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"Ed Marlo's Time Machine" by Ron Bauer
Suggested Retail USD$10.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Ron Bauer starts this booklet as he does all his "Private Studies Series" booklets by stating the premise of the trick: "What if I could go back in time, but only for one minute?"

I'll start this review with a similar question: "What if you could learn a neat card trick, fully scripted, that your audience's will get a kick out of, for $10?"

Bauer's booklet answer's his premise with Ed Marlo's "Time Machine"; you should answer my question with "I'd buy it."

Okay, let's get the trick out of the way. Marlo's "Time Machine" is one of those card plots which should have been a classic but never really seemed to catch on much, probably because of an ill-advised drive by the fraternity to take it to some mythical "next level". Almost immediately performers started playing with states of playing cards going back to what they were a moment before but throwing the kitchen sink at it: decks of cards went back into sealed boxes, signatures vanished off of cards, cards becoming blank... in other words, the plot became watered down with more and more "reversals in time".

Marlo's idea was much simpler but still just as magical. In effect, three different tricks were combined into a single theme (that of going back in time by a minute): the Ambitious Card, Triumph, and ye olde Oil and Water. Strung together, these three tricks with a single, ungimmicked deck, are all you need to play with the time-travel idea. It's this simpler idea Bauer sticks to and it was the right decision. Not only are the moves kept simple (no gimmicked deck, no difficult sleights, and just a single gimmicked business card to play with for the climax), but it allows Bauer to concentrate on his real strength: presentations.

And the presentation here is a great one.

Oh, it's not serious (does Bauer even have a serious side? I suspect not judging by some of his jokes and puns); in fact, it's at times almost corny. But it's sometimes quite humorous and always entertaining. That's the big thing here: it's entertaining. You know the thing about audiences not liking card tricks? As I was taught by a friend long ago, audiences only dislike bad card tricks. Marlo's "Time Machine" never was a bad card trick and in Bauer's it's even better.

Looking at some of the drek on the market for two, three, even five times as much money as "Ed Marlo's Time Machine", the money spent here is well worth it. Oh, you'll have to supply your own deck, but Bauer gives you some cute business cards to use (if you don't elect to use your own) and, more importantly, a great script and some wonderful insights into what makes this routine play so well.

Gee, I could have saved myself time and just said "Ron Bauer did it again!"

"Ed Marlo's Time Machine" by Ron Bauer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Ed Marlo's "Time Machine" is a great routine in itself. Bauer's scripting of it and his oh-so-simple handlings make this not only great, but wonderfully entertaining.

Quality: 10
This is Ron Bauer at his best: clear, thorough writing covering not only the methodology but the psychology. He even went the extra mile and gave some very nice variations for those so inclined to play a little bit on their own.

Illustrations: 10
Sandra Kort is one of my favorite illustrators, and this booklet shows why I think of her that way. The drawings, both in color and black and white, are beautifully done and quite plentiful.

Presentation: 10
This is Bauer's strong point, and his presentation here is typically funny and -- most importantly -- entertaining.

Originality: 10
This is Marlo's routine at the core but with some modifications in method. Those are welcome but minor. What scores the points here is the presentation and script where Bauer hits the ball out of the park.

Shane