Magic Tricks

Done right, White Star is a fantastic routine. It draws people in and keeps them talking even after you're done. It's mysterious and contemplative and spiritual. But the trick isn't much of a trick in itself; everything depends on the performance you bring to it. It is very heavy on theater and story.

There is no real "magic" to White Star. It's all about theater. If you're a storytelling magician who likes to surround your routines with heavy narrative and theatrical elements, you will love this one. And I love it. But it's because I go out of my way to make it theatrical. I bring in props from the early 1900s. I put it all in an old wooden box, and take out one prop at a time and work at making the audience wonder what is coming. I produce the "trick" tied in a black silk ribbon and invite them to wonder about the photos. And the whole time I'm drawing the audience's attention to a time long past, and teasing them with statements like, "There is a story to this object, which we won't talk about just yet," and "These people all have something in common, which I will reveal in a few moments," and patter like that. The trick requires such efforts. Without them, it is very two dimensional.

If you just do the "trick" itself, it usually falls pretty flat. But if you surround it with ceremony and theater and story, then it absolutely kills. It gives people chills. Your audience will talk about it for an hour after the trick is over. It's great for close-up work, and it's killer social magic for when you are out at dinner with friends.

But again, one warning: the "trick"itself is not very magical, and requires you to bring a tremendous amount of theater and story to it for it to have a good effect on your audience. And if you're not that kind of magician, this may not be for you. But if you are that kind of magician, this can be a good closer for you. it's that effective.

If you are a storyteller, this is a great vehicle that leaves your audience spellbound long after you're done.