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Torn And Restored Newspaper

(Based on 1 review)
A "tear-able" collection featuring one of the greatest tricks in magic!

Imagine the best magic, the best magicians, and the best producers all in one place.

Imagine no more...


If you could have one set of magic DVDs, this would be it! This benchmark collection features just about all of magic's most enduring and classic effects and routines. It's a fabulous compendium with many of the top masters in the world of magic teaching their handlings and routines for some of magic's classics. Linking rings, sponge balls, metal bending, cups and balls, thumb tips, Zombie, color-changing knives, and many, many more topics are all gathered in this one terrific DVD reference set. Each volume covers a specific subject and features new, old, and sometimes rare footage by some of the top video producers in magic.

One of magic's most enduring effects has always been the Torn and Restored Newspaper, and for good reason. Newspapers and magazines are objects that almost everyone interacts with on a daily basis so when a magician picks up one of these seemingly ordinary items and performs a highly visual, veritable miracle with it, people immediately take notice.

On this DVD, you'll meet six master magicians who each has their own singular take on this magical classic. Paul Potassy's continental style of performing in no way prepares the audience for the diabolical trap he sets for them as he not only tears up and restores a newspaper, but in offering to explain how it's done, leaves the audience even more baffled. Fielding West uses the Al Baker Newspaper Tear as a jumping off point for some great comedy and classic magic while Richard Osterlind actually has the newspaper signed before tearing it up and completely restoring it. Steve Dacri then passes along an underground trade show secret shown to him by Frank Garcia - a show-stopping trick with a page torn from a magazine that's torn and restored and verified to be the original page by a piece entrusted to a spectator at the very start. Next, Alex Elmsley's timeless newspaper tear is performed and then meticulously explained by the master himself. Finally, Terry Seabrooke shares a newspaper tear gag that is a perfect bit for magical MCs or as an interlude in any comedy magic act.

Almost no other effect says "magic" like the Torn and Restored Newspaper and you're sure to find a version of this timeless trick here that's just perfect for you and your style of performing.

Newspaper Tear - Paul Potassy
Torn and Restored Newspaper - Fielding West
Signed Torn And Restored Newspaper - Richard Osterlind
Torn And Restored Magazine - Steve Dacri
Torn And Restored Newspaper - Alex Elmsley
Torn And Restored Newspaper Gag - Terry Seabrooke

Running Time Approximately 1hr 18min

Reviews

Bryce Kuhlman

Official Reviewer

Feb 22, 2008

I wanted to review this because I wanted to learn. I've done a couple of versions of the T&R Newspaper, but I'm certainly no expert in the various methods.

First is Paul Potassy. He's a brilliant performer. Period. Potassy does the "teaching" version where you supposedly show them how it's done. Paul's method is easy to do. The preparation has all of the details expected from a pro. You're going to need five identical papers, though.

Fielding West is up next. Fielding uses the National Enquirer for it's comedy potential. His method fooled me (proof either of his excellent method or my ignorance). There's quite a bit of setup, but it's totally worth it, in my opinion. With one single, small sheet, there seems to be no place to hide any extra sheets. Super clean. If I were to do the T&R Newspaper, this is the one I'd be doing.

Richard Osterlind throws in a new twist by having the torn paper sheet freely selected and then signed. If you're doing this, you'll want to have some distance between you and the audience. Just the camera work during the performance made it somewhat obvious what was going on. But on the positive side there's very little prep work and the cleanup allows you to hand out the restored, signed sheet.

Steve Dacri uses a magazine in place of the traditional newspaper. Otherwise it's very similar to the Osterlind version, except that a piece is torn from the sheet in lieu of a signature. Even the method is nearly identical. The performance was a bit rough. Magazine paper is a lot harder to tear along straight lines, so you end up with a very sloppy situation. The paper also tears easily, which means there's a chance of accidentally tearing the "restored" piece during the tearing sequence (which actually happened during the taping).

Alex Elmsley does the most "classic" version on the DVD. The performance was a bit messy, but the method is solid. You'll be using two full sheets of newspaper, so it can be a bit tricky to keep everything from turning into a mess in your hands.

Terry Seabrook finishes off the DVD with an emcee bit. It's not magic, but it's very funny!
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