Hang ‘Em High only explains two tricks. But Sheets’ rope through body effect is a strong one that plays to large audiences. I can vividly recall the first time that I saw him perform the effect and I was simply amazed. You’ll also enjoy watching Sheets in action making people laugh with his hilarious one-liners and antics.
The explanation is equally good. Sheets shows how to make and use the gimmick (you’ll have to purchase a low cost device-under eight dollars-along with a hank of rope). He does a great job of explaining how to perform the effect and what to do should things go wrong. The DVD also offers Sheets’ entertaining cards across routine that uses a rope and can act as an lead-in to “Hang ‘Em High.”
On the DVD, Sheets performs two other strong rope effects: “Insomnia” and “Idiot’s Rope Trick.” If you don’t already have a rope routine in your act, these performance-only segments may encourage you to seek out materials to learn the effects.
A Worker Effect
I worked up Hang ‘Em High and performed it for a few months in my shows. I found the effect to be a strong one that garnered a positive reaction from audiences. I found that the effect is best performed early in an act because the setup can shift, which can cause problems. The effect is not hard to perform, but there are places where most will probably feel a bit vulnerable at first.
I’m glad that Sheets took the time on his DVD to explain what to do when disaster strikes, which happened to me once. The save doesn’t completely salvage the effect, but it does allow you to reach a weaker conclusion.
In Hang ‘Em High, Bob Sheets shares a winning routine. The effect is an audience pleaser, and because it’s a rope trick, it packs small. Sheets uses this one in his own act so you know it’s a keeper.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
