Eugene Burgers Magical Voyages

[Butter-fly]

Eugene Burger is one of the most respected magicians in the world, and after watching these you will understand why. His routines transcend any routine you may already know, due to the difference in the handling, routining, or just in the performance of it.

Eugene also has a story behind each of these effects, which gives reason to his performance of it. They are all very strong routines on their own, but with Eugene’s performance of it, the effect takes a back seat, and his story shines through, making the ending incredible.

A Voyage to the Real World:

This is the first video in the series, and this is the material Eugene performs in a bar, close-up setting. He is also joined by his good friend David Parr, to discuss the effects with Eugene.

Sponge Balls: Eugene’s routine for this blew me away. His routine is humorous, and keeps the spectators involved. The sponge routine involves multiplications, transpositions, with his kicker of an in the hands 20 ball kicker appearance. And the balls don’t come for his hand; they have come from the spectators who had just been holding three. This routine is very strong, and Eugene provides valid information about the sponges themselves, and the context they should be used in.

Cutting Ten: This is David Solomon’s cutting ten trick, which I fell in love with as soon as I watched it. The routine itself is astonishing, and progresses to a cutting 10s kicker. Eugene performs this very well, and explains why this effect is good for keeping spectators involved.

Simple Spelling: If there is one trick you will be performing right away from this series, it will be this effect here. This blew me away on first watching it, and then due to the handling, I was performing it in minutes. You have the spectator select a card, and then they put it in the deck. After a joke about it not being in the deck, you go through the cards to show it is still there. Now you state there are many ways to find a card, but one of the most impressive is to spell to it. You give an example by spelling to a few different cards, and it works, then the spectator takes the deck, and spell to their card, and to their astonishment, it is their card. This effect can be done totally impromptu, and not only is it good for those times when people ask ‘show us a trick’ it is perfect for any professional routine.

Gemini Money: This is a great gambling routine, which involves everyone. The audience remove their notes (as in money), and each one at a time decide where in the deck it will be placed. Now once it’s in, you joke that you forgot to tell them before the routine, that if they don’t put it in next to an ace, you keep the money. You will love the look on your spectators face’s here. However when you spread the deck, their notes are next to the aces. This is a great gambling routine, which is fun to perform.

21st Century Bill Transposition: For those of you looking for something to carry in your wallet, and have ready to perform any time, this is definitely the routine you have been looking for. You take out your own bill, and a spectator takes out theirs, both of which are different. Now they hold both notes in their hand, and you remove one, and show it. Now you literally fold it, and then unfold it, and it has completely changed to the bill they were just holding. Very strong in the hands magic.

This volume is mainly working close-up for a crowd, and if you are familiar with Eugene’s work, you will know that the theory is always worth the money alone.


A Voyage to the Unreal World:

In this volume the concept of the effects take on quite a strange persona, and they become more personnel routines for the spectators. Eugene is joined by Jeff McBride in this volume, who also teaches one of his favourite effects.

Flash Spirit Message: This is a great routine utilising a piece of cigarette paper. Here the spectators take out a piece of their own cigarette paper, and ensure it to be blank. Next it is placed on a small platter, and is lit, however after a burst of flames, the paper is still there, only now it has a message for them. This routine, when performed, can appear very spooky, and depending on how adventures you are, you could use this as a message from another realm.

Double Reverse: This is a very visual routine, as you actually see the magic taking place. Two cards are selected and returned to the deck. The deck is then wrapped in a silk, and one at a time Eugene calls upon the cards to turn over. The silk then begins to wriggle, and then he calls upon the second card to turn over, and again the silk begins to move around. The silk is then taken from around the deck, and the deck is spread to show that the two selected cards have in fact turned face up. This effect blew me away, and I had to fast-forward it here, just to find out the incredible secret.

The Card in the Hat: This has to be on of the best effects you will get on the tape. A card in selected, and placed back in the deck. Now a top hat is produced. Eugene continues to place the deck in the hat. Now he calls upon the card, and the card is seen slowing climbing out of the hat, from the side closest to the audience, and it is the selected card. This idea puts a new meaning to rising card, and after seeing it, you will understand why performing it in this way, is so powerful. I should also mention if you don’t own a top hat, a mug or cup could also be used.

The Five Gifts of Life: This is the routine Jeff McBride teaches, and this is one to ‘creep’ your audience out. The effect is carried by a story, and the story makes the magic. It is based around a man getting five wishes from a fairy, and with each of his wishes, something terrible happens, until he gets to his last wish, for death, and realises that he doesn’t deserve it. A very powerful story line, in fact you are warned about when the right time to us it is. The props used are great, and they are there to represent his wishes, and when it comes to his wish for death, it has vanished. Very strong.

The Wager of Sin: This has long been a secret to precious few, but now we get to learn this incredible routine. The story again lets the magic more powerful, and much more entertaining. You have the deck shuffled, and eight cards are counted off the top. Now the spectator deals the cards one at a time, and by the end they are left with the card which you had spoken about at the beginning, the 4 of Spades, which is the Devil’s card. This routine is entertainingly freaky, and the method will have lots more uses.

Corner in Glass: This is the routine your audience will be talking about. A card is selected, and returned to the deck. The deck is then placed on top of a glass, and when the deck is pressed, the corner from the chosen card falls into the glass. Their card is then found and the corners match. This effect is brilliant, it uses a nice technique which can be used for other routines, and due to that, this masterpiece has been born.

A Voyage to the Inner World

The last of the series, and here Eugene is himself, teaching you one on one, his repertoire. This tape shows Eugene’s classic routines, and these are the ones I feel would be great for a large crowd, as so many of them will feel the energy from the magic, and they will always remember the performance.

Sinology: This effect is great, this is basically a not in the hands copper silver routine. Eugene has twisted it a bit, so just when you think it you are one step ahead of him, everything has vanished, and he rips up the card which was ‘hiding’ the coins. Very visual magic, and this inspired me to use coins in my routine.

Cannibals: This routine is the classic where the Kings in the deck, eat the other cards. Eugene’s handling on this makes it much simpler and more visual. I particularly enjoy performing this routine because of the story line Eugene gives it.

New Match Stickler: This is one of those effects which appears as real magic, and I must be honest, I love watching this effect. The idea is you take a book of matches, and rip two out. Then after a sort of torn and restored head routine, your strike the match, and burn all of the other matches in the book. Now for the kicker, as all the matches have burnt out, you close the book, and place it to the side. Now the match which is left whole, disappears, and when the book is opened, it has now re-appeared un-burnt inside the book, with the others. This routine is great for bar magic, as that’s the most likely place you will find a match book naturally.

Last Dream: A very powerful routine in which tombstone cards tell a story of the magician’s dreams, and how the dreams turn to nightmares with his name appearing, and disappearing on the tombstones, ending with his name and his date of death on one of the stones. Very strong magic which makes the hair on your back stand on end, and you feel a tingle in your legs. This effect, does affect you, no question.

The Inquisition: The classic Card Warp routine by Roy Walton takes on a new meaning with this presentation. This is a favourite routine of mine, but after watching Burger perform it, I quickly re thought me presentation of it, as there is so much more which can be done with it.

The series concludes with Burgers famous routine (not his own, but the one he is famous for performing) Dragon Thread, known by him not as Shakespearean Thread, which is his new story line for it as after performing in a theatre, he changed the wording from the creation of the universe to one including a Shakespearean plot.

All in all this series has to be my favourite for strong close-up magic. After watching it, you will realise how much more can be driven from your current routines, plus you get to learn these new ones.

I highly recommend these to a thinker in magic, or anyone wanting to get 100% from their performance. 10/10

[donkeykong]

Thanks for the review, I enjoy reading it.