DVD Review: The Naked Zombie Ball by Raymond Crowe

For me, one of the highlights of "World's Greatest Magic," which aired on television back in the nineties, was an amazing ball manipulation routine by Raymond Crowe.

His routine not only featured top-notch manipulation skills, but was dressed by a strong theme, a man playing billiards. I knew right then that I was viewing the work of a master and Crowe's "The Naked Zombie Ball" only reinforces this in my mind.

As the title implies, this DVD teaches a routine where you make a silver ball appear to float in the air. However, unlike the usual zombie routine, you don't rely on a gimmick, nor to you employ the traditional foulard. The routine sports two phases, the first with the ball floating from your hands, and the second, where it floats around a small hoop.

The technique is a vast enhancement over one that many magicians momentarily showcase in their zombie routines, a typical throwaway that usually occurs before the main zombie levitation. Crowe shows how to apply miming skills, and even offers a mini-mime session to introduce these techniques to magicians, to make the ball appear to float in your hands.

This DVD not only teaches a great routine, it demonstrates how important good movement is to magic. The traditional zombie routine is one that requires lots of miming and puppetry to perform well, and Crowe's routine is even more so.

This DVD is probably not for everyone. While many will be able to memorize Crowe's routine, relatively few will probably be able to master the movement techniques to make it work. But even if you never perform the routine, the ideas here can apply to effects that you already perform. Throughout the disc, Crowe offers excellent instruction.

Crowe offers an amusing short film to demonstrate the effect that's dressed as an old silent short, ala Charles Chaplin. He not only recreates the look and feel of films from that era, even the makeup on the bad guy is spot on.

I found Crowe's "The Naked Zombie Ball" to be innovative and refreshing. It clearly demonstrates that beyond all of the gadgets and techniques, the true secrets of magic lie in the skills of the performer. This is magic that's stripped to its bare, and yes, naked, core.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: (US) $35

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