Magicians never reveal their secrets. But sometimes, they admit they were wrong.
On Thursday night in London, members of a top British magic society came together to right a three-decade-old blunder: The rejection of what they now consider one of the greatest deception acts their members ever fell for.
“It was an amazing ruse — fooling a room full of magicians,” said Maddie Spencer, 48, who is in the group, known as the Magic Circle.
In March 1991, when the club was restricted to men, a woman named Sophie Lloyd disguised herself as a man and earned full membership. (Her alias: “Raymond Lloyd.”) But when she and her accomplice revealed their ruse later that year — at the same time as the Circle started accepting women — the society promptly ousted her.
For years, “Raymond” was like a ghost floating through the Circle; a rumor or a half-formed memory. Then, in November last year, the Circle announced a public search for Ms. Lloyd. They wanted to apologize and welcome her back.
Sophie Lloyd as Raymond Lloyd back in the day, so that she could be accepted into the Magic Circle.Credit…Via Sophie Lloyd
On Thursday night, they took a step toward righting the wrong.
Being magicians, any old “sorry” would not do. They needed a performance worthy of such a daring deception.