Magic Tricks

I’ll start with some general notes then jump into some quick thoughts on the effects.

Nathan’s lecture is great, imho. He’s both a worker and a thinker, and you can really see both offerings here. There are some quick, impactful table hopping routines that have elegant and simple methods, but also pay attention to how the presentation/structure is always thoughtful of involving interaction with the spectators(see his reason for only using two spectators instead of three in the fusion effect). Then both the moveless and moveful routines where he has clearly put a lot of thought into how he constructs his sequences, and studying how he did so can teach you a lot. There are many pieces here that I’ll be trying out, and I think you’ll do the same. Onto the effects:

Flash Cyclic Location - Very cool principle for a great impossible location of sorts. Simple to do and can hit hard and fast, by having you find a whole group of cards instead of just one. You can also produce the cards one by one in a flashier manner if that’s your style.

Nice Tri Sweetie Pie - A quick but impactful version of anniversary waltz that has a really elegant construction with well-known moves and uses no gaffs. I was previously using Tyler Wilson’s Running Man for a gaffless Waltz, but I might be switching over to this! Notice the way he justifies the placement of the signatures but also why he uses two spectators instead of three.

Redivivus Revisited- Biddle trick combined with twisting the aces with a fun back and forth presentation with the spectator that I love. Nathan really thought about the moments here, the biddle steal and the vanish we’re used to, and put nice touches on them.

Direct Ace Cutting- Great variation of a great Bannon effect, not much to say here except you should do it. He made the method even cleaner and simpler.

Rise-Rise-Rise Coda- This one is for the people out there that love sleights haha. It’s a great little study in both sleight of hand and construction, really paying attention to how and when you move your hands combined with method cancelling.

21st Nervous Breakdown and 2112:
There are a couple reviews here that didn’t like this section on the 21 card trick. It’s not meant to be the most practical, hard-hitting magic, and Nathan is clear about that. He says he only views the first one as performable, and only in the specific conditions he mentions. It’s a study/thought experiment/expansion, and there is definitely value here. Pay attention to how, in the first version, he lampshades the procedure to take heat off it, cancel the method, and have a conversation about magic with the spectator. All at the same time. I think there’s a lot to be gained when applying what he discusses to other largely self-working or semi-automatic effects.

Hofzinser's Suit Selection- This is a wonderful effect that catches you by surprise simply because of how clean the magical moment is. Nathan makes efficient use of his technology, and I think this stands on its own but could also be a great finale to a suit production a la Pepe Carroll.

Henweigh- I personally love how quirky this plot is. There are a lot of solutions to it. What I really like about the one presented here is how it requires the minimum number of readjustments of the sandwich cards, allowing it to be fast and furious magic.

Snowflake Assembly- I’m biased because I love packet tricks, and this thing is a tour de force of problem solving in packet tricks. It’s definitely challenging and a lot of work, but I think there are a lot of interesting moves here to learn and apply elsewhere, and a fun effect to perform in its own right!

3 of Clubs Trick Variation- This is a great little effect that you can use to engage two spectators and get them not only to interact with you, but with each other. What I enjoy, in particular, is Nathan’s discussion of how he handles the various different paths the effect can go down, and how he adjusts to deal with what the audience might suspect in terms of method.

Earth, Sky, Stars- This is a really nice version of Out of this World. I think Nathan is correct in that dealing out a whole deck can seem daunting to the spectators, so he opts for a foot in the door approach that gets them there over time with multiple phases. But this also allows him to do some very interesting things with the construction to get way ahead of his audience, using the leftovers from previous phases to help the later ones. Really great stuff here.