Christmas may be the season of joy and good news to all mankind, but it has always had its darker side. Even before Dickens's "A Christmas Carol” there was a tradition of reading ghost stories round the fireplace and chilling your bones as you roasted your chestnuts. With this in mind Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker will be bringing their authentic magic lantern show to the Georgian splendour of Guy's Hospital Chapel.
The Magic Lantern was invented by 17th Century Dutch scientist and mathematician Christiaan Huygens, who also devised the pendulum clock and discovered Saturn’s moon Titan. Huygens, as an august and respected man of science was a little embarrassed at his name being associated with so frivolous an apparatus. He licensed his Magic Lanterns to be sold by optical instrument maker Richard Reeve of London. Samuel Pepys was an early purchaser of one.
By the mid 18th century Magic Lanterns had been adopted by travelling showmen and conjurors, who realised their potential for scaring audiences with images of ghosts, gods and other supernatural creatures. Magic Lanterns were also used in necromancy (communication with the dead). They remained the dominant visual medium for 250 years until the invention of cinematography.
In this performance Jeremy and Carolyn will use a Triunial Magic Lantern, combining three projectors in a single device, to create a fast-moving show featuring the most spectacular effects the lantern can produce. Using original 19th century phantasmagoric images they will summon up a celebration of goblins, ghosts and the downright weird with accompaniment provided by the acclaimed silent film pianist Stephen Horne.
Tickets £15 including a delightful gin cocktail and 20% donation to Guy's and St Thomas' Charity.
Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker
Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker present unique magic lantern entertainments using original glass slides and equipment from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries alongside modern slides of their own creation.Their shows feature an authentic triunial (or Triple) magic lantern combining three projectors in a single device. This is the most complex and rarest form of magic lantern entertainment. It allows them to present their fast-moving shows featuring the most spectacular effects the lantern can produce. Carolyn and Jeremy Brooker have been performing together for over 20 years to perfect this demanding art.
Stephen Horne
Stephen has long been internationally considered one of the leading silent film accompanists. A house pianist at London’s BFI Southbank for over thirty years, he has played at all the major UK venues and recorded music for many DVD and online releases of silent films. Although principally a pianist, he often incorporates other instruments into his performances, sometimes simultaneously.
| Ticket | Event time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
A Gothic Christmas
Magic Lantern Show ticket ticket including Gothic Punch |
19:00 - 21:00 | £15.00 |
Address
Guys Hospital Chapel, Entrance via the Courtyard, St. Thomas Street, London, SE1 9GU
Nearest Station
London Bridge (Tube)
Getting there
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