product description:


Throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s a brand of bold and direct close-up magic was developed in Chicago, Illinois. These effects were known for simplicity, clarity and strength of effect, and the powerful response they elicited.

Chicago magical legends Don Alan, "Heba Haba Al" Andrucci, "Senator" Clarke Crandall, Frank Everhart, Jack Murray, Johnny Paul, James Patrick Ryan, and Matt Schulien forged their reputations with these effects, and now you can too!

While these quick, direct, simple, baffling effects delighted Chicago audiences for decades, they were far less widely known and practiced outside of Chicago nightlife venues. Many of these terrifically effective pieces have evaporated into the ether, for no other reason than the fact that they are not the "latest." To say that you could make your living performing these eternal impossibilities is beyond dispute. Many of our most talented trailblazers have done precisely that!

Now's your chance! If you're just getting your feet wet in close-up entertainment, let this information serve as a springboard for mastering quality magic. If you're a close-up veteran, you'll find yourself wondering why you aren't performing these gems regularly. (It's our suspicion that you will be soon!)

The Chicago Stab

Suitable for the bar, table, or cabaret, this is a spectacular Chicago crowd-pleaser, as easy as it is strong!

All this, and much more, including a truly invisible handling of the Johnny Paul/Jim Ryan Bill Tear. All are performed before impromptu audiences, and clearly taught so that you can perform these treasures with unprepared objects in no time flat!