Choices
You bring out a packet of old photographs - portraits of individuals from the turn of the twentieth century. You show a volunteer a photograph, one at a time, and ask which ones he is drawn to. These are placed in a pile on front of the spectator. The "rejects" are placed in a pile in the center of the table.The process is repeated with a second volunteer. Again, some photos are kept in front of the volunteer by her choosing and the remaining are placed in the discard pile.
Perished or Survived?
When all the photographs have been kept or rejected, you mention that the photographs are of individuals who were passengers on the infamous Titanic. You ask the first person to turn his pile of photographs over and he finds that each of the passengers had "died" on the voyage.The second spectators turns over her photographs and finds that all of the passengers in this pile survived the voyage. The discard pile is turned over and shown to be a mix of "died" and "survivor" photographs.
Eerie and Involving
The effect starts with a fantastic premise. The 28 high-quality photographic portraits look like real ones. Adding to the overall feeling and theme, there's something about old-style photos that are just creepy. Add in concept of mixing survivors and those that perished, and you have a great trick. The only downside is that the sorting process, as in any "Out of this World" effect, can become tedious if you let it.The trick requires no complicated moves or sleight of hand and is easy to perform. The cards are ungimmicked and may be examined, and the portraits themselves act as conversation pieces. In the enclosed booklet, Jim Critchlow offers various handlings so you can pick and choose the one that works best for you.
I performed "Whitestar" this past week and my spectators found the effect to be involving and intriguing. The trick is rather expensive at $60, but the cards are high quality. The cards are also conversation pieces because they provide some background on each passenger. One table held onto my cards as I strolled to the next so they could discuss the various passengers and their backgrounds.
Whitestar is the kind of effect that I am always looking for. It's an engaging effect with a powerful theme that snares spectators and gets them emotionally involved. This one rocks the boat.
MSRP: $60.00
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Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
