"World's Greatest Magic: Close-Up Magic" Volumes 1 through 3 DVDs
by L&L Publishing
Suggested Retail USD$19.95 each
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"World's Great Magic: Close-Up Magic", a three-volume set by L&L Publishing, is a star-studded collection of non-card close-up magic, featuring some true greats performing some of their best routines, making this something any close-up worker looking for new, magical material should have.

'Course, I've been a big fan of the "World's Greatest Magic" series since day one. L&L hit on a goldmine here by creating a series that truly is a goldmine for those wanting to learn good, solid magic from the best performers. "Close-Up Magic", the latest of the series, is, again, pure gold.

As the name implies, these three volumes feature close-up magic. However -- and this is what makes these volumes so welcome -- there are no card effects here. Yes, folks, this is close-up magic minus the omnipresent, ubiquitous deck of cards. For those like myself, that like to entertain with more than the trusty pasteboards, there is more than enough material here to bring a ton of variety to your performances.

And brother, there's a lot of variety here.

On the first volume, you'll run into Bruce Cervon's "Hanky Panky". This is pretty much an act unto itself, with a burned handkerchief being restored and then used for a multiple production, first of a cigarette (which can be substituted with something else and probably should be nowadays) and then a glass of wine. Glen Falkenstein's "A Ball and a Tube" is next, and it's a great presentation and handling for the classic. Michael Ammar is next, teaching Schutzer's "Self-Folding Bill". Bob read follows his hilarious "Transpo Tumbler", which has a ball of paper not "transposing" but the glass covering it does. Mark Leveridge's truly classy "Stay At Home Coins" is next. This coin box routine, featuring a few great theatrical pieces, is worth the price of this disc. But then so is Flip's "Flip-Pins", which is a fantastic linking pins routine. But the real treasure here is Bill Malone's "Rub-A-Dub-Dub/Cups and Balls" routine, which is simply wonderful and as entertaining as it gets.

The second disc is more of the same and that's a good thing. It begins with Eugene Burger and David Parr and their wonderful version of Grant's $1/$5 transposition. I've always like this variant and, seeing Burger go through the work, I fell in love with it all over again. Banachek follows with a fascinating -- and shifty -- book test called "Word of the Ring". J.J Sanvert's "Bill and Pen" combines a bill change with a pen-thru for a great act with a spectator's bill. Gregory Wilson's mind-blowing bill switch, "Foreign Exchange" is next and it's staggering, period. Doc Eason's great "All Screwed Up", a three-ball routine done with nuts and a bolt, is charming, funny, and has a great kicker to boot. Daryl's "Cup and Ball", a one-cup/one-ball routine, is as masterful as you'd expect from the man and it's something else. The gold here, though, has to be Paul Wilson's "Little Piece of Cork". This routine is -- or should be -- as much a "have to learn" piece as the cups and balls. It's gorgeous, elegant, and brilliant for what could simply be referred to as a coin teleportation routine (in fact, it's Wilson's take on John Ramsay's "Cylinder and Coins". But, man, it's way more than that when done correctly and Wilson does it superbly.

But, with all of that, L&L seems to have saved the best for last (and that, Dear Reader, is saying something as you can tell). Volume three is filled with absolutely marvelous work. It begins with John Mendoza's jaw-dropping version of the Benson Bowl routine (referred to simple as "Bowl Routine") with an ending featuring multiple loads that both make sense and are hysterical. Want a lesson in handling the bowl and the misdirection involved? Look no further than Mendoza's routine as this one is worth the price. Tommy Wonder's "Eye of the Needle" is next and it's as off-beat as you'd expect from Wonder: the magical threading of a twenty strands of thread through the eye of a sewing needle. Strange, theatrical, and a wonderful giveaway item; this one has it all. Al Schneider's "Himber Wallet Routine" is next, and it's a delightful, cagey version of "Xerox Money" that teaches the way a Himber should be handled (which, too often, is not the way it is). Henry Evans' "3D Photograph" is a simple production of a handkerchief from a photo, but the routine is funny and the visuals really unexpected. David Roth's "The Planet" is a unique and gorgeous coin routine which begins with four US coins changing to foreign coins, one of which is signed by a spectator. The coins all vanish only to appear inside a small toy globe that has been in full view the entire time. Johnny Thompson proves why the best tricks are the old tricks with his masterful rendition of Malini's "Chink-a-Chink". Finally, the disc is rounded out by Larry Jennings' "Single Cup and Ball" routine. Beautiful in appearance, beautiful in structure, this routine is notable for the production of the cup at the beginning, it's vanish at the end, and Jennings' expert use of timing and misdirection.

So that's the treasure trove we're looking at here. With all those powerful names to conjure by, and those magical and entertaining routines, there's little doubt that this set is a must-have for any close-up worker looking for stunning, non-card magic.

A caveat, though, and it's about the practicality of the material. When some of these older videos where made, "close-up" meant one thing while now it means another entirely. Back in the day, when some of these routines first appeared on video, close-up also included what we would think of as "living room" magic now, with some distance between the performer and the audience. Nowadays, when we say "close-up", we think in terms of table-hopping, strolling, spectators-at-your-elbow kind of environments. As such, there are some routines that are more suited for those "living rooms"; pieces like Read's "Transpo Tumbler" and Cervon's "Hanky Panky" will work better there than in some bar or restaurant.

Also, while all the routines are practical in their own way, some of the conditions required will generate a pause in some performers. Table space seems to almost always be at a premium with these routines and, while most of the set-ups and resets are quick and easy, there are some routines that will weigh you down with extra work. And, as always, pocket space management is a must, moreso with some of the "larger" routines than others.

As for difficulty... it really all depends. Some things are quite simple, requiring the simplest of sleights, while other pieces are technically difficult if not for sleights but for misdirection and audience management. I don't recommend this set for rank amateurs, and even the more advanced will find themselves working a bit when it comes to some of the material (the work of Jennings, Mendoza, and Wilson all come immediately to mind), but overall the difficulty is moderate; you won't be breaking your fingers as much as you will be busting your behind.

Still, those are more cautionary points than anything else. The eclectic nature of the mix of workers and work here almost guarantees that there is plenty of stuff here that will work -- and work marvelously -- in almost any modern close-up environment. Or, put another way, there's something here that you will find is easily worth the purchase price and fit into your repertoire.

I'm going to break with tradition here and steal a quote from the ad copy:

"It's been said that even the world's largest and most spectacular stage illusion cannot create the impact – that feeling of pure astonishment – of a good, well-performed piece of close-up magic"

I happen to agree with that and the material in "World's Greatest Magic: Close-Up" is all the evidence I'll ever need to win that argument.

Let's call these by an oft-used and, in this case, understated phrase: "Highly recommended."

"World's Greatest Magic: Close-Up Magic" Volumes 1 through 3 DVDs by L&L Publishing
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Material: 9
The material is, in a word, excellent. Of course, masterful magic being presented and taught by masterful performers always is. The only drawback? While almost all of the material is suitable for today's close-up environments, a couple are more suited for platform work. Otherwise, this is as good as it gets.

Practicality: 9
While some of the routines will cost you some pocket real estate or need a trip to the bathroom to reset, a great deal of the work is extremely portable, with easy set-ups and quick resets and truly are designed to be as practical as it gets.

Quality of Production: 9
This is L&L and they rarely make a misstep; they didn't with this series. The production values are top-of-the-line, with only the occasional drop in quality due to the quality of the original video.

Quality of Instruction: 10
No matter the routine, no matter who teaches it, the L&L folks made sure to capture all the instructions with perfect clarity. You'll have no problem learning any of the routines here.

Presentation: 10
As can be expected, most of the presentations are comedic (with some powerful exceptions) and every one of the routines is engaging and entertaining. Presentationally, you can't ask for more.

Shane

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