it looks like you have two equal halves of gum. The left hand actually has gum show- ing, so it’s a convincing illusion (Fig. 3).
So far, the effect hasn’t even started. You’ve offered your friend a piece of gum, or accepted a piece, and torn it in half. Tak- ing the two “halves” of gum and display- ing them at the fingertips (being careful not to flash the actual stick of gum behind the hand), you’re going to perform the old stat- ic electricity gag on your elbows. Rub the right hand’s “half” on your left elbow, and the left hand’s “half” (really the stick of gum, sans flap) on the right elbow. At the same time, you’re going to ditch the paper tab in the right hand in your shirt collar as your hand comes down to connect the two halves.
Once the hands meet, I like to work them back and forth a little bit. When I’m ready to start revealing the restoration, I let the left thumb hold the innermost edge of the stick of gum and lever it up into a sort of spellbound position while massaging the center of the stick. Continue rubbing the center and slowly reveal that the gum is fully restored (Figs. 4-5). Because of the way it was levered, your fingertips cover the torn side but hold the gum very openly. From here, you can display the stick and unwrap it while covering the torn piece and let them take the gum, which lets you end clean.
ADVICE: You can really sell the action
of sticking the two halves together and restoring them. You can blow on them, lick them, light some candles, etc. Or, for a more direct approach, once the halves are together, you can just pull the stick up to your fingers and let them see that it’s once again whole.
Also, you don’t have to be flashy about ditching the pieces. I like rubbing them on the elbows because it’s easy and is really clean. You can of course work out more intricate ways of doing this, but don’t make a trick out of it.
From experimenting with different types of gum, I’ve found colored gum works well because it can be easily seen at the fingertips. If you’re using a piece of white gum with a white wrapper, it’s much harder to see.
Finally, I often change up the patter when performing this one. Sometimes I’ll talk about wanting to save half for later but change my mind, or I’ll say that I will “halve the calories.”
CREDITS: This effect is a good exam-
ple of how something old can become new. One of the most impressive tricks I ever saw when I was getting into magic was the Broken and Restored Cigarette. This was the foundation of this idea, which was applied to something more organic (and healthier). Tony Slydini’s “Cigarette Mira- cle” can be found on page 119 of the 2008 edition of Stars of Magic.
Next, Jay Sankey had a lot of influence on this effect. He published an effect called “Electric Candy” in a set of lecture notes entitled Real Simple Magic (page 7). Also, the subtlety of allowing the audience to see the piece of gum inside the wrapper comes from “Cut and Restrawed” off of Jay’s The
Real Work on Restaurants and Bars DVD
The purpose of this column is to share high-impact close-up and parlor magic requiring beginner to intermediate skills and to help you fuel a desire to practice, perform, and grow. I’m looking for contri- butions! If you have something to share, please e-mail me at joemturner@gmail
EFFECT: Show three silver dollars in
the right hand and, in the left, one Chinese coin with a hole in the center. Put the Chi- nese coin under the silver stack in the right hand. Then, like an elevator, the Chinese coin goes through one silver coin and arrives in the third position. Repeat the effect and the coin goes to the second, then the first position. For the climax, all the sil- ver coins that were under the Chinese coin go through the hole in it.
REQUIREMENTS: Three silver dol-
lars and one Chinese coin with a hole.
SET-UP: The three silver dollars are in
the right hand and the Chinese coin is in the left hand. Hold the silver coins as in Fig-
ure 1 between the thumb and first finger of
the right hand. The Chinese coin is held at the tips of the left thumb and forefinger.
PERFORMANCE: (Editor’s note: The
illustrations are for a table routine but the hand positions are similar.) Show the silver coins in the right hand, then show the Chi- nese coin in the left hand. Under cover of showing the Chinese coin, let the bottom silver coin drop down to rest on the second right hand finger.
Then put the Chinese coin between the last coin and the second coin (Fig. 2).
Close everything and wave your left hand over your right hand. Then push the coins that are held in the right hand with the right thumb into a fan toward the spec- tators (Fig. 3).
Mario Lopez is a great young Spanish magician from Gerona. He performs magic with coins, sponge balls, and cigarettes. Working with Tony Slydini’s ideas and tak- ing them one step further, his cigarette act is a close-up masterpiece. You can see much of his magic on YouTube.
Mario won first prize in close-up at FISM Europe, and he plans to compete at the FISM World. If you get a chance to meet him, take advantage of it. He is a generous man and you will enjoy the experience
This is a stand-up routine based upon Dai Vernon’s classic, “The Ambitious Card.” It uses the same plot that Giacomo Bertini presented last month, but a different rou- tine. (Rubiales, who performs the routine on a table, also has a stand-up version.)