Hi,

Has any of you performed the Through the eye of a needle illusion where a girl passes from one barrel to another through a liny hole and some spikes?
How is the audience reaction, and do you think this illusion plays well. Is it practical to use. And who is the best builder.

It looks like a cool illusion, but it would be great if I could get some advice.

J.

This is a seldom seen illusion which is what's cool about it. We performed this once for the Collector's Weekend in Chicago a few years ago. I borrowed the prop from David Seebach of Milwaukee. His was built by Abbott's years ago .. but it was still in excellent condition. We rehearsed the illusion and presented it "Cowboy Style" which couldn't be more differnt for me. Well, the audience loved it .. and asked where I performed it before .. I said it was a one time deal .. tonight was it.

It's not the most practical of illusions .. as you lugging around two full size wooden barrels. I'm not sure if the reaction was for the illusion .. or seeing me in a cowboy outfit, square dancing on stage.

Steve

Pretty safe bet it was for the illusion.

I assisted Andre' Kole with this illusion at special shows a couple of times around 15 years ago.

I felt it played very well. It's practical if you or an assistant can fit in the barrel. Andre' got in the barrel and two assistants did the rest. It was quite a bit of fun to present.

I'm not sure who built his, but I'd say you can't go wrong with any company who builds good illusions.

I don't think it's seen much these days, so you might have something very few others perform. You'd just need to decide if this will give you the most "bang for your buck."

Terry

It sounds pretty cool (except for you in a cowboy outfit Chez...wow) would anyone have a video of it?

The key to this illusion is to be comfortable with spikes and targets. The downside with the prop is the way the two barrels lock together for the 360 spin. I have been through two sets over the years and that is always the first thing that needs to be made more secure. It is a tough prop to repair. The barrels play big and pack just as big

Thanks for plenty of good advice.

styck13: There's a short (and not too good quality) video of it on Tilford's site. See http://www.tilfordillusions.com/video/eyeOfNeedle.wmv

Thanks for posting the video link

Abbott's is the primary manufacturer of this illusion, but you could get the illusion built by any reputable builder. (Try Wellington and Owens). I've also seen a very nice version that was built by Jonny Gaughan with a unique design for the targets. This illusion plays big, and as others have pointed out, the barrells do not pack down. David Garrard performs this illusion and has developed a unique stand to hold the rods. The stand allows for all four rods to be shown solid at the beginning of the routine and... um.... does some magic work.... before the rods are inserted in the barrell. Normally only two rods are capable of being shown solid.

http://www.davidgarrardmagic.com/index.asp