Check out Martin Lewis Come-Back Card
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ5BHAc5Y1A

Dan, did you teach this or show this at the penguin Online Lecture? Im backed up since the baby was born..

Try a little Metamucil.

Ha ha ha Nice Sly...

I love awakening. Get it here: http://www.magicinc.net/TheAwakeningbyDanHarlan.aspx

This really is a great trick...yay Dan!!

They say all great tricks are killed by "improvements," so I figured I would take a stab at it.
I too wanted the ropes to be able to be handed out and I wanted a little more freedom in the handling.
Here is what I have been playing with. I think it is quite an attractive alternative.

http://youtu.be/x5KUwmUR3Zk

-Scott

Scott, well I would not think that is the type of patter that would be for laymen, most likely at a magic convention or at the magic club meeting. As your lines mentioning that they (the audience) seen it and know it is just not true. Now maybe if your perform the Professor Nitemare standard routine prior or even as running gag, then finally do this, it may make some sense.

Maybe look at the audience as you bring out the ropes, and say in your famous style, yes, again. Maybe name your trick, similar to Ali Bongo did some times, calling it "Famous Long and short of it Rope Trick" or some silly name that makes no sense.

I would also take out one or two of the repetitive long to short and short to long or different size bits. It get a little tiring, with the repetition.

I also see it is kind of hard to do a decent count action with these ropes. Can it be done with a rhythm count? When Dan come out with this, his handling was a little less flip floppy from hand to has as I remember. Have you tried using more of his handling and inject your wonderful personality more into the routine.

I really think it is your personality that make your magic so good. Now repeat after me, "I have a fabulous personality!" "It shines through beyond my magic." I am sure you feel better now.

Derek Hughes does a great personality piece with this routine. Funny, and establishes his character in 4 minutes. It looks like his opener, but I haven't seen his whole show. Derek is a talented actor as well.

Ken

Was this discussed on the Penguin lecture however? Just curious since I'm going to get a few this week.

No not for laymen Bill...just to show you guys what Im working on. I wouldn't do it for "real people"
lol

Great additions Scott! Really great thinking to make this clean!

Thanks...Im working on the script for real audiences, thinking about a premise of how everyone always says "do it again" to a magician....

Was this taught in either penguin lecture?

No, I did not include "The Awakening" in either Penguin lecture. I have been doing it in all of my personal appearances, though.
--Harlan

Teaching it in a lecture wouldn’t really help as you need the props to make it work. BTW it is a great routine!

Jim

Classics are classics for a reason. And it is just darn hard to significantly and genuinely improve on a classic. The old sayjng about "Don't try to reinvent the wheel" usually stands.


But in this case, we have to make an exception, becsuse if Prof's Nightmare is the wheel, then Dan has most assuredly stepped up to the plate and given us a significant improvement, both in ease of handling, and in presentation. Even if Dan stops manufacturing and marketing these, they still stand in the hall of fame as an enduring neo-classic. This is just too good to be forgotten.

Way cool!

I picked this up at Dan's lecture ans agree its a great twist on an old classic and makes the moves seem unbelievable.

Good stuff, eh? Pure Harlan gold!

I used it as when I was doing MC, and they loved it! I loved it, too, because it made my reputation. Gotta love the way Dan's brain works!

I've been doing Daryl's rope routine (Great routine BTW) since the days of VHS. This handling is, well, more magical. No cover, they just change. Prof. Nightmare is a trick that most beginning magicians learn and it is a classic for a reason. But Dan's awakening is just an improvement over the classic in my opinion.

Yes, true. But it is a SPLENDID improvement.