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Max Howard: Creating Theatrical Magic Review
One book, one DVD, one big fat juicy lesson on creating theatrical magic and $50 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect/Method
This is a story about a real guy named Augustus Reich, from the Civil War era. A real guy who happened to be discovered about a hundred years later by husband and wife team, Max Howard and Diane Bray. This book is a journey of Max Howard's life and how he became Augustus Reich, or as he's more affectionately known: Gus Rich. The real Gus Rich happened to be a magician as well.
Upon reading this book, you'll embark upon a wonderful journey of Howard's career as an actor, performer, magician, etc. You'll experience the Great Southern Sleight of Hand Show performed by Max Howard as Gus Rich and Diane Bray as Jim Bailey, Gus's trusty sidekick and partner. The show is a full evening show where you watch Max Howard transform into Gus right before your very eyes.
If you've been around magic any period of time, you'll likely not be fooled by much of the magic — although the animated wand in bottle might throw you for a loop — however, what you will receive is a master course in creating a magic SHOW (i.e., not a bunch of tricks merely strung together).
The DVD includes two full complete shows (each one at a different venue) of Gus and Jim's show. Sprinkled in amongst the performance pieces you'll get to meet Max Howard as he discusses why this trick was here and that one was there, and how they came up with this, and why they do that. You'll also get some detailed instructions on two of the effects, the wand in bottle and the three coin (coins across) effect. The rest of the effects are covered in the book.
After reading a brief, but detailed, mini-biography about Max Howard and Diane Bray, we're taken to the show. A complete script of the entire show is given, word for word. Additionally, annotations are added throughout the script to help us further understand the choices made by Howard and Bray . . . or better said, choices made by Gus and Jim. Next up is the complete script again, but this time with explanations of the effects performed and, again, why they were chosen.
The effects are almost all found in Tarbell or other classic texts, etc. Effects like Card in Orange, Die Box, Water Suspension, etc. are the type of effects you'll see. Basic overviews of the methods are covered, and resources for more info about the effects are also provided. However, keep in mind that this book is not about learning tricks . . . far from it. This book is about learning magic, namely the magic of theater.
As you travel along with Max's and Diane's morph into Gus and Jim, you learn how to become a character, how to be true to that character, figure out what kind of tricks that character would perform, how he would perform them, why he would perform them and more. Why does Max Howard (as Gus) perform the Die Box? Because Gus — The real Gus, Augustus Reich — actually performed the Die Box in his show a hundred-ish years ago, that's why.
Gus also happens to be a Civil War Veteran who proudly served his country, and as such, he is very patriotic and is very open about his patriotic and political views. They blend nicely into his show. Max Howard shows us how he was able to put forth such powerful and possibly even polemic perspectives. We learn how to prepare the audience and how to make sure the show properly builds. And I'll bet you a nickel that you ain't never seen a performance of the Siberian Chain Escape as powerful, moving and emotional as Gus's tear-inducing performance.
All of this and more is detailed and spoon fed to us between the covers of Creating Theatrical Magic. You and I will likely not do most of the effects that Max/Gus performs, and if we did, we'd almost certainly not do them the way Gus/Max did. Rather, we learn from this experience why they did what they did. That is the most important question we as performers must ask ourselves, and this book is an amazing arrow that points in the direction needed to help us find that answer for ourselves.
As if the biography, the journey to "meeting" and becoming Gus and Jim, the two annotated scripts and the DVD weren't enough to teach us how to learn "why," next up is an interview between Larry Hass, Max Howard and Diane Bray where we receive even more insight. Finally, the book wraps up with an appendix which is sort of a scrapbook about the real Gus. Admittedly, I haven't finished reading this part. However, based on the part of it I've read and skimming the rest, it's a brief overview of some events in the real Gus's life, some pictures of his actual props, reproductions of actual letters he wrote, pictures of newspaper clippings of his show ads and more.
This gives us more insight into the real Gus and thus more insight into the most important question: Why? For Max Howard and Diane Bray, this particular Why (i.e., why do we/does Gus do this?) is very personal. However, even though you and I are not Gus, this question is still important to us — at least, it should be. So learn how to answer it, or better said, how to ask it ourselves by watching/reading someone else's path to that question and answer.
Product Quality
This book is well produced. It's very easy to read and follow. The concepts are clearly taught and explained, and adding the DVD was a nice touch to help solidify things and sort of fill in the gaps.
Final Thoughts
If you want to stop performing tricks and start performing magic, then you must have this in your library. If you want to learn how to turn your show into a full evening theatrical show, then you must have this in your library. If you want more meaning in your magic, if you want direction, insight, clarity, etc., then you must have this in your library. This book is inspirational, educational and entertaining all rolled up in one.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!