"Interlace" by Richard Sanders
Suggested Retail USD$59.95
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Interlace", the latest from Richard Sanders, is a staggering piece of magic that delivers such a huge punch spectators will be reeling from it for a good long time. If its your cup of tea, this is as good as magic gets.

The trick is determining if this is for you or not. And that's where my job here gets a bit tricky itself.

First, the effect. You can see "Interlace" in action here. Essentially, a ring is borrowed, vanishes and, without your ever going near your shoe, ends up tied into the loop of your shoelace. It's "Ring Flite" with your shoe... and without the worries the classic carries with it.

"Interlace" does come with a lot of pluses. You don't have to worry about hearing a sickening, metallic sound as the spectator's ring goes flying across the room. There's no worry about a clip damaging the ring or the action causing the ring harm. From the standpoint of workability, with "Interlace" there is no switching to fuss with, no reels to play with, and no reset to bother you. It can be done with pretty much any ring (there are a few considerations but they're minor). Carry and wear all the stuff and you're good to go.

And that's going to be the deciding factor on the value of "Interlace". You're rigged to the hilt here. Your pants are rigged, your shoes are rigged, you've got to carry another extra something, pocket management can be a bit tricky... for some that's just going a bit too far. After all, do you really want to be sewing this and that in place to your favorite clothing (I could phrase it more frighteningly and ask "Do you really want to spend an hour or two of your life sewing?" but I'll restrain myself)? Maybe changing the shoes you wear? All for a single trick?

If the answer's "yes", then "Interlace" is the perfect trick for you in many, many ways. If it's a "no", then pass this one by. If you're still pondering the question, get "Interlace" and see for yourself if the impact you can get is worth the alterations.

To be fair, there is one version that doesn't require those alterations and it's good, but nowhere near as strong as the "full tilt" version. Whether that softer version is worth it is very much a personal choice; me, it is just too weak to fool around with much.

So, other than the attire issues, are there other considerations with "Interlace"? A few. First, it can't be done with any old ring. Playing around with it, you'll quickly realize that there are some rings that are better than others. You're nowhere near as limited as you are in other such version of the theme -- I'd say probably one out of a thousand rings is going to give you pause -- with the major consideration being size and weight. Second, this is one that you need to be standing for (a little thought and work could make this workable for seated situations, but out of the box you're going to be doing this one standing). Third, there is a chance, especially in your early performances of this thing, of ending up with the ring sitting quietly on the floor next to your shoe. Embarrassing to say the least, but some careful work during construction and this one all but disappears; this was a major problem for me until I got things set "just so" and it never happened again.

With all of that said, why does "Interlace" remain one of my favorite pieces?

Simple enough: the impact.

This one absolutely blows people away. It sinks them. It slays them. It kills them. It boggles their fragile minds. There aren't enough ways of saying just how well this goes over. Of course, a great deal of that power comes from Sanders real genius here: his routining of "Interlace".

On the disc, you'll see over a dozen different ways of presenting Sanders work, from the straightforward to the add-on at the end of an existing routine. There is so much there, so many variations to play with, one will work for just about everyone. In my case, it was the ultimate climax to a short ring-and-string routine that did it. That one idea made "Interlace" into a theatrical work of art for me, fits my style, and that's the way I'll do it. The term "your mileage may vary" applies here, but the odds are good one of the many presentations will resonate with you and you'll be in heaven.

If the gaffing and gimmicking doesn't get to you, then this is the version of "Ring Flite" you've been waiting for. It's a powerful piece worth its needs and will be a favorite for a long time.

"Interlace" by Richard Sanders
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
"Instantly repeatable" is the catch-phrase for this one and there are no difficult angle problems to speak of. This is a great routine all the way around. The only problem? Specially gimmicked clothing abounds (which will turn off a number of folks) that can reduce the real estate in your pockets, but there are even workarounds for that (although they do weaken the effect). All in all, this is perfectly practical for most performing situations.

Workmanship: 10
Everything supplied is extremely well made and should last a lifetime with proper care.

Documentation: 10
Sanders buries you with docs here. In addition to a very well put together manual (loaded with photos and text), the DVD is packed with everything you need to know to pull off this shocker.

Effect: 10
I would have never thought something like this would play as big as it does but it does and how. Expect screams with this one, alternating nicely with stunned silence.

Presentation: 10
Sanders outdid himself here, offering many varied routines to make this one logical and strong. He concentrated on structure here and it shows.


Shane

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