Description

Frederic Culpitt was not only the inventor of the Doll’s House illusion and the stage manager of St George’s Hall when John Nevil Maskelyne made it England’s “New Home of Mystery;” he was also an experienced performer of comedy magic, and in this seventy-six page book, he shares a number of his favorite routines. Culpitt offers a clever twist on the Rice Bowls, in which the contents of a child’s seaside sand buckets magically transpose before turning into sea water, a delightful spin on the Egg Bag that uses an ungimmicked bag and an egg signed by an audience member, and a fun card routine involving a pseudo-explanation, a card star and a young spectator. While the latter effect, and many the routines described, are intended for the stage, they could be easily adapted to close-up settings. Each effect is explained and illustrated clearly, with Culpitt providing his own highly entertaining patter; many of the gags he uses are still strong enough to provoke laughter today, and his approach to comic structure is well worth the attention of modern comedy performers.