Michelle Kaplan

The Magic of Pendragons

Don’t Blink.

Because in .24 seconds, something amazing will happen.

The Pendragons, a husband and wife magician team, hold the world’s record for morphing. In the blink of an eye, Charlotte Pendragon becomes Jonathan Pendragon. What else would one expect from a married couple of magicians other than the ability of one spouse to make the other disappear?

It’s a feat many would like to duplicate, but this couple has mastered the illusion. They even hold the Guinness Book of World Records title to prove it.

They’ve topped the master.

“Harry Houdini did it in three seconds,” said Charlotte.

Although being the fastest is an amazing trick, there are plenty of magic acts that tour the country. Charlotte points out that it’s the theatrics that set the Pendragons apart from the others. Combining the magic with drama, comedy, music and dance, this magic act becomes more like a Hollywood production providing a little something for everyone.

Over the Pendragons’ twenty-seven magical years, they have performed before a variety of audiences.  They have toured over fifty countries and entertained everyone from the Queen of England, the Prince of Whales, and Monaco’s royal family, to George and Laura Bush. They have also delighted dignitaries, as well as mesmerized the masses both in live theater and on television. However, it’s no illusion which medium Charlotte enjoys more-television or taking the stage.

“I like being able to give something to somebody. With a television show, there really isn’t any gratification until after you’ve seen the finished product, which is usually two to three months after when it airs. With a live audience, you have instant gratification. You’re making them happy, you’re giving them an emotion that they’re going to walk away with. It will be an experience that they’re going to have the rest of their lives.”

Their popularity has made magic industry insiders take notice. Both Jonathan and Charlotte have received many accolades from their peers. David Copperfield once said on stage, “When the history of magic is written, Jonathan Pendragon will be remembered as one of its most creative performers.”

Jonathan was honored as one of only ten living magicians whose work has shaped magic in the 20^th and 21^st centuries by MAGIC Magazine. Charlotte, a dead ringer for Terri Hatcher, is clearly no desperate housewife. The lady proves that anything he can do, she can do better - well, at least equally.

Charlotte was inducted into England’s prestigious Inner Magic Circle, a trick in and of itself, since a woman has never received that honor in the Circle’s more than 100 years in existence-much less an American woman.

She is also the first woman to win “The Magician of the Year Award” from the Magic Castle. The Pendragons as a team have won that award two times, only four other living magicians can add that claim to their fame.

Seeing this married couple working together leads one to wonder, just what came first, the romance or the magic?

Jonathan and Charlotte met in college at the University of California, Irvine, where they were both members of the swim team. They were married six months later.

“Jon has been a magician since he was nine. He was a theater major and performed magic at a dinner theater, where the part he was playing was that of a magician.”

It was also during this time that Jonathan was working as a stunt man. He doubled for John Belushi doing the dirty and dangerous work in movies.

“He was creating an illusion by miming somebody,” said Charlotte.

At the same time, they began putting together their own magic act where Jonathan performed and Charlotte assisted. She proved to be a quick study of the craft and soon became an integral part of the show.

They started out doing street magic and as demand for their act increased, Jonathan’s stint as a stunt man was put on the back burner. Since those early days, the Pendragons have starred in 14 television specials, on one they made twenty-five showgirls disappear from Caesars Palace.

In addition to all of the major networks, they have appeared on Disney, Showtime, The Family Channel, VH1, E! Entertainment and CNN’s, Showbiz Today. They have also been frequent guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While all of this working together would be curtains for many couples, Charlotte couldn’t see it any other way.

“I don’t know what it would be like not working with him. I think we stay very close together because we work together.”