The Pendragons

Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon are an award-winning husband-and-wife team of American illusionists who call their work "physical grand illusion". They are widely known thanks to numerous national and international television appearances. The couple are distinguished from many other husband-and-wife magic acts in that Charlotte Pendragon is credited as an equal partner rather than an assistant. She has been honoured in her own right as a magician and has achieved notable firsts as a woman in the magic profession. Jonathan Pendragon is one of the most creative magicians in recent history.

Their Performance

The couple met at the University of California, Irvine, where Jonathon was studying theatre and Charlotte was studying dance under choreographer Eugene Loring and George Balanchine who was a visiting choreographer. Charlotte (born Charlotte Brown) is a dancer and former gymnast and world class physique bodybuilder. Jonathan was an All American gymnast, spring board diver, martial arts expert and fencer. He used his skills as an a top athlete in his career as a Hollywood stuntman, performing the back hand springs for John Belushi down the church aisle in the Blues Brothers. He became Belushi's stunt double and friend, coordinating and second directing the work in Continental Divide. Together Belushi and Jonathan were working on the writing the stunts for John's next film when he passed away. Jonathan and Charlotte's athletic skills allowed the pair to develop a distinctive and graceful take on classic illusions such as levitation. Their full evening 2 hour touring show includes a number of new illusions with which they have become particularly associated, including Interlude, in which a woman crawls through a man's chest. They were the first to perform this masterpiece. Other magicians used their performance as a template for their own presentation of Interlude. The two illusions The Pendragons are most famous include Metamorphosis which they set a Guinness World Redord with a speed of .24 seconds. They were honored with this acheivement in the 50th annual Guinness Book of World Records. Their second illusion in which they shattered all previous magic perceptions is Clearly Impossible a sawing in half unique, because the audience sees Charlotte head to toe the entire time. The box is transparent. This last was designed by Jonathan Pendragon.

Jonathan performed a motorcycle penetration for the a Worldwide Magic TV Special in which The Pendragons were the stars. Later he vanished 25 of the most beautiful show girls in Las Vegas at Casesar's Palace for a live audience and an NBC TV special. Of course the girls reappeared along with Charlotte.

The Guinness Book of Records lists the duo as holders of the record for "Fastest Transformation Illusion" for their performance of Metamorphosis.

These internationally known illusionists are the most groundbreaking magical couple in the world. They have been performing together for over 27 years, stunning audiences that have included the President of the United States, the Queen of England, the Prince of Wales and the Royal Family of Monaco with their incredible illusions. Recently Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon were included in the 2005, 50th Anniversary edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for their split-second illusion, Metamorphosis. The Guinness entry reads: The Pendragons perform the fastest transformation illusion in the world. "They do it so fast, they would have fooled Houdini," states The Times, London.

Jonathan Pendragon is one of only five contemporary performers named in 100 Most Influential Magicians of All Time in Magic Magazine. Charlotte Pendragon is the most honored woman in the history of the art form. She was voted into England's famed Inner Magic Circle; amazing because she is an American and no woman had ever received this honor in the 100 plus years of the organization. Charlotte was the first woman to receive "The Magician of the Year Award" from the famed Magic Castle. Together The Pendragons have won the prestigious award twice, a feat that only four other living magicians have accomplished.

The Pendragons have entertained audiences in theaters and on television in over 50 countries. They have starred in 14 prime time magic specials on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, Disney, Showtime, The Family Channel, VH1, E Entertainment and on CNN's Showbiz Today. They have made more international television appearances than any magician in history. On a recent edition of NBC's World's Greatest Magic, Jonathan and Charlotte closed the show by making 25 showgirls vanish on stage at Caesars Palace. They have made several appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They played a prominent role in the three-hour-long PBS special, The Art of Magic.

The Pendragons enjoy creating innovative ways to perform. For PBS television they performed with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, presenting illusions to classical music. For Universal Studios they wrote, directed and starred in a special nighttime magical illusion spectacular, Illusions of the Night, which played to more than one million people. The special gained the reputation as Universal's most successful live show ever.

Jonathan constantly works on new illusions and is famous among his peers for being a consummate entertainer. David Copperfield stated on stage, "When the history of magic is written, Jonathan Pendragon will be remembered as one of its most creative performers." An NBC Executive Producer, who has produced 14 magic specials for NBC and ABC, often has Jonathan assist in front of and behind the camera. In fact the executive stated, "If anyone can bring something original to magic, it's Jonathan Pendragon."

Jonathan and Charlotte met at the University of California, Irvine. Jonathan graduated with a degree in theater and Charlotte in dance. They were married soon after and reside in Shell Beach, California. They are truly the world's most magical couple

Notable appearances

The Pendragons have appeared on television in more than 50 countries and starred in 14 primetime specials on US networks, including their own Night of Magic show for Disney, severalWorld's Greatest Magic shows for NBC, and Champions of Magic for ABC. For PBS television they performed with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, presenting illusions to classical music. For Universal Studios they wrote, directed and starred in a nighttime magic spectacular, Illusions of the Night, which played to more than a million people. They are have also frequently been guests on programmes such as the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Paul Daniels Magic Show.

They have performed at presidential galas for US presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush including a command performance for President Clinton at the Ford's Theater for an ABC TV Special. In Britain they appeared at the Royal Variety Performancefor the Queen of England. They also appeared in a Royal gala show in Monaco including a TV collaboration with Princess Stephanie. Jonathan and Charlotte performing their Artist's Dream, a vignette about an artist's wife dying and appearing as a ghost. Princess Stephanie composed and sang an original song dedicated to her mother, Princess Grace for this performance. It was seen across the US to TV viewers on a ABC TV special The Pendragons co-starred in.

Jonathan co directed along side famed directorNorm Jewison a segment for the movie Bogus starring Whoppi Goldberg. He created and directed a levitation similar to their Midsummer's Night Dream levitation performed for Disney in Europe. Jonathan acted as a maestro with Master Maestro Erich Kunzel of theCincinnati Pops. Together they created a show where The Pendragons performed their brand of magic to his music.

Awards and honours

Charlotte was the first woman to receive "The Magician of the Year Award" from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) in the USA. Together The Pendragons have won the prestigious award twice, a feat that only four other living magicians have accomplished. In 1991, Charlotte Pendragon became the first woman to become a Member of the Inner Circle of the British Magic Circle. Jonathan was chosen by Magic magazine, as one of ten living magicians whose work shaped magic in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Jonathan was specially honored by the Lab School in Washington DC. Every year the school honors 5 distinguished individuals who have accomplished the greatest achievements in their fields. These individuals must have suffered a learning disability while growing up and overcoming it against all odds. Notables honorees include Cher, Tom Cruise.

Accident

During a fall at his home in late September 2006, one of the arrows from Jonathan's archery collection pierced his lung, his heart, his stomach, and his liver. It happened while rehearsing a dangerous trick for his upcoming show involving a compound bow and arrow. He has since made a full recovery.

References

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117862502.html?categoryid=2&cs=1

Further reading

• Moehring, John (August 1999), "The Century: The Pendragons", Magic Magazine, Vol.8 (No.12) {{citation}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |volume= has extra text (help)

External links

• The Pendragons' Official Site

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