Abracadabra

 Magic & Magicians Quiz 

A hundred years ago this week, the Great Lafayette, the best known and highest paid magician of his era, died in a fire at an Edinburgh theatre during one of his shows. Born in Germany as Sigmund Neuberger but brought up in the United States, he embarked on a vaudeville career that saw him take on the stage name of the Great Lafayette. His elaborate and mystifying illusions brought him massive fame and great wealth which he used to fund an enigmatic personal life as a reclusive bachelor whose closest companion was a dog called Beauty given to him as a present by Harry Houdini. Neuberger, who was in the Scottish capital for a fortnight of shows, became grief stricken during the first week of the run after Beauty died as the result of overfeeding. Several days later, the blaze at the Edinburgh Empire Of Varieties broke out during the climax to his act in a finale that involved him performing with a lion, fire eaters, jugglers and contortionists. Most of the 3,000 strong audience initially took the fire to be part of Lafayette's act, until the stage became an inferno, with the magician being one of eleven fatal casualties. In an extraordinary funeral befitting such a showman, the cortege was headed by Lafayette's Mercedes containing a Dalmatian hound as the sole passenger, before the magician was buried with the recently deceased Beauty. Highly Questionable has become fascinated by the Great Lafayette and dedicates today's quiz on magic and magicians to his memory.              

 Magic & Magicians Quiz Questions 

 1  In which of the tales from 'The Arabian Nights' does a character use the incantation 'Open Sesame' to gain access to a cave that has been sealed by a magic spell?

 2  In the magical Harry Potter world, name any one of the three dark arts spells known as the 'unforgivable curses'?

 3  Nominated for the 2011 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, 'The Illusionist', featuring a magician whose act is increasingly viewed by audiences as old fashioned, is mostly set in which city?

 4  In which of Shakespeare's plays does the character Prospero use his magical powers to control events? 

 5  American basketball legend Magic Johnston played for which team in the NBA?

The answers to our Magic & Magicians themed quiz will be published along with the next Highly Questionable blog post.

 Argentina Quiz Answers 

The answers to the Highly Questionable puppet themed quiz are:-

 1  'Evita' is the theatrical musical which features the song 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina'.

 2  Lionel Messi is the Argentine football who in 2010 was awarded the inaugural FIFA Ballon D'Or award. 

 3  Silver is the valuable substance from which Argentina derives its name.

 4  Islas Malvinas is the Argentine name for what the British call the Falkland Islands..

 5  Patagonia is the region of Argentina where Welsh is amongst the languages spoken.  

The author of the Highly Questionable? quiz and trivia blog, Harry Reid, is a freelance question setter, writer and blogger. He can be contacted at harryreid@btinternet.com