SERVAIS LE ROY: THE MEPHISTOPHELEAN MONARCH MAGICIAN

Sid Quatrine
Dec 15
8 min read

White bold text "Servais Le Roy" on a black background.

Le Roy with a mustache and bow tie, arms crossed, in black and white. Background is blurred, creating a formal, vintage mood. — Servais Le Roy

Servais Le Roy was born on May 4, 1865, in Spa, Belgium. He began his professional career in Belgium in the late 1880s developing a passion for Soccer and Adventure, before moving to England in the early 1890s.

Leaving home at the age of 12 he went to London. Attending a school in Plymouth. Later, while in Wales pursuing a soccer career, LeRoy witnessed a man perform the "Cups and Balls". Captivated by it, he practiced until he could deceive the very man who had initially performed it. He learned card and coin tricks from books and soon developed a modest magic act to entertain his friends.

On his return to London, LeRoy immersed himself in the magic scene, spending countless hours in magic shops and interacting with fellow magicians. Initially, Le Roy performed with other illusionists, including the German-born magician Imro Fox and Frederick Eugene Powell. This trio, known as The Triple Alliance, showcased large illusions in London music halls and across the English provincial circuit in the late 1890s. At the age of 25 LeRoy and The Triple Alliance embarked on a series of performances in Spain. These shows achieved modest success but were not particularly profitable. The group would use this experience as the leverage to return to England, promoting it as a triumphant, standing room only European tour.

London had become the hub for large-scale illusion shows. By the early 1900's, he was residing and working in London, where he made a name for himself not only as a performer but also as a creator and supplier of magical equipment. His workshop and business were located at 12 Hatton Garden, London. Although their act attracted some attention, it was short-lived, prompting Le Roy to develop a performance that allowed him greater creative and commercial control. He was a pivotal foundational member of The Magic Circle, serving as the Chair on it's inception. Through these interactions, he learned about different styles and methods of presenting illusions, what resonated with various audiences, and what did not. For instance, Western audiences were still intrigued by the Far East, leading several white magicians to perform 'Oriental' acts, using costumes and yellowface, as audiences were more inclined to believe such magic was plausible in distant parts of the world. An example is Arthur W. Hartopp, a professional illusionist who performed under the name Li Sing Foo, among other exotic aliases.

LeRoy was hired to perform at the Royal Aquarium in Westminster, London, where he quickly gained significant success. It was here that he met a striking 16-year-old vocalist named Mary Ann Ford, who would become his performing and life partner. He gave her the stage name “Mercedes Talma,” she was known simply as Talma.

Servais taught Talma coin tricks, and her talent for sleight-of-hand quickly earned her the title of the “Queen of Coins.” Harry Houdini described Talma as “without a doubt, the greatest sleight-of-hand performer that ever lived.” Talma toured independently for several years, as palmistry acts were very popular at the time. She claimed she could hold 30 coins in her small hands and had a trick involving silks and flags that continued to emerge from a tambourine until the stage was covered in fabric, followed by rabbits and ducks appearing, much to the audience's delight.

A promoter brought LeRoy to the U.S., where he introduced his "Doubling Illusion," also known as the "Flying Visit," which he claimed was the first "doubling illusion" in the magic world. LeRoy was the pioneer in using doubles in his illusions. His brother, Charles LeRoy, acted as his double.

LeRoy was invited to join a group of three magicians. Initially, each magician performed in sequence. One of the others specialized in comedy magic.

This innovative approach debuted at Waldmann’s Theatre in Newark, New Jersey, and was an "instant success." The three magicians realised that this style of presenting magic shows, with multiple performers was a successful format.

They agreed to team up with others, leading to the dissolution of "The Great Triple Alliance," although LeRoy later used the name for his next act.

LeRoy returned to England and performed again with Talma. To complete the trio, he recruited Leon Bosco, a portly bald man known for his comedy on vaudeville stages.

Over the years, the character was played by at least nine different performers.

Bosco’s exaggerated clumsiness and comedic timing provided a contrast to Le Roy’s controlled demeanor and Talma’s precision, playing a crucial role in misdirection during larger illusions. Although the act was a true collaboration, programs and advertisements often featured Le Roy’s name first, reflecting his role as the designer and manager of the production.

During their “Big Show,” LeRoy executed major illusions at the center of the stage, while Talma engaged the audience with sleight-of-hand tricks involving coins and cards. Bosco served as a comedic counterpart, performing various pantomimes and pratfalls, and interacting with LeRoy. The show evolved into an elaborate, circus like spectacle featuring animals and dancers. The full two-hour performance, which included a cast of 22 people, required two entire baggage cars for transportation by train. Over time, it continued to expand.

By the early 1900s, Le Roy had formed the act that would define his career: Le Roy, Talma, and Bosco. The trio regularly toured Britain and continental Europe, appearing in major London venues such as the London Coliseum, the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square, and the Alhambra Theatre of Varieties. They were occasionally billed as The Comedians de Mephisto Company, a name that highlighted the blend of comedy, mystery, and theatrical spectacle that characterized their performances.

LeRoy would enhance existing illusions whilst developing some of his own.

After discovering a way to make a playing card float in midair and vanish, fellow magician Leon Bosco famously challenged him: “Why, LeRoy, if you can do that with a playing card, why can’t you do it with a woman?” Within weeks, LeRoy devised an illusion he first called The Mystery of Lhassa. Unsure that audiences would believe what they were seeing, he kept the trick secret for nearly five years.

LeRoy finally debuted the illusion in what was meant to be a one-time performance in Johannesburg. Bosco waited nervously in the wings with a tray of crockery, ready to interrupt the act with a noisy pratfall if the illusion failed. It never did.

When the company returned to London, the illusion the now named 'Asrah' illusion remained in the program. Though initially treated as a secondary effect, it soon eclipsed everything else in the act.

In the illusion, Talma appeared to be placed into a hypnotic trance and reclined on a couch or table at center stage, covered with a thin silk cloth. Under LeRoy’s direction, her form slowly rose into the air, reaching several feet above the stage. The supporting table was removed entirely, leaving her covered figure floating unsupported. LeRoy walked around and beneath the body and passed a large metal hoop over it, proving there were no ropes or visible supports. At the climax, he dramatically whisked away the cloth revealing that Talma had vanished. Moments later, she reappeared from the wings to thunderous applause.

The illusion caused an immediate sensation and was widely discussed in theatrical and magical circles. It was praised for its technical ingenuity, visual elegance, and perfect dramatic pacing. Even Thomas Alva Edison cited Asrah as a powerful example of the imagination’s ability to override reason. LeRoy guarded the secret fiercely for many years, but after a trunk was rifled and a key wire frame stolen, the basic method became known. In response, LeRoy began selling the illusion and instructing others in its proper presentation.

Asrah was quickly copied and adapted, becoming one of the most performed levitation illusions of the twentieth century.

In addition to the Asrah, Le Roy created several other remarkable illusions. These included Where Do the Ducks Go?, a humorous act featuring the disappearance of live ducks The Modern Cabinet, which enhanced earlier cabinet illusions with advanced mechanics, The Palanquin, an impressive double appearance inspired by Eastern ceremonial themes; and the quick change illusion Costume Trunk. He was also one of the pioneering illusionists to incorporate a piano as a magical prop.

LeRoy’s company was highly sought after, alternating between living and performing in London and New York City. Soon, they were touring globally, gaining international acclaim. The Monarchs of Magic were major attractions on a world tour in 1914 when war erupted in Europe. This left them stranded in Australia. LeRoy chose to return to the U.S. instead of London after the war.

By 1915, the Monarchs of Magic traveling show was described by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as featuring “Three African lions, 100 other animals, 50 illusionists, fakirs and jugglers, and three carloads of paraphernalia.” Of these, only the three carloads detail seems believable, but it highlights the extraordinary spectacle that the LeRoy magic show had become during this time.

Servais and Mary 'Talma' moved to Keansburg and established their magic company there, using it as their home and base for tour operations thereafter. Servais, Mary, and Charles LeRoy lived together in a house at 355 Carr Avenue.

Later, the LeRoys moved to a newer, smaller home at 84 Lincoln Court, where they were joined by Elizabeth Ford.

A rusty lion cage remained in the backyard for many years, a reminder of the company’s better days. It is unknown where the person or persons who played the Bosco character lived during these years.

In the early 1920s, Le Roy stepped back from touring with his own full production. In 1922, he accepted a contract from Horace Goldin to headline one of several touring companies presenting Goldin’s Sawing a Woman in Half illusion.

Le Roy led performances of this show in American vaudeville theaters, including engagements in New York, Chicago, and Boston. His participation lent credibility to the production, as Le Roy was already internationally recognized as an inventor rather than merely a presenter.

Servais LeRoy helped create entire magic shows for fellow magicians throughout his remaining years in Keansburg, including The Great Carmo. A warehouse would be filled to the brim with trunks containing LeRoy's theatrical equipment, he'd even store additional trunks at the local American Legion.

LeRoy became involved in community activities, helping to establish the Civic Association to promote improvements in the local community. He also performed magic tricks at various charity events throughout Monmouth County.

On October 24, 1930, at the age of 65, Servais LeRoy was severely injured when he stepped off the sidewalk in Matawan and was hit by a car, resulting in a concussion and broken ribs. The incident left him mentally and physically altered. Despite efforts to revive LeRoy's "Big Show" with a much publicised return to the Carlton Theatre in Red Bank, he could no longer remember his lines or how the tricks worked.

He returned to retirement, where he should have stayed, but some promoters convinced him to perform one last time in New York City on June 6, 1940. Unable to meet his usual standards, this final performance was a humiliating failure, marking the end of his illustrious career.

Accepting that he could no longer perform, LeRoy discreetly oversaw the removal of his magic tricks, supplies, equipment, and promotional materials from storage. He either took an axe to them and had them taken to the local dump or burned. Neighbors recalled seeing colorful Chinese boxes and unusual items among the trash waiting to be collected in front of LeRoy's house in New Jersey.

Talma LeRoy passed away in 1944 at the age of 70. Servais LeRoy died on June 2, 1953, at age 88. He was laid to rest in his stage costume at Fair View Cemetery in Middletown, beside his life long partner Talma.