By Jim Burns
To say that I love White Star would be a huge understatement. I’m quite enthralled with it, as I love history. While reading some of the great ideas from different magicians, I began buying actual antiques on eBay to enhance it. I am looking for the greatest psychological impact possible and I believed that by using actual “real antiques”, the spectator would be so bombarded with what is real, they would loose track, of what isn’t.
Originally, my problem with all of my props was the question of whether to say that they were raised from the wrecking field or not. I knew that no one with any intelligence would believe that they were…. This was a big problem for me……but then I thought, what if I could set something in front of them that really DID go down with the ship; that was provable, with a certificate? Coal!!!!!! the only item that we can buy legally and for a very small amount of money!! It’s perfect. That should give them goose-bumps!
The Presentation
I’d like to perform an experiment right now, but before I begin, I would like Jane to hold onto this coin in her hand closed please…..and I would like Simon to hold onto this coin in his closed hand. I’m also going to set this, (coal) in front of you and this very old fountain pen in front of you. These two articles are simply markers; I’ll explain their meaning in a moment.
I’m going to show you some photos of some real people in history. They are not individually known for anything, in fact only their close family members would know their faces.
I’ll show you some of these photos one at a time and I’d like you to simply tell me if you are drawn to them in any way, just from looking at the photo. Most people find about half of the photos that I show them fascinating, and I hope you will too.
So, as I show you these photos, if you feel a particular energy about your photo, say YES, and I’ll place it in your pile, next to your marker. If you get no particular feeling at all, say NO, and I’ll place it in front of me. Again, try to set your sensitivity control to about half of the photos and I think that this will be fun and maybe interesting.
~After the photos are all dealt~I told you that these people aren’t known individually but they did experience one, very well-known event together.
~pick up the unchosen cards~ They were all passengers who were aboard the R.M.S. Titanic in 1912, but one thing separates them from one another…. Fate!! On the backs of the cards, are written some personal facts about these historic people. ~as you handle them, read some facts as you openly shown them~ As you can see, their fate is also identified. Oh, the lighthouse…. it represents the last port that some of these people saw as they sailed from Queenstown, Ireland.
Simon, would you please open your hand and look at the coin that you have been holding the whole time. It is an English penny. It is a real coin minted in Heaton, England many years ago. And would you please read the date on that coin? 1912. 100 years ago…..the year the Titanic sank.
The person who carried this coin in their pocket, (1912) could well have met their fate this year by taking this coin to the bottom of the sea; not what you would call a lucky coin.
Jane, this lucky passenger on the other hand, could have carried this coin in their pocket long after the Titanic sank. In this experiment, I had you hold these coins in your hands for a very important reason. I believe that they carry with them, an energy of their own.
As for the markers; they are also real! This is an actual lump of coal that went down on the Titanic, April 15, 1912, at 2:20 in the morning. It was recovered in 1996 and as you can see, has a certificate to prove it. Simon, lets turn over your cards which you were drawn to. You can see that they did in fact all meet their maker together on this day in 1912. They all sank together, off of the coast of Newfoundland, with THIS actual piece of coal.
As we turn over Janes cards…………(spread them out) yes, just as I suspected, your good feeling about these people was well warranted as they all survived the sinking of the Titanic. You see, this fountain pen was also around in that historic year of 1912 and was the exact type of pen that was used to record the names of the survivors; the people on the R.M.S. Titanic who went on to live long, healthy lives.
~as you casually, turn off the lighthouse, light……. you say~
“As for an explanation of all of this? I’m afraid, it is just another one of the many mysteries surrounding the Titanic.”
The Team at the Merchant of Magic would like to thank Jim Burns for this excellent presentation of the magic trick White Star
Please let us know your thoughts about this in the comments section below:
A neat approach. I especially like the use of two coins and them being held throughout performance.
Thank you Mark. I’m glad you like the two coin idea. I wrote this a couple of years ago and I still really like Jim Critchlow’s White Star so much. I had fun tweaking his wonderful idea, ever so slightly. As I read the routine now, I realize that I’ve softened it quite a bit since that original writing. I love to perform it, late at night here at the house, after dinner with a candle in on the dining room table with friends. I have a lot of sorrow in my heart for those who lost their lives, so I’m torn between the obvious ghoulishness of the routine and the entertainment value. But, I think the cards suggest a lot of respect for those people when you read about them. Using all four items, it might be a little busy, so some people may wish to have the spectators just hold the coal (deceased) and pen (survivors). And, I always arrange it so the man has the deceased and the lady has the survivors. Just my preference.
9-15-19
Jim,
I have loved “White Star” since you showed it to Nikki and me at the Orange County fair. Thanks for the routine.
Are you doing any county fairs this year? eg. L.A. , Kern or O.C.? or next year?
Roy Ball