The Genii Forum

Hello all,

But mostly Richard. I've been rereading Eugene Burger's book again, and noticed that the assistant in the photos, Jane Mansour, bears a striking resemblance to Jane, the envelope licking girlfriend who sent out the copies of Almanac.

In the book she seems to have very real expressions of surprise at the effects. If the two ladies are one and the same, a question arises;

Most partners of magicians I have met have either aquired that jaded 'don't you dare show me another four ace trick' look, or have at least picked up on some of the modus operandi of their obsessed other half and lost the sense of wonder. How did you manage to keep Jane's wonder going? Or is she just a very good actress?

Take care,

Ian

Yes, that is the same Jane pictured in both places. She is now Jane Solomon and she and her husband are our partners in Genii.

Morning,

An interesting outcome :) But again, how did she keep the sense of wonder?

Ian

Ian, Jane Solomon has asked me to post this response:
Dear Ian, Regarding that "sense of wonder" that so interests you, I was pretty new to magic at that time and all of it delighted me. That was the first time I met Eugene, so you can imagine he had no trouble eliciting the desired response. (I'm sure I also exaggerated a bit because I knew I was being photographed.) But the wonder was genuine. And I'm happy to report that at least 15 years later, it's still there, when the effect is a good one. And my husband Daniel, a layman as well, shares my enthusiasm. Besides, I've always suspected that the "jaded" look partners give might have more to do with the relationship than the magic...

Hi Richard,

Please pass on my thanks to Jane for her reply. It's refreshing to hear that she still enjoys magic so much.

Take care, Ian

P.S. My wife hated magic before we met :) Our first date conversation went:
What do you do for a living?
I'm a magician
What kind of a job is that?

It was uphill from there ;)

Jane Solomon (nee Mansour) is a good friend, a fabulously intelligent, sensitive and beautiful woman, and a smart businesswoman.

You can see her appear as the spectator in "On the Pass," Richard's video (produced by yours truly) although at about 5 AM, when we shot her segment, she was half asleep. It's available from Meir Yedid.

Matt Field