"The Ivory Connection" DVD by Reed McClintock and Steve Dobson
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"The Ivory Connection", a DVD by Reed McClintock and Steve Dobson, takes the wonderful Sach's routine, turns up the volume on it with some clever visuals and twists it into an astonishing piece of work that will have many a performer breaking out the dice to perform this one.

Now I have to admit to a lot of bias here. I love the Sach's routine. When I was a kid and Bruce Elliott's "Classics of Magic" was my bible, the Sach's routine was my favorite in the book. I can't count the number of times since then I've learned new versions of it to take out and about, whether it was by Andrews, Sheets, Draun, Lewis, Daryl, or pretty much anyone else for that matter. By nature, it's different enough (not coins or cards equals different to many a spectator), can be visually appealing, and is always entertaining. I'm also biased when it comes to Messrs. McClintock and Dobson. Their thinking is always something to see and they have continually impressed me to the point that I am always on the look-out for anything coming from them.

So, quite naturally and honestly, how could I not absolutely love "The Ivory Connection"?

The routine is fantastic, to say the least. Rather than a trick, the Sach's routine is a complete act in "Ivory Connection".

The routine begins with a purse frame being shown (do I have to say it's empty?) and the dice appearing from it one at a time. From there, the standard Sach's routine begins, with the spots jumping all over the place. Finally, for the big finish, the two single dice are found to be fused together into a block and then vanish completely again.

You know, having written that, you really have to see this routine to appreciate it. It's clean, magical, and flat-out astonishing when that finish hits (we're talking brain-freezing stuff here). Between the handling changes and the routining, "Ivory Connection" is one solid piece of magic.

It's also more than just another dice routine based on Sach's work. "Ivory Connection" is simpler -- no more looking for just the right dice and fretting about rounded corners versus sharp corners versus cut corners; I did it using dice from my old Monopoly set. It's also more visual, with some of those spot changes occurring as openly as you could ever ask for (there's one phase where the spots move "in slow motion", and the handling there blew me away). The whole act is incredibly tight and, within the parameters of magic, logical. Throw in Dobson's handlings (which I find I like just a hair more than McClintock's) into McClintock's routine and you're talking commercial magic at its best.

When it comes such a routine, comparisons between existing routines are pretty much mandatory. In the case of the Sach's routine and all its permutations since its inception, I've found such comparisons less than useful. All such routines use the same move, if a bit differently, for the core of the routine and, from that point on, you're looking at the details of the routine itself. Do you want one that finishes with a vanish? Begins with a production? With an unusual climax? All of these are the questions you ask to find the routine that fits what you want it to accomplish.

"Ivory Connection" supplies all of that in one neat package and you can take the education from McClintock and Dobson and build your own routine as you like.

Now, I've got to say a word about the weirdos (and I use the term most affectionately and respectfully) at The Magic Bakery who produced this disc. This disc is excellently produced, to be sure, but there are some nice touches along the way. This is not a dupe of the original video as some might think; this has been re-shot and looks great. But The Magic Bakery folks outdid themselves in an effort to out-pace the "experts" how would claim such a thing: they included the all the footage of the original "Ivory Connection" release with all it's "shot in a living room with a shaky cam" production values intact. Now, personally, I love that. It's a tweak of the nose of those that should know better. Then The Magic Bakery set up the tweak itself: when you start the disc, it looks all the world like the low-quality original version before the new footage kicks in. I think I cried a river laughing at this little touch. Yeah, I know, it's a little "inside baseball", but I couldn't help rolling on the floor over that one. Yep, those loveable weirdos have a great sense of humor going for 'em.

Unsurprisingly, I wholeheartedly recommend "Ivory Connection" to any worker looking for a good piece of close-up magic; McClintock and Dobson really deliver the goods here. It's something different for audiences, plays huge (considering the props involved), and is astonishing. You can't ask for much more from a magic effect.

"Ivory Connection" DVD by Reed McClintock and Steve Dobson
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
It's the Sach's classical routine twisted all around... twice. McClintock's routine is pretty much a full act, with productions and vanishes in addition to the spots changing; Dobson's routine concentrates on the spots changing but with a very nice handling. Both end with a kicker ending that is unexpected and astonishing. For those interested in the Sach's routine (and pretty much everyone should be), this DVD is pure gold.

Practicality: 10
Have dice, will astonish... That's the primary draw of the Sach's routine as it is here. There are minor things to consider -- you can't have anyone standing directly behind you, for example, and for the McClintock routine, you'll need to pack a couple of extra things -- but those really are minor considerations and "Ivory Connection" is imminently practical.

Quality of Production: 10
The production is excellently done here (the producers did get in an elbow to the ribs at the beginning, making it look like a really bad tape dupe. Be ye not fooled... like I was), with great camera and sound work. Big thumbs up here (and bonus points for actually including the original, worn and dirty video for comparison).

Quality of Instruction: 10
McClintock and Dobson both are excellent teachers -- always have been, always will be. They are again excellent on this disc, covering all the details clearly and concisely.

Presentation: 10
The visuals are excellent and the verbal presentations are solid, a little goofy maybe, but entertaining. The blend of the two is perfectly done and the routines structured extremely well. This is great stuff.

Shane

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