Magic Tricks

It is easy for coin magic to all seem the same: Coins vanish, they appear, they vanish from here and then appear over there, and occasionally change color.
David Roth notably pushed back at that sense of sameness with his playful formal pieces that applied whimsical cartoon logic to these plots and centered other props as the "stars" of routines.
Here Curtis Kam applies his tremendous gifts to the same problem. Instead of coins just appearing, a knife is struck against silver ball and the shavings that shoot off are coins. Coins across is no longer "they were here and now they're there." We see the coins transform into ball bearings that roll into the other hand where they are again coins (there's a wonderful restraint in the execution of this, it's the kind of moment that has guests thinking "did that just happen"), "The Lawyer's Tale" is a coin vanish that feels unlike any other coin vanish you've seen.
While the clear intention is to expand the sense of what coin magic can feel like for the viewer, there is technical finesse and solid thinking that will benefit any sleight-of-hand you do (At one point host Erik Tait apologizes for a simple-seeming question that leads down a thoughtful rabbit hold, Curtis replies "It's complex because I have a lot to say about simple things" and boy does he (and it is all worth your time and attention.))
As a bonus item (I think so labelled because it is a traditional plot it doesn't fit neatly into the bigger theme of the lecture) we are treated to Curtis' masterful version of The Cylinder and Coins. Like any great interpretation of a classic plot, this is the work of someone being as clear as they can about why a classic routine is impactful and doing everything he can to maximize those factors and eliminate everything else. Kam's analysis leads to a routine where the focus is a bit different than others (and that also features far more coins than others, something I was ready to hate but -- understanding why he is making that choice and seeing the impact -- I love). His thinking on the central gimmick of the routine is surprising and imminently practical.
Highest recommendation.
Nathan Coe Marsh
Honolulu, July 2023