[En] Magic Stuff: great CLASSICS revisited and BEN TRAIN’s ‘TRIbute’
Ace Assemblies, Twisting the Aces, Triumph, Invisible Palm, Hofzinser Ace Problem … if we call them “Classics” it’s because these effects have proved to stand the test of time: they’re always able to astonish audiences, especially if they’re refined with some modern and up to date touch.
Day in day out, new versions of great Classics are launched on the market. As a result, we are faced with countless products that call for our credit cards, and we need to find some criteria that’ll help us narrowing the choice and making sure to bring home something that is above par.
Personally, when I need to make a choice in terms of new renditions of Classics, I look for three elements:
- adherence to the Original: whether or not the new version respects the idea of the Master that first thought it;
- handiness: what the trick offers in terms of easiness in setup, fairness in handling and possibility of further customisation;
- crediting: how much researching the artist that offers me his product has done, inside the Magic Community.
Surely,tons of other variables can be considered (the fame of the magician, the price of the product, the quality of the materials, etc.), but the three principles I quoted earlier are, in my opinion, a conditio sine qua non.
Today, I stumbled upon a gem that satisfies my criteria, furthermore, a gem that – lo and behold – is offered by a young artist (in the teeth of those who say that magic is dying and that new magicians are dangerously drifting away from the Golden Age). I am talking about Ben Train, a performer from Toronto with a huge passion for magic, and his dvd TRIbute.
The product includes three massive effects: Bold Assembly (running time: 30 min), The Myth (running time: 42 min) e Triumph v.136 by Ben Train & Syd Segal (running time: 32 min).
Two items out of three are completely impromptu; the handling is fairly easy, for those who are still learning the basics, and still completely adaptable for those who love tecnicalities; the simplicity, in terms of routining, allows for extreme personalisation.
Over 100 minutes of details that do magic good, lots of variations to explore, and loads of History of Magic… the credits are among the most precise and informed that I have ever seen, a great joy in a world where everybody shouts when they think they’ve crafted a new idea, but then tend to keep it on the hush when they find out that someone had already thought of something similar. To me, if Dai Vernon and John Scarne keep smiling in those old pictures, it is also because Ben exists.
If I had to find a flaw in TRIbute, I could quote the fact that all three of the tricks need a flat support in order to be performed, so table-hopper could turn their noses up. Still, given the quality of the material, I am convinced that some of them could just as well decide to drag a table all the way from their homes, just not to waste an occasion to perform at least one of these miracles for their audiences!
The proof is in the pudding… You can find TRIbute @ The Blue Crown Online Store.
MARCO CHI - Tailored Deceptions 
Amazing!
Yes, Ben is amazing, indeed ;). Thanks for your comment, Jane!