Milt Is Gone, but Magic Marches on 

If Juliana Chen hadn’t broken her knee as a foot juggling teenager, we might be seeing the native of the Hunan Province of the People’s Republic of China performing in town with the famous Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe or another Chinese extravaganza. Instead, Chen chose magic as the best way to channel her dexterity and dreams of a career on stage. 

It seems to have worked out. 

After just a few years, Chen won the All-China Best Magician competition in 1986, and within a couple of years had emigrated to Canada to study English to be able to bring her magic to the rest of the world. Still working only part time as a magician, she claimed the “Stage Magician of the Year” award at the annual convention of The International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1992. Five years later, Chen won the ultra-prestigious World Championship at the World Congress of Magicians (FISM) in Dresden, Germany, known as the “Olympics” of Magic as the event is only held every three years. 

“I was the first woman in history to win this title in manipulation, which is the most difficult category for magicians,” Chen recalled over the phone from her home in Las Vegas, where she’s lived for more than 20 years. “My magic is a little different from others. It’s a mix of western and eastern culture together. Because of that, and as the first lady to win the title, it’s given me a lot of work and kept me popular through today.” 

Despite her decades of experience, Chen said she’s still learning more about magic, developing new tricks and practicing new routines, including one with linking rings that she just performed at the Magic Castle in Hollywood not long ago. 

“I still enjoy it. I always have a deck of cards in my hand. It doesn’t matter whether I’m sitting in the car at a traffic light, or watching a show. I’m always practicing.” 

When she appears at the Lobero as part of It’s Magic! on March 9, her performance will be a bit more familiar. 

“I do the piece that won the world championship,” she said. “Cards, mask change, and quick changes.” 

Saturday’s It’s Magic! pair of performances is the first iteration of the half-century old annual revue since co-founder and producer Milt Larsen, the magician and TV writer who also co-founded Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle, passed away last May. The ensemble of prestidigitators includes Jay Johnson, whose comedy theatrical ventriloquism performance Jay Johnson: The Two and Only has won Tony and Los Angeles Ovation Awards; comedian Dana Daniels and Luigi, the “Psychic Parrot”; Les Arnold and his daughter Dazzle’s magic-parody act featuring mind-boggling illusions in the grand style with modern twists and humor; and Jason Bishop, who covers the gamut by encompassing sleight of hand, grand illusions, and close-up magic projected onto a large screen. 

“It’s a lot of good magicians working together,” said Chen, who also spends much of her time training young magicians from China and elsewhere. “We’re always happy to support this program, which is great for the whole family.”

Call (805) 963-0761 or visit www.lobero.com for tickets.