Michael Ammar's Final Australian Lecture
Seeing a Legend for the Last Time
Michael Ammar has just finished up his last lecture tour ever in Australia.
The last time he was in Australia was back in 2011 for a convention which I had the opportunity to attend early in my magic journey and now 13 years later he returned for a lecture and workshop. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the workshop, but I was able to attend the lecture, which I’ll provide a rough breakdown of before comparing it with his older lecture with how things changed.
Much thanks for the Geniis Magical Society and International Brotherhood of Magicians (Maurice Rooklyn Ring 102) for putting on a great event for the magicians of Sydney.
The Lecture
There was a great turnout as expected for Michael Ammar, I got to see some magicians I hadn’t seen in years past and meet some new and young magicians who hadn’t seen Ammar live before.
The Bottle
The lecture began with a bottle production followed by a coin in bottle routine, which has been a staple of Michael’s performances for years now.
Seeing it again in person was a delight and the structure is so well thought out you can’t help but appreciate the little details, whether it’s the use of a big coin and a little coin, the cut of your jacket pocket to maximise normality or how the shape of the bottle helps with making certain moves easier. Part of this explanation was a deep dive into the Topit, a device that allows you to vanish any small object from a coin to a tennis ball which always looks amazing even when you know how it works.
This routine fits a parlour/stage setup and even though it uses small objects like a coin, it plays big with the use of a big wine bottle and the sound of the coin clanging in the bottle.
UCCU (The Ultimate Card Control Utility)
This was my favourite part of the lecture in terms of things I would actually use.
There’s a saying in magic “this is worth the price of the lecture”. Since a magic lecture is a smorgasbord of different effects and routines, not everything will appeal to you unless your style matches up perfectly with the lecturer, but if there’s just one thing that speaks to you strongly, it’s justification for paying for the lecture, so magicians will always be on the lookout for that one effect to add to their repertoire.
For me, this was “worth the price of the lecture” because it was so simple yet so clever. This is essentially the TKO or UCCU by Jeff Kaylor, but instead it’s a DIY version that you can install in your clothing and allows you to vanish a playing card and have it reappear inside someone’s wallet, or wherever you want. My friend and I lit up when we saw this and I look forward to using it in a future gig. I own the TKO and this version solves some of the awkwardness I had when using the original.
Like the Topit it’s a utility device and will work in close up and parlour/stage settings.
Card Set
Next we had a three phase card set that once again, the details were the delicious icing on the cake.
It began with a very quick pick a card and find a card revelation, off the sole of your shoe, followed by a colour change for any named card ending a card to box finale. The quick and simple effect is ready to go in a close up and parlour setting. I’ll definitely be trying this out as a standalone effect next time I perform.
Following the opener Michael moves into a routine that you could add to any show included a kids show. A card is chosen and returned to the deck and card box before being put away. Three balloons are brought out and after some gags and byplay one balloon is chosen, it’s popped and the card is found inside. A fun routine with clever construction to do the effect and also get you ready for the last card routine.
Finally Michael finishes with two torn and restored card effects, where both have different methods and visuals. The first is a card is chosen, signed and then your tear the top part almost off before restoring it again and the second effect is the Albo card, which is commercially available and is a unique giveaway that tells the story of how you tore a corner off and restored it back to front on the card.
All of these card effects are not difficult to perform and very visual.
Coins Through Silk
I really enjoy how well rounded Michael Ammar is and how is isn’t just known for card tricks, but magic with anything, perfectly demonstrated with his Coins Through Silk routine.
This is a great routine for close up and parlour and is so easy to understand what’s going on. Three coins are shown, placed in the middle of a silk and covered so that they can’t get out, yet one by one you magically cause them to penetrate through the silk. I think I actually have the silk from the last time he came to Australia, and will have to dig it out to do because it’s just so good.
Ten Quick Tricks in Ten Minutes
To end the first part of the lecture Michael then went into a rapid fire round of magic effects and ideas, where he showed videos of the effect and explanation while giving commentary on them.
It’s too much to go through all ten items but some standout ideas were his DIY Sponge Bunny holder, a self contained haunted business card deck and sheer surprise, a silk through mic stand which he was able to demonstrate in person with the help of an actual mic stand that the venue happen to have.
Linking Rings
After a 10 minute break or so where we had the opportunity to buy lecture notes, DVDs and effects off Michael Ammar he resumed the second part by performing his version of the Linking Rings with 5 large rings.
I always enjoyed the Linking Rings, although never performed it myself despite having a set of small linking rings. Michael’s version is fun and pulls from different inspirations from Dai Vernon to Pop Haydn with a nice finale to hit home that the routine is over. With rings that large you would only perform them in Parlour or Stage settings.
Cups and Balls
Michael Ammar closes with a classic of magic, the Cups and Balls.
This routine can be done in Close Up, Parlour and Stage settings. Two routines are combined together, the Cups and Balls and Bill in Lemon, where the lemon is with in the audience the whole show up until it’s vanished and found under a cup not long after. It’s always a privilege to see this routine done by Michael.
After the explanation, Michael finished his lecture and we gave him a well deserved standing ovation. Not just because the lecture was great, but because of the contributions to the art of magic which like it did with other greats will live on forever.
Evolution of a Lecture
One thing I’m glad I did when Michael visited back in 2011 was take notes of his lecture, which allows me to go back in time and see what he taught back then.
Unfortunately, my notes were very sparse compared to now, and I fear I may not have written down everything he did, but this is what I do recall
The opener with bottle production and coin in bottle was done in this lecture. With details on the Topit explored. I also remember Michael dropping the bottle during the explanation, which thankfully didn’t shatter.
The torn and restored card was presented, with a longer look at the principle behind the effect and how Michael uses it as a gag in hotels. I don’t recall if the Albo card was around back then.
There was a mobile phone from folded envelope effect, which back in 2011 would have been easier to achieve given the smaller size of phones. I’m sure it could still be done now, just that a large phone is a bit harder to handle.
Michael must like his business card ideas as he had some ideas on how to magically hand out your business card using a Z Fold Wallet, while this is easier, I think I like the haunted deck version better.
Playing on the fear of dropping your phone, Michael had a fun gag effect when you accidentally crack someone’s phone screen before restoring it back to normal, complete with an auditory pop. This could still be done now as mobile phones aren’t going away anytime soon.
There was a video package of quick effects, some of which were still used in his latest lecture, but others that seem to have been cut.
If memory serves me correct, he also finished the lecture with Cups and Balls with Bill in Lemon.
That’s all I had on my notes, which strangely doesn’t have many card effects, but then the lecture may have been an hour long as opposed to two hours where he could do more material. That’s not including the workshop as well, which I don’t know what was done, so if anyone reading this went to the workshop, let me know what he did! His workshop in 2011 was on the Three Card Monte, complete with the bent corner ruse. My favourite part of his lecture was seeing those who hadn’t seen him live before experience the magic of Michael Ammar. It was encouraging seeing some of the younger guys move to the aisles and sit on the floor just to get an unobstructed view of Ammar and hearing him gasp and react so strongly made me happy.
Michael stayed back a long time to chat to anyone who would come up, and it was great seeing the younger magicians come up to talk to him. I still fondly remember sitting in the foyer of the theatre with some friends jamming when Michael Ammar came by and had a quick chat with us, talking about natural hand positions making reference to Michelangelo's David, he made us feel so special. In a world where we have access to so much magic online, whether in the form of a download or lecture, nothing beats seeing a magician in person performing and teaching their magic and theory.
If you have a chance to see a lecture in person, I strongly recommend you go and find that effect or idea that makes it worth the price of the lecture.
Michael is a legend. I learned a lot from his videos... VHS.
I saw Michael lecture decades ago and then again last July at the IBM Convention in Tacoma, WA