Dan Harlan IS a genius, true. His creations and presentations have been among the most clever in
magic, and certainly CardToon is immortal.
But the strongest credit belongs to that OTHER
Harlan - Dr Tarbell. His lessons, especially the originals, demonstrate and teach principles as well
as methods, and teach how to make strong magic. It's no wonder that the greatest of magicians based
their work on Tarbell's course. Lance Burton, for instance, has said his act was something like
85-90% Tarbell.
Dan's greatest genius, in this case, is to distill the actual teachings
from Tarbell. Yes, there are different, newer ways to present and perform - Tarbell did teach to
make the magic your own. And Dan not only does that, but shows us HOW he came to the conclusions he
has.
He sometimes hurries, using a phrase such as "I didn't really like that" when he's
speaking of minor specifics. But what he's saying, and what he's showing - is that if one learns the
lessons from Tarbell, one can create - sometimes out of thin air - strong, powerful, mysterious
magic.
And THAT is where Dan's genius really shines: He knows good stuff when he sees it,
and he knows how to make an audience sit up and freeze in utter amazement.
Harlan and
Tarbell - seems inevitable, when you think of it.
Harlan, meet Harlan
Report this review
