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Cloth by Steve
Valentine
Reviewed by Quentin Reynolds
With
all the controversy about the high price of one-trick DVDs, it’s a bit of
surprise for me to review a three DVD set that deals with one trick. Or to be
precise - one magical effect. Many one-trick DVDs on the market detail effects
that have not been properly researched or audience tested and before the era of
self-publishing would, at best, ended up as a magazine article.
Fortunately for you and me Steve Valentine is a pro and has done his research
and this set is well worth your investment in time and money.
My interest in the venerable Card Through Handkerchief was piqued when I read
Billy McComb’s Five Card Selection routine in one of the Ireland Year Books. It
wasn’t known as the Multiple Card Selection back then. Billy’s routine climaxed
with the Card Thru Hanky.
In Disc One of this nicely produced and edited set, Mr Valentine takes us though
the basic handlings and sleights and offers non-sleight versions as well. While
not encyclopaedic it is very thorough and teaches some of the best handlings and
routines from the literature.
A plethora of routines and techniques are shown, all basically being the same
plot, a card penetrating through a handkerchief. Sometimes it is the traditional
effect, sometimes it pops through, occasionally it rises through and even floats
up a la Zombie.
I’m assuming that Steve approaches learning a new trick in similar fashion to
the way I do. Namely, research everything you can find, work on it, delete bits,
add bits, think about it, change it, perform, change, add, edit and eventually
come up with something worthwhile once you have visualised the effect you want
to achieve. In Steve’s case it was a short paragraph about Nate Leipzig that
spurred the development of his method.
Steve has done all that work for you, which is literally a huge amount of
research and I’d say, equal to a university semester.
From this disc alone you have your money’s worth if you are looking for a
routine to add to your professional repertoire. The Card Thru Hanky is an
excellent way to finish a card set as it is visual and the magic should happen
at face level. If you are careful about your angles and blocking, you should be
able to do this strolling and table-hopping. I’d also refer you to Tommy
Wonder’s books and DVD set for some extra tips and handling.
Disc Two covers tricks, stunts and gags to do with the handkerchief you carry
with you. Steve prefers a white bandana rather than a men’s pocket handkerchief
as it is a little larger. Google ‘white bandana’ and you can buy them quite
cheaply, singly or in bulk. Steve covers a number of ideas and routines where
the bandana’s corners are held by participants, making a little stage, allowing
you to do a range of tricks that would normally require a table. He teaches a
coins through handkerchief using the Little Hand gag - as sold by Michael Ammar
- as its premise. Another routine that would work well, though it isn’t
mentioned on the DVD is Bob Swadling’s Double Deception, sold by Mark Mason.
I was delighted to see Hankyrise, a routine of Len Belcher’s. Len, a creative
magician contributed many tricks to British magazines such as The Gen and
Abracadabra.
For further uses of a handkerchief or bandana I refer you to Billy McComb or
Charlie Miller’s routines for the ‘Seven Cornered Handkerchief’ or my own ‘Five
Minutes With a Pocket Handkerchief’ DVD, all of which is totally different to
what is taught here.
Disc Three is dedicated to Cloth, Steve Valentine’s own routine. Three cards are
chosen by the audience and shuffled (by them) back into the deck. The first two
cards penetrate through in an amazing manner, the wrapped deck being shown on
both sides and the material of the handkerchief being checked by the audience.
The third card is even more amazing, as it visibly appears under the
handkerchief before popping right through the material.
You need to make some special gaffs for Cloth, all easy to make and fully
detailed instructions are given. You don’t have to do all three phases either if
you don’t want to.
There are considerations for the professional worker with regards to pocket
management as the gaffs have to be introduced in performance and stored when not
in use. Steve covers palming and non-palming methods and strong misdirection is
built in to cover the moves. There is no heat on you as the audience are totally
unaware of the gaffs.
Would that all who rush to bring a DVD to market take as much time and effort to
research and teach as Steve Valentine has done with CLOTH. It will come as no
surprise that this set is highly recommended.
CLOTH by Steve Valentine $50.
Full details and trailer at
www.stevevalentine.com.
© Quentin Reynolds, August 2014