THE CIGARETTE AND SILK ROUTINE
Required
Sleights: Finger
Palm; Change-Over Palm; Spinning Wand Vanish
Props and Preparation: Cigarette from Nowhere (Matchbox Method)
left trouser pocket; one smooth surfaced billiard ball-right trouser pocket. Thumb tip right trouser pocket; 18"
dark colored silk; 14" wand; ashtray; topit vanisher inside jacket (left
side).
1. Pretend,
step by step, to roll a cigarette. Tap
the invisible cigarette on your watch or whatever, pretending to pack down the
tobacco.
2. Left
hand goes into the left trouser pocket as right hand pretends to place the
cigarette between lips. Left hand
secures the gimmicked matchbox.
3. Open
matches, remove one and strike it on the box.
Cup both hands to light the invisible cigarette. Secure the real cigarette with your lips and
draw your left hand down at the same time that match touches the end of the
cigarette.
4. The
left hand places the matchbox into the left trouser pocket and secures the
billiard ball in a finger palm position.
The right hand places the match into the ashtray.
5. As
the left hand is drawn from the pocket, the right hand removes the cigarette
from between your lips and the performer exhales a puff of smoke. The left hand is brought to a position of waist
high to mid-chest (but no higher) and remains motionless.
6. Take
another puff on the cigarette and blow the smoke to your right (about half a
turn). [It will be even more effective
if you can blow a smoke ring.]
7. With
your left hand reach across your body and produce the hidden ball. (I use a roll up movement with the ball.)
8. Place
the cigarette back between lips. The
right hand pretends to take the ball (retaining it in the left hand finger
palm) while your body turns slightly more to the right as your right hand moves
away and simultaneously turn downward so that the back of the right hand is
toward the audience.
9. Remove
the cigarette from your lips in smokers grip with the left hand. Exhale some smoke onto your right hand and
with some showmanship, show the ball has vanished.
10. Turn
your body slightly back to your left and nonchalantly take the cigarette from
your left hand into your right hand.
11. After
slight pause, take another puff of the cigarette and repeat #7. Place cigarette between lips with right hand
and pick up the wand with the same hand.
12. Turn
full on the audience and show the ball on the up-turned palm of the left hand
and point to the ball with the wand.
13. With
a light flourish of the wand to the right, the left hand rotates inward so that
the back of the hand is to the audience.
(**Checkpoint: The little finger
side of your left hand and forearm should now be parallel with the stage
surface and about chest high.) At this
time the fingers of the left hand "walk" the ball into position where
it is retained by the tips of the fingers and the heel of the hand.
14. Execute the 'spinning wand vanish'
[Silent Mora]
15. Show the left hand empty, striking the
wand against the open palm.
16. Now
your left hand comes to body center and the ball in the right hand is allowed
to roll-off the fingers and into the left hand as the body returns to the left
profile to replace the wand on the table and pick-up the silk.
17. With one corner in each hand show the
silk empty and unprepared.
18. Retain
the right hand corner of the silk and drop the left. Keep your left hand back towards the audience. Place the silk into the left palm and stroke
the silk through the left hand. Repeat
this move and this time force the ball upward so that as the silk reached its
end, the ball is seen resting on top of the ring made by the joining of the
left index finger and thumb.
19. The
right hand shakes the silk and the left hand moves the ball so that it is held
by the thumb and finger tips. (Left
finger should now be pointing toward ceiling.)
20. The
right hand places the silk over the ball so that one corner is full on the
audience. Execute the handkerchief
penetration using a puff of smoke as a catalyst.
21. Now
the right hand takes the ball from the fold of silk and drops to the lower
right corner of the silk and pulls it from the left hand. The left hand secures a corner and silk is
displayed between the two hands.
22. Your
right hand displays the ball forward as it releases its corner of the
silk. The left hand moves forward to
show the silk and the right hand with the ball retreats into your body.
23. As
your right hand moves under the silk with the ball, release the ball into the
topit vanisher. The left hand
straightens the silk over the "ball" in the right hand then removes
the cigarette from your lips.
24. Blow
smoke onto the silk and the left hand secures nearest corner and slowly draws
the silk from the right hand. The right
hand is shown empty. The left hand
displays the silk and palm also empty.
25. Reach
into your right trouser pocket and withdraw the duplicate ball and display
it. Replace the ball into your pocket
and secure the thumb tip.
26. Display silk and insert the thumb tip and
vanish the cigarette in the silk.
27. Place the silk in breast pocket of jacket
or anywhere else, depositing thumb tip at the same time.