Classic Fantastic by Paul Vigil

Four professional routines.

Parlor, Stage, Close-up; Magic and Mentalism.

268 pages.

Edited by Jared Kopf.

Including ideas by Ross Johnson, Jimmy Grippo, Jason England, and many, many more.

From the foreword:
I first met Paul Vigil at my Las Vegas home thirteen years ago, and we soon became fast friends and magical confidants. During our first session I realized that he was a far more skillful and inventive magician than I initially had imagined him to be. Over the years we have spent many nights discussing magic and developing sleights, methods, moves, subtleties and effects. Paul is an adroit practitioner of our art, and his magic, if carefully studied, will provide you, the reader, with material that could make you a stellar performer, too.

This booklet contains a collection of four classic effects from the repertoire of a professional working magician – magic that’s audience tested and carefully explained in complete detail, including plot lines and structure.

“The Multiple Selection” has been a feature effect of a great many performers, but unlike most routines (which rely on a series of rather quick, slick flourishes for the revelations) Paul’s opening entry is a very magical handling that comprises eight startling effects. In addition, following the informative text, Paul explains how to cut the routine down to accommodate smaller groups of participants.

Paul’s treatise on “The Endless Chain,” which contains three new throws that deliver different outcomes, advances this plot to new dimensions. It’s a fully explained three-phase routine that opens with Patrick Page’s classic, “Flash Cash,” and ends with a novel finish that leaves the participants utterly dumbfounded.

His third entry is a variation of T.A. Waters’ “Backdate,” which is a routine based on Persi Diaconis and Peter Pit’s “The Card on the Back.” Paul performs it as a mental effect just as T.A. Waters did. The problem with this effect has always been the mechanics. Paul, through intense research and development, solved this most difficult problem, and he provides you with all the necessary information required to accomplish and perform this most unique mental mystery.

The last entry, “High Five,” is Paul’s handling of “The Blindfold Poker Deal.” His version does away with the poker demonstration aspect and instead provides the performer with a series of entertaining revelations of mentally selected cards. It relies on his streamlined handling of Gene Finnell’s Free Cut Principle. There is a section that involves the Le Paul Wallet, and it is the first time someone has found a practical and believable presentation for the “Card in the Envelope.” Paul also provides three contingency effects that can be interspersed into the routine. One of particular interest is his handling of “Think Stop.”

The text and material contained in this collection is not for the beginner; it is for the serious student who desires quality material.

Every routine should be closely studied and practiced. Paul has developed four beautifully constructed effects in which every detail has been carefully worked out; so the serious student should have no difficulty in executing the routines.