The McAbee Rings offer an intriguing set of women’s bracelets that mysteriously link and unlink. Martin Lewis' amazing trick and routine can now be purchased with an excellent instructional DVD that explains everything you need to know. The routine offers a different style linking ring effect that feels more natural than conventional linking rings and leaves you completely clean at the end. All of the rings may be handed out for careful examination.
The McAbee Rings are smaller than most miniature linking ring sets and they look like women’s bracelets and less like magic props. The rings are too small for the average adult to wear on a wrist. And because of their size, the McAbee Rings are only practical for strolling and close-up situations. As with conventional rings, the angles are fairly wide and strong.
The method, which is subtly different from that of conventional linking rings, allows you perform unconventional links. In particular, there's a move in Lewis' routine where the three rings are linked and held in a single hand, and by taking a ring with different fingers and spreading them, the rings detach.
The Routine
In the routine, I found that some moves left me feeling vulnerable. However, this is something that is overcome with time and performance. I have seen Lewis perform the McAbee Rings live and was stunned at the time by the unconventional links and unlinks and the fact that all the rings were handed out for inspection at the routine's end.
The DVD offers a powerful teaching tool that shows you how to perform Lewis’ routine. He offers a performance and then breaks the routine down into segments, and employs different-colored rings to make it easier to follow along.
The routine is best for close-up situations where the magician is seated at a table, but with some changes, adapts well to stand-up. For stand-up, Lewis offers a couple of approaches that require the use of a front shirt pocket.
Lording the Rings
Beyond the routine, I wondered if a heavy-handed spectator could bend the McAbee Rings. While the Rings are sturdy, I've had some spectators really heave at my conventional linking rings when I handed them out for inspection. According to Lewis, in his 30-plus years of performing the effect, this has never happened to him.
The rings come in regular and high-end versions. I’m told that the high-end version is preferable because it does a better job of hiding the gimmick. Unfortunately, I was not able to compare the styles side-by-side to evaluate them.
If you already perform close-up linking rings, you probably won't feel any need to switch to McAbee Rings. But if you've been looking for a visual linking ring-style routine for your strolling or close-up set, the McAbee Rings offer a viable alternative that look more natural and allow for complete examination at the routine's end. This one is definitely worth the time and effort to learn and perform, and can set you apart from other magicians.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
