"The Naked Zombie Ball" DVD by Raymond Crowe
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"The Naked Zombie Ball", a DVD by Raymond Crowe, is an exciting routine, an elegant thing, that is as much a wonder to watch as it is to learn.

I've always been a bit of an outcast in that, no matter what decade, I always loved the Zombie Ball. Sure, other magicians may look down their noses at it, call it "ball on a stick" or whatever, but I still loved watching someone, anyone, perform a good Zombie routine. To me, it was always highly visual and, done well, absolutely entrancing. So I'm a bit biased; I don't have the hatred of the thing that others seem to express for it: give me a good Zombie routine and I'm happy; give me a great one and I'm thrilled to death.

Crowe's "The Naked Zombie Ball" thrills me to death, slays me, and then thrills me all over again. This is a gorgeous, beautiful routine and, without worrying about being contradicted, one of the best routines for the Zombie in existence. No hype: this is something to see.

I won't go into a description of it because words will never do it justice: check out the video for yourself and you'll see what I mean. I'll just tell you it's essentially multi-phased, with each phase building reasonably on top of it's predecessors in terms of apparent impossibility. You'll see (and learn) simple floats and animations all the way up to passing a ring over the ball and a few moves that are jaw-dropping in more ways than one.

Oh, I forgot... Crowe's routine uses no cloth and no Zombie gimmick. The Zombie goes all over the place with no cover whatsoever and (okay, I may be tipping something here but I'm operating from pure adrenalin after seeing this and playing with it) no wires, threads or the like. This is as elegant, as pure, as the Zombie can get.

So how's the thing work? I can tell you and still not reveal the secret, such is Crowe's thinking here. Crowe, you see, is a professionally trained mime of the classic school. What he did was a stroke of genius: he combined those classic mime techniques to the Zombie and came up with results that are something to be seen.

Now don't go off the rails on me here. Yes, Crowe uses mime techniques to accomplish the work, but these are simple techniques, eye-fooling techniques, and they are relatively easy to learn (if a bit of work to master). By introducing these techniques, Crowe makes the Zombie come alive without relying on traditional (or non-traditional, for that matter) gimmicks.

Okay, I've raved enough. Call it "unbridled but well-earned enthusiasm" if you will because Crowe's "Naked Zombie Ball" deserves it. This is a masterful work to say the least.

What do you need to know about this one...

Well, for starters, it works best on the stage. The reason is, simply, the angles. If you work in a platform or parlor environment, its conceivable you can pull this one off there: you don't need distance to make this work, but you do need very strictly controlled angles. If you can do that, then "Naked Zombie Ball" will play there as well.

Second, don't even think this is an easy routine to master. Yeah, you can have the moves down in your head in a few minutes (the basic method is insanely simple and well-known in its own right) but putting them together to achieve that elegance this routine needs will take a lot of time, practice, and rehearsal. Consider yourself warned.

But, at the end of the day, if you do stage work or work platform/parlor and can control the angles, this one deserves a look, regardless of whether or not you currently do the Zombie (strictly speaking, I'd recommend this for any performer just because the advice and tips Crowe gives suit any performer, but that's pushing it and I know it).

"Naked Zombie Ball" gets my highest recommendation. It's magical in more ways than one.

"The Naked Zombie Ball" DVD by Raymond Crowe
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Crowe's routine routine is gorgeously presented, beautifully structured, and artistically elegant. If you do stage work, especially with the Zombie, this DVD is, simply, a must-have. If you thought the Zombie ball was out of fashion, Crowe will make you think again. If you think it's over-exposed, Crowe's fiendishly simple methodology will win you over. This is excellent, excellent stuff.

Practicality: 10
You need a Zombie ball, a hoop or ring of some sort, and a stage on which to perform. There are no lighting restrictions, sound restrictions, or the like. True, there are angle problems, but nothing more than what is usually dealt with in stage environments. This is about as practical as you can get.

Quality of Production: 10
The production values are high here and that's got to be the understatement of the century. Everything is beautifully shot, the audio is perfect, the navigation thorough and simple... Even the creative touches, like the demo video shot as a miniature silent film, are great. Big thumbs-up here.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Crowe has so much to teach here it's almost a magical feat unto itself that he managed to do it as quickly and as thoroughly as he did. You'll work your tail off to get this routine to look as good as Crowe does, but Crowe teaches the ins and outs and whys and wherefores beautifully.

Presentation: 10
It's all about elegance here and Crowe's routine is busting with it. The visuals are awesome and awe-inspiring to be sure, but when all is said and done the elegance is the key and makes the mark.

Shane

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