The Dramatic Art of Magic

While anyone with an interest in classic manipulation acts will find inspiration in Louis Haley’s concise but extremely clear explanations of cleverly structured effects and routines with handkerchiefs, billiard balls, doves, eggs, banknotes and coins, the second half of The Dramatic Art of Magic is particularly deserving of performers’ attention. Haley’s “Actor-Magician Essays” explore how the drama inherent in magic can be heightened, and how practitioners of the art can take their cue from serious theater to elevate the standard of their work and leave audiences truly amazed. “It is not so much what you do and how you do it,” Haley suggests, “but rather what you think in the doing.” At times challenging, this is not just a book of tricks and theory, it is a manifesto that every reader will benefit from reflecting on.