Magic Tricks

When I was at the Las Vegas Magic Invitational last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to see Nate Kranzo’s lecture. Some very respectable magicians I know have asked, “Who the heck is Nate Kranzo?!” I think they are beginning to learn. I was presently surprised to find that Mr. Kranzo is a resident of Michigan and located not too far from the Mystic Hollow area (home of Inside Magic’s massive publication plant).

If you know of Mr. Kranzo’s work or you’ve never heard of him, please read on. I was prompted to write this article when I saw that Penguin Magic had a special on his outstanding DVD, “Out of the Box.” I paid more for the volume out in Vegas and it was well worth it. Read On for a review . . .

When I saw Mr. Kranzo’s lecture, I was blown away. I know, magicians always say that. “Oh, I saw the Ball and Vase and was blown away! How could the red ball vanish from his pocket and appear in the previously empty vase?!” Okay, well, maybe not like that. But you know what I mean. The only type of critique more frequent in our business is the exact opposite where our brothers or sisters attack the magician viciously.

But I really was blown away. He would perform the effect and then explain his method. I couldn’t have guessed the method and yet, once explained, I felt like I could probably handle the effect. That’s a rare quality in a lecturer. Usually, they don’t need to explain the method because, to be honest, it was pretty obvious during the performance; or, they could teach me the method all night but I still wouldn’t be able to duplicate it because I cannot do a left-handed middle deal with a face-up deck while finger-palming a donut. (Okay, I exaggerate, I can do that but I only use it in my mentalism act, “Star, Wavy Lines, Square or Donut.”)

Am I striking a chord here?

So, anyway, I went to see Mr. Kranzo’s lecture, and was, as I said earlier, blown away. He does a routine with a shear scarf (not a silk) and a silver dollar. Take a second and go to the movie section on Penguin Magic and watch the scarf and silver dollar routine. It typifies the magic you will find on this outstanding DVD. His magic is practical, amazing and not impossible to do. The steps are clearly set out and you’ll find that his instruction is not just patient and helpful but almost more entertaining than the demonstration of the effect itself.

These are routines you will not see others performing. The same folks that say “Who the Heck is Nate Kranzo?!” are the same folks who will be amazed to see what you can do with simple objects within inches of your audience.

I don’t know how long the kind folks at Penguin Magic will be offering this DVD at the price they’ve set but even at twice the price, it’s a deal. I know who Nate Kranzo is and if you find out, we can keep the secret between ourselves and we’ll be far ahead of the rest.