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"Magictales" Two
by Leslie Melville
Published by Leaping Lizards Magic
Reviewed by Quentin Reynolds
For
countless generations, man has told stories not just to entertain or pass the
time but also to inspire, teach and pass on information to future generations.
The fables of Aesop and the parables of Jesus resonate with us because they
relate directly to the human condition.
In olden times good storytellers were held in high regard. In old Ireland, the
Seanachaidh, (Gaelic for storyteller), regaled all with tales of ancient lore,
brave deeds and great warriors.
Sadly with the advent of movies, radio and TV, this great tradition has almost
died out.
But not quite.
Fortunately we in the magic world have in our midst some first class
storytellers who mix magic with storytelling. Ed Solomon, Robert Neale, Eugene
Burger and ...
Leslie Melville.
Leslie now lives in Blackpool, England but his professional career has taken him
all over and in many different guises, or disguises. His CV covers work as
entertainments director, cruise ship performer, magician, children’s
entertainer, MC, bizarre magick, storyteller and ghost walk host.
A good story is inherently interesting. A good story told well is riveting. A
good story, told well with a touch of magic that does not interfere with the
story, but reinforces it, takes the whole performance to an even higher
emotional level.
I don’t know how good you are at telling stories but Leslie’s book will tick the
other two boxes providing you with a wealth of great stories with a magical
twist.
Unless you are promoting yourself as a storyteller, I don’t recommend including
more than one or two in a regular magic performance. If you are a storyteller
but don’t mention that you are a magician, including one or two of Leslie’s
(magical) presentations will have a powerful effect.
The book is full of solid, practical routines, all with the Melville touch. One
beef that Leslie has, and I am in full agreement with him, is with the modern
presentation of illusions. Box gets wheeled out, it does what it does and then
gets wheeled off, generally taking less than three minutes. Puzzling eye candy
with no emotional hook. Leslie offers his thoughts and includes a delightful
presentation for the Origami Box.
It is difficult to pick out the ‘plums’ of the book because there is so much
usable material. So I will mention a few. The one effect that will probably find
its way into more professional repertoires is ‘Another ...then Another...and
Another’, Leslie’s interpretation of Roy Scott’s Repeat Banknote Production.
I have seen Leslie perform this and it has a strong effect on laymen.
I draw your attention to Crandall’s Six Card Repeat, originally published in
Tarbell 6 but largely overlooked. Years back, Goodliffe, editor of Abracadabra
magazine pointed out that the effect was killed in Tarbell because the good
doctor (Tarbell) didn’t have a sense of humour. Leslie gives a full presentation
and has added a strong ending.
I could go on mentioning many of the other strong presentations, so I will just
tell you that some are for close-up and some for stage or platform. Some are
spooky and unsettling, while others are heartwarming and uplifting. None require
technical sleight-of-hand skills.
One caveat. Some of the seance type routines can be deeply unsettling and are
best suited to an experienced performer.
The appendix at the back has lots of artwork for you to photocopy and use for
your presentations.
Between the twenty-four routines there are essays on introducing yourself as a
storyteller, structure, and themed shows for schools.
216 pages, letter size paper (almost A4), perfect bound. Illustrated by Bill
Thompson and Barrington Powell with a foreword by Jeff McBride. $39.95 Published
by and full details at
www.leapinglizardsmagic.com/csspages/css_magictales_two.htm
Highly recommended and I also recommend you invest in the first book Magictales
as well, if you don’t already have it.
© Quentin Reynolds, June 2013