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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.