership in March 1991.
Lloyd kept up the ruse of being Raymond until The Magic Circle started admitting female members in October that year. Then the women went to the press to reveal their trick. The Magic Circle angered about being hood winked voided the membership of ‘Raymond Lloyd’- and the story ‘got swept under the carpet’ according to Berglas.
20 years later, Stuart Scott joined The Magic Circle & remembered hearing a vague story about a woman trying to sneak into the society. During the corona virus pandemic, researching the history of magic in London he stumbled upon two books about The Magic Circle.
According to Laura London, the first woman to serve as chair of the society, ‘I think her story is inspiring & it ‘s an important one to tell. That there are brave women out there that do extraordinary things to prove that they can do things in an unjust world. Such as , in her case, to do magic as good as the guys’.
Professional women are still fighting for recognition three decades after Lloyd ‘s feat. The Magic Circle uncovered articles from late 1990s that referenced Lloyd using magic to counteract bullying in schools- but no trace beyond that.
Winstanley died in 2004. The Magic Circle reached out to Winstanley’s son, Nick Allen. But he said he did not know how to contact Lloyd – and thought her first name might have actually been Sue.
The Magic Circle turned to media But numerous articles in Britain have failed to find her. London said that more than anything, she would like to find Lloyd to apologize. ‘It ‘s important for us to find a way to give her some closure on it, if she wants it.’
All said & done, if she wants to dis appear, she may not e found, ever. John Grisham ‘s ‘The Partner’ 1997 book has this sentence. ‘She has disappeared. Cannot be found. She has learnt it from the master!’
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