For our June meeting we tried something new that was actually quite old, bringing back our Close-Up Award Competition and it was filled with great, mostly original routines.
Our President BOB WEISS had a somewhat unconventional idea to reverse theroom using the stage for the audience to sit so that four tiers were created allowingeveryone to see the close-up action easily.
ELLEN STEIN who started our night told of a story of growing up in Savannah whereshe saw the card trick she was about to perform, then she charmingly performedDaryl’s Printing Card effect and then a card color back change, followed by a matching mate card effect.
Next, BOB CARROLL performed hilariously as he did a version I think was Out of thisWorld with a spectator who mixed up the cards herself in the beginning! It had othersurprises too. He also had her sign her name on an image that changed. Hefinished with a fun Color Monte.
ALLAN LITTENEKER did a funny and unique routine using cards and askingaudience members tough yes and no honesty questions that wound up to be amathematic magic square. It had a surprise ending where the center card matchedhis prediction in his box and all the other cards in the deck turned blank.
RACHEL SLOCOMBE did a unique Cups and Balls routine as balls disappearedand reappeared under the cups. Her was a very to say the least a unique patterthat had to do with a family home renovation, eating, farts and s**t. It ended Ithink with cute bears.
MANNY D’MAGO performed with a routine about how when he was younghe could use magic to pick up girls starting with a flash appearing Tridentgum effect then an M& M’s appearing effect. He explained as he got olderhe learned how to pick up women with bracelet magic as they linked andunlinked and then using money magic which he did a cool coin routine,then a card effect tying into his Starbuck coffee cup.
BOB WEISS did an amusing Ambitious Card routine with an examineddeck of cards as the signed spectators card kept popping to the top usingseveral different methods as well as eventually the whole deck changing tothe spectators card and then back to normal with their card reversed. Atthe end their card wound up in the previously examined empty card box.
DAVID MARTINEZ performed a great original card routine using a car and along with his great wit as well.
We also had a guest performer, Abel that did a routine with cards using a patter with so called “mirrors” as the cards kept changing.
The audience voted on a scale of 1 to 5 each in the categories of presentation, originality and effect.The results will be announced at our 87th Annual Awards and InstallationBanquet in October along with Best Comedy and Best Stage.
