USDHello everyone, I am proud to bring you a brand new video series which I am very excited about.
A year or so ago, I became fascinated with the work of Stewart James. I bought the three huge books on his magic and read all three cover-to-cover. I have since gone back through all of them and picked out my favorites (and let me just tell you… there’s some INCREDIBLE magic in those books.)
With the blessing of the Stewart James estate, I will be teaching some of my favorite SJ creations as well as some wonderful handlings that have come along since the original publication. The series is called “Stewart James In Action”
In this episode, we examine 3 tricks inspired by one of Stewart James’s most well-known creations.
1) Further Than That – Created in 1939 and published two years later, this trick has it all. A simple method, an entertaining plot, and an amazing finish. The spectator chooses a number which is used to select a card. That card is divined by the performer then spelled. The next card is their card. But it doesn’t end there. There are still 3 more surprises in store for the spectator, because this trick always goes “Further Than That.” (And it is entirely self-working!)
2) Three Different Ways – inspired by Stewart’s effect, Mike Skinner created something totally new and different. Three spectators select cards in three different ways. The magician then finds the cards in three different ways–each time more impossible than the last. This version is more intermediate to advanced in terms of sleight of hand, but the effect leaves a lasting impact.
3) Shuffurther – Again inspired by Further Than That, Phil Goldstein set about to come up with a method which allows the spectator to shuffle the deck. The effect is radically different than the original, but the core method is essentially the same as the original meaning this version is practically self-working, and as you can see by watching the demo above, the effect plays huge and seems totally impossible (you can see a full performance of this one on penguin’s page.)
I hope you all enjoy the first episode of this series!
