Project 365 (364/365): On Being The Best Magician In The Philippines

.:364/365: On Being The Best Magician In The Philippines:.

I don’t think it’s such a bad thing for any performer worth their salt to be regarded as “the best magician in the Philippines,” if such a title could possibly be given to someone and undisputed at the same time. Recognition of one’s contributions, skill, and abilities as a magician would certainly be quite a boon, but alack and alas, it’s rather difficult for anyone to ever so much as give a conclusive answer to a person who’d ask me, “Hey, Kel, who do you think is the best magician in the Philippines?”


But guess what? I’d actually dare to answer that, although at each turn, I’d be hard-pressed to qualify my answers. As a guy who insists on letting other people sing *his* praises than to do it himself, it feels appropriate for yours truly to give much-deserved props to some of the magicians I know and feel to be the best at what they do.

If you wanted the best magician you can get to perform for a children’s party bar none, it’s hard to recommend anyone else but the legen... wait for it... dary Lou Hilario himself. As a quality performer who has seen and done it all, Tito Lou is definitely the paragon that many of today’s magicians aspire for, but few can only begin to measure up to. He’s the measuring stick by which all children’s party magicians are measured.

If you’re looking for the best mentalist, I’m inclined to mention either Leodini or Rannie Raymundo, both accomplished in the mentalist arts, albeit in their own unique ways. The Boss prefers to leave audiences stunned at his sheer feats of mental acumen, whilst Leodini likes mixing comedy with his performances. Both are also accomplished in other branches of magic as well.

Speaking of comedy, among the funniest magicians you will ever meet, regardless of nationality would be Jeff Tam himself. He’s an excellent performer with wonderful comic timing and a good grasp of what it takes to do a character and control the flow of a routine. His multiple wins in international competitions aren’t pretty shabby, either.

For ventriloquism, well, I’m inclined to sing the praises of the great Ony Carcamo, who actually mentored fellow elite ventriloquist Wanlu. Sir Ony’s amazing feats of ventriloquism, coupled with his original material are a tough act to follow, and I have nothing but the highest of regard for the quality of his output.

As for other magicians like street magicians and the like, I’d also have to make mention of Trycks for sheer technical skill, and then Anthony Andres for all-around talent.

And just because I didn’t mention a magician here in no way indicates they aren’t good, by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, as a person who has worked with or jammed with all these performers, I have to say that it’s very difficult to come up with something like this. I’m actually very grateful that I’ve managed to align my performing persona in such a way that doesn’t directly compete with any of these luminaries, allowing me to technically be the best in my own niche of all-around entertainment steeped in a lot of unique twists and turns that have allowed me to give a fresh spin to the art, despite not at all reinventing the wheel for the industry.