A Man, a Ball, a Hoop, a Bench (and an Alleged Thread)

Wonderful profile of Teller (of Penn and Teller fame), and his The Red Ball trick, by Richard Abowitz for Las Vegas Weekly, back in 2008:

Penn amended Teller’s suggested explanation, offering “Now, here’s a trick that’s done with a piece of thread” in its place. Suddenly Penn was happy and excited. There was an idea. “That’s all,” Teller remembers Penn saying, “Just give them that much. That gives them so much and puts them on our side. Nobody else in the world would do that.”

Craftmanship, respect for the audience, and the pursuit of perfection. Years of practice before putting the trick in the act. Then, they introduce the trick by telling you how it’s done. I’ve seen their show twice, including this trick both times. It’s amazing.

★ Wednesday, 14 December 2011