Join David Bull, who played the role of stage magician Le Grand David for over 35 years, as he celebrates his 70th birthday with an afternoon of variety entertainment featuring David along with stand-up comedian Paul D’Angelo, sophisticated zanies Amy G. and Kenny Raskin, and Minstrels in the Gallery — a tribute to classic Jethro Tull with special guest former NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman on flute.

The curtain will rise at the Cabot Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts for this unique, one time only matinee showcase of magic, comedy and music that promises awe, laughter and tuneful surprises.

Le Grand David’s 70th Birthday Bash is being presented by D’Excelsior Productions and The Cabot Performing Arts Center.

D’Excelsior Productions will donate 10% of its net ticket proceeds to organizations that promote civics, voting, and democracy.

Join us for this unique showcase of talent at Beverly’s beautifully restored Cabot Theatre. 

This event is sponsored by:

David Bull, Co-Producer

For over 35 years (February 1977 to May 2012), David Bull played the marquee role in Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company. This theatrical ensemble became the “longest-running, resident stage magic show in the world,” according to Guinness World Records by 1999. The company’s lifetime director, Cesareo Pelaez (Marco the Magi), created the show in the mid-70s. The family-friendly stage magic extravaganza ran for over 2600 performances in Beverly, Mass.

Over the decades, Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company became a cultural institution, with major articles in TIME, Smithsonian and National Geographic World magazines, and on the covers of over three dozen magic magazines around the world. David won the Illusionist of the Year award (2000) from the Milbourne Christopher Foundation and was given honorary lifetime membership in both The Magic Castle in Hollywood and The Magic Circle in London, England.

Martin Miller, Co-Producer

On June 30, 2022, after a career spanning more than three decades in public broadcasting, Mr. Miller retired from his position as President of New England Public Media (NEPM). Miller began his media career at ABC Radio and then Metromedia television in New York City, followed by a public media career starting in 1979 at WNYC, and then continuing at WGBH Radio in Boston in 1985, where he rose to Program Director. He was instrumental in helping launch The World, the first international news radio program for an American audience. He also produced several award-winning programs, including “Oy Chanukah!” with the Klezmer Conservatory Band.

Paul D’Angelo

A former Essex County (MA) assistant district attorney, Paul D’Angelo has become one of the country’s top stand-up comedians. Headlining A-list comedy clubs for years, Paul has also opened for over sixty internationally known artists, including Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, The Beach Boys, The Temptations and George Carlin, performing in venues from the legendary Friar’s Club to the main showrooms at Harrah’s and Caesar’s Palace. He is a multiple eLit Book Award winner for his books, Stories I Tell and More Stories to Tell.

Amy G.

“Expert and inspired” — New York Times

The Hollywood Reporter called Amy G., “the funniest comedian you’ve never heard of.” Yet she’s won Olivier Awards, performing in over 40 countries worldwide, including her own shows on Broadway and London’s West End. Imagine Carol Burnett, Liza Minelli and Jim Carrey had a 3-way and raised their love child at a roller disco. Forged from vaudeville stock, classical training, and endless international tour circuit, Amy G. is a deluxe weirdo extraordinaire.

Kenny Raskin

Known world-wide as a leading physical comedian and teacher of clowning, Kenny has starred as the lead clown Everyman in Cirque du Soleil’s Nouvelle Experience and in the original Broadway cast of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as LeFou for three years. As an actor in 2016 he won the Suzi Award for Best Actor in a Play for the role of Nat Moyer in I’m Not Rappaport, and appeared as the Vaudeville Comedian in Barry Levinson’s film, Liberty Heights. He is also a singer/songwriter proficient in ukulele, guitar, piano, mandolin, banjo and bouzouki.

Minstrels in the Gallery

A tribute to the classic music of British rock giants Jethro Tull, this 5-piece band features multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and actor Chris Devine in the role of frontman Ian Anderson, whose often flamboyant presentation has always been seasoned with self-deprecating humor. Performing on flute, guitar, mandolin, violin and sax, Devine is a veteran of both the rock and classical stage, including a long stint as featured soloist with guitar icon Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple. Together with the Minstrels, he plays all the hit songs from the glory days of the band, 1969-1977, when Tull packed arenas around the world. Joining Devine are Joe Fitzaptrick on drums, guitarist Joe Boyle, Ken Forfia on keyboards, and bassist Bill Noland.

Cady Coleman

Cady Coleman is a former NASA Astronaut and a retired US Air Force Colonel having flown on two space shuttle missions and the International Space Station. As an amateur flute player, she is known for her “Space Duet” with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and her work with the acclaimed Irish band The Chieftains, along with Minstrels in the Gallery. She is also a research affiliate to MIT’s Media Lab, is a regular contributor to ABC News, and she co-hosted Arizona State University’s Mission: Interplanetary podcast. From space, she coached Sandra Bullock for her role in “Gravity.” She and her family are featured in a PBS documentary, Space: The Longest Goodbye, and her book, Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change is due out July 2nd!