Jolly Roger

Jolly Roger (Roger Blakiston) was born in Northumberland, England. His interest in magic started when he got a box of magic tricks for his ninth birthday. He was hooked!  Roger decided at a young age that when he grew up he wanted to be a professional entertainer. However, he never thought it was possible to have a career as a magician, so he went to Drama School to train as an actor.

 

He attended the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic art in London. Following Drama School, he spent a couple of years in the legitimate theater before being offered a job as a magician/MC in Lido Di Jesolo, Italy. He ended up doing three summer seasons there. After that, his magical career skyrocketed, and for several years he worked around the world as a magician and illusionist in clubs, hotels, and on cruise ships. He toured Australia. He appeared on television in five countries. 

 

In the mid 1980’s, his career changed direction. A hamburger chain in England called “Huckleberrys” was looking for a magician to promote their products around the country. He was to be a character, a bit like McDonalds have “Ronald McDonald”. Hundreds of magicians were interviewed for the job and Roger was fortunate to secure the gig. For a year he was “Chuckleberry the Magician”. He wore a yellow wig, green sparkly spectacles, and a blue and green dazzling costume. The place mats and other items at the restaurants had his picture on them, and he became a minor celebrity. He would visit a town, and be magically produced out of a giant milk shake by a television star.

 

Roger’s reputation as a top notch children’s entertainer was growing rapidly. He decided to focus more on children’s shows. Within a year, he became the number one children’s entertainer in London. Stars of stage and screen, as well as royalty, would book him for their children’s birthday parties. He even performed for the young Prince William who was seven years old at the time! He ran his own agency, Jolly Roger Entertainments, for several years in the late 1980's. 

 

In 1992, Roger sold his agency and moved to Arizona. His old agency is still in existence in London. Americans also recognized the amazing talent of Jolly Roger. His unique style, his magical expertise, vivacious personality and delightful British Humor, are the ingredients that add up to a recipe for truly great entertainment. He does hundreds of shows every year for both adults and children.

 

Roger is also an author and poet. He has had six books published: The Spiritual Stage, Forest of Song, Meadow of Verse, Desert of Inspiration, River of Rhyme, and his lates tome released in 2023,Universe of Whispers. They are all available on Amazon.