The John Carey Lecture
Anglia Magic Society (Norwich)
20th September 2011
Reviewed by Steve Majes


What a great lecture! I had heard good reports, from other societies, and they were all true! John delivered a clear and concise lecture in a relaxed manner; this gave confidence to all our members and allowed questions to be asked without fear.

At the start of the lecture John briefly mention that he had a DVD for sale “Handle With Carey”. He wasn’t going to ‘hard sell’ this item but it was there if anyone was interested. After John’s first two magic effects I WANTED THAT DVD!

The material was easy to follow, nothing was to finger-flinging, just magical and straight to the point. John opened with a coin routine where a half dollar changed into an old English penny and then into a Chinese coin, it then changed through this cycle again before disappearing with no trace only to find all 'three' coins back in a previously empty coin purse. Sticking up for Larry, was an effect where a chosen and signed card inserted in the lower half of the deck rises and appears, FACE UP, at a chosen number. You would think this was accomplished with major sleight of hand and some second dealing, wrong! It was simple and direct and well worth the price of the DVD. The first half of the lecture concluded with a transposition of four aces, on the table, with four jacks placed in different pockets. This would be explained in the second half.

During the interval John went through moves and subtleties, giving as much time as was needed. This was great and gave the members a real hands on learning experience.

The second half of the lecture had a routined coin sequence, where it disappeared and reappeared several times before expanding into a giant coin! And a back note routine, where a signed note vanished and appeared in a pill box that had been on the table from the start! These were just a couple of the many effects that John explained, the plots were easy to follow and well constructed with very magical twists. John also took questions regarding the business side of close up magic and gave tips for creating a great impression on your clients.

This was a fantastic lecture with great comments from all that attended. I will definitely be doing some of John’s routines and probably a few more after watching the DVD.

© Steve Majes, September 2011

 

Steve Majes is a full time professional magician and balloon twister.
He is a member of The Magic Circle and the actors union Equity.
He is also currently a committee member of the Anglia Magic Society.

 

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