Description

The prolific Australian magic writer Charles Waller offers a fine selection of practical effects in this hundred-page book of stage magic. Waller’s clear and concise explanations are accompanied by easy-to-follow illustrations, and a wide range of material is described. The opening “Spinning Card” elevates the Boomerang Card from the status of stunt to baffling magic effect, as a selection invisibly travels across the stage and into a picture frame. The explanations that follow cover everything from flower productions and spirit rapping to a pip-plucking card routine and a novel twist on the Rice Bowls, here performed with sand and glasses. Waller’s Second Sight act, which features a two-person code for transmitting names of flowers, is a highlight, as is “Hop, Skip and Jump”, a very entertaining transposition effect that uses a hat and matchboxes but could be updated by the resourceful modern performer to suit more contemporary props.