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The Magic Cafe Forum Index The spooky, the mysterious...the bizarre! Final Curtain
Book by Borodin(0Likes)

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Posted: Feb 22, 2006 04:13 am
ClouDsss 0

Search function is down, so please forgive me if there is another post with regards to this book.
however, I did remember the previous post to be a review on the original non-translated version of
Final Curtain.

Would like to check if anyone has bought this book yet and care to give a review on the contents
Inner circle and such?
1799 Posts

Thanks a lot!!
Think outside the box, cos people are all thinking inside now!! - ClouDsss
Posted: Feb 22, 2006 08:42 am
calexa 0

Yep, I wrote this review you are looking for. Here it is again:

A lot of people ware waiting for the new book of Borodin, Final Curtain, translated into English,
especially after reading his book Sheherazad. So I thought its time to write a review about the
german version of this book, to give all those people waiting a little insight on the content.
Inner circle
Germany
1641 Posts
The german version is a high-quality hardbound book of 270 pages. It contains 24 routines in 4
chapters each routine is explained how the spectators experience it, then you will be told the
secret behind the performance.

The rst chapter deals with 7 ghost stories. You will read about ghosts living in houses, strange
voices, paintings on walls, and ballets.
Zocker-Bill is a story about a a card player, who dies in a re. With the help of the performer, his
ghost is summoned in a wooden box,and he proves his existence by showing some of his old
habits.
Tante Elise is an other version of the routine Aunt Elise inSheharazad.
In Das Menetekel you will hear about a murderer whose house is haunted by a ghost.
Tonbandstimmen will show how to bring the voices of dead people onto a tape.
Das Haus in Livorno is a poetic story about a love who was forbidden bringing a pigeon to life.
 Onkel Fjodors Brettspiel gives you a version of the classic Knife Board.
And in the routine Schwanensee you will hear the storie about a female performer who died during
the training, and her show will come alive during the performance but thats not all, there is
another magical surprise. This routine is pur poetry.

The next chapter gives you four examples of storytelling with a funny twist one of them is the
routine Dream Voyage, an other is a mental experiment, where three spectators choose freely a
city, a restaurant, and the amount of money they want to spend there and the performer has
known all this before.

The third chapter is about mental scenarios for stage performers. Here, you dont get big stories,
but ideas and effects, and how to realise them on stage. Some of them require the help of
assistants.

In the last chapter gives us ve examples of mentalism with an esoteric twist. Each routine comes
with a full story.
Das Fenster zum Jetzt is a card routine, where a choosen card vanishes from the deck and
appears in an impossible place.
Lebend oder tot is a version of a life-and-death-test.
In Crystal Tarot Borodin gives you an example on future telling, using a crystal ball and a deck of
tarot cards.
Bastet is a teleportation routine: a ring vanishes and appears in the spectators hand,
accompanied with an egyptian story.
And last but not least Das Gesicht. In this story the face of the magician changes into a skeleton
face, right in front of the spectators. The light is NOT turned down, the spectators watch the
performer, and suddenly his face changes.

At the end you get a poetic bonus story.

My opinion:
As you can see from the content, a lot of the routines are written to be performed on the stage.
Another thing is, that for the ghost stories in the rst chapter you need complicated devices
Borodin has made most of them to t his special needs to make the magic happen. But you will see
that these devices are not easy to produce if you want to perform these miracles. In my eyes for the
average performer the last chapter is the best, because these routines are easy to perform.
So what is my conclusion? The rst thing I want to say is that the ghost stories are a great read
they are as good as the stories in Sheherazad. But will you perform them? I guess not. The third
chapter is for stage performers only. The second chapter in my eyes good,the patterns provided are
excellent, but if you want to perform the effects, you need some preparation. The last chapter in my
eyes contains the most usable routines in this book especially the idea behind Das Gesicht is
brilliant.
Do you have to buy the book? Im not sure, because I think that you will never perform a lot of these
routines. If you want good story-telling get the book, because it gives you so many ideas on how
to create real magic. Dont expect a second Sheherazad, in my eyes Sheherazad is better (but
this is of course only my opinion).
One thing that I want to criticise is the old-fashioned language. I dont think that people today speak
like this it simply sounds strange. Hopefully this will be changed in the english translation.

Magixx
Optimists have more fun.....
Posted: Feb 22, 2006 05:11 pm
Dr Spektor 0

Hmm.. although speaking in antiquated ways was a Lovecraftian style (of course, his prose wasn';t
the greatest - his ideas transcended his writing style )...

Hey, if its by Borodin - its gonna be great! Even if one never performs them - how can a bizarrist not
own it (from a collector's stance) (oh yeah - my VISA bill is mighty ugly)....
Eternal Order
Carcosa "They are lean and athirst!!!!"
 10572 Posts

Posted: Feb 22, 2006 09:20 pm

John Cass 0

A look at the Adesso Verlag web site has some interesting information about the book.

Go to http://www.adessoverlag.com/curtain.htm

Regular user
131 Posts

Posted: Feb 22, 2006 09:29 pm

Bill Palmer 0

Hello All:

I just got the call from the trucking company this afternoon. The book should be delivered tomorrow
afternoon.

Eternal Order To clear up any misunderstandings about the material in the book, which Calexa has so ably
Only Jonathan reported upon, "Das Gesicht" (The Face) is performed with the lights fairly low.
Townsend has
more than
24133 Posts There are twelve additional routines in the English version. Some of them are very easy to construct,
others will require a small investment. However, several of them are to be released as separate
items by Alex Roemer and Borodin.

Regarding the relative expense of the items in the German edition of the book, that's debatable. For
example, the props in "Hustler Bill" (Zocker Bill) could be put together for about $40. On the other
hand, the "Swan Lake" (Schwanensee) would require quite an accomplished do-it-yourselfer and a
taxidermist to construct. But it serves as an excellent example of how to construct a magical story.

And "Diner Trois" can be put together for for about $20, depending on how much the postcards
cost you.

I'll let others judge the book and contents. For those of you who have Sheherazade, we have done
this book in the same 8 1/2" x 11" format. It has 350 pages of material.

We hope you like it.

"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
Posted: Mar 8, 2006 10:15 am
Doug Higley 0

I recieved my copy yesterday. Initial impression, a nicely produced Hard Cover and stories stories
stories! Any real Bizarrist will dive in and retreave lots of mood and ideas to work with. A very
readable English translation by Bill Palmer.
The Story is presented and then the Magic Of The Story goes into the workings of the props and
effects...some of which seem a bit difcult to just 'work up'. But that's just an intial impression as I
V.I.P. said and the stories seem to lend themselves to 'bending' to accomodate props and items already
Here and There on the market and easier to obtain. Some of the stories are rather long and it's obvious their
7147 Posts
presentation requires quite a bit of acting skill to hold the spectators attention untill the effects 'kick
in'. BUT, that said...it's a book for reading and pulling out ideas and those elements, you will enjoy,
whether you perform the routines or not. Bill did an excellent job of making the material accessable
and understandable in the modern day language we are all used to. (Unless you're not an English
speaker/reader that is)

So far so good.

Higley
 Higley's Doug's Museum
Posted: Mar 8, 2006 11:39 am
Mystician 0

Very few books make my "will buy, no questions asked " list, as opposed to my "might buy" list.
This one is in the former category.
Just hanging out with the rest of my fellow dregs.
http:// www . phrets . com
Inner circle
Visit http://www.bizarremagic.net
Wallachia
3482 Posts

Posted: Mar 8, 2006 10:25 pm

Sean Lough 0

Doug is correct -- Final Curtain is loaded with stories and ideas and inspiration.

And more stories and ideas and inspiration.

Loyal user
NYC
211 Posts

Posted: Mar 8, 2006 10:57 pm

Clifford the 0
Red
I got my copy and it is simply and utterly awesome.
"The universe is full of magical things, waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Eden Philpotts

Inner circle
LA, California
1923 Posts

Posted: Mar 9, 2006 02:07 pm

Bill Palmer 0

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

The real purpose of the book is (from my viewpoint) is to explain how the story makes the magic
more real for the audience. The toys, themselves, are really unimportant. The most involved item
would probably be "The House in Livorno." That bird would be a booger to construct. But if you have
Eternal Order a friend who is a taxidermist -- hey, there you go!
Only Jonathan
Townsend has
more than
"Aunt Elise" is also fairly involved, but doable.
24133 Posts
My wife read the proof on the book, and her favorite story was "Vismay and Wonder," which requires
no props at all. But it sets the mood for everything that follows.

The main thing that will make or break one of the presentations is your ability to take a story, tell it
well, and make it interesting for the audience. If you can tell a story, then you really have got the
whole thing wired.
"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
Posted: Mar 9, 2006 04:05 pm
Clifford the 0
Red
Hey I completely understand. I think about some of the things my partner and I have dreamed up
and they are generally total custom effects that would be very difcult to duplicate, even if you had
instructions. I really enjoy seeing the thinking of Borodin as it generates new thinking on my part
and reinforces that I am not alone in my madness.
 "The universe is full of magical things, waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Eden Philpotts

Inner circle
LA, California
1923 Posts

Posted: Mar 9, 2006 05:41 pm

Al Straker 0

Firstly, we are all so fortunate to have Bill dedicate himself to many hours of translation so we can
share in the experience of this magnicent book. Borodin has a style so unique and special as
evidenced by these stories and happenings that it is truly inspiring to experience the magic even in
book form. It is a book that will drive you to a new level of desire to elevate magical moods during
your own performances and maybe dare you to apply ideas designed to create strong dramatic
Grammar Host tension in a bizzare way. Learning from a master storyteller and entertainer such as this is truly a
Australia pleasure and I only wish I had ties with the same kind of prop-builders as Borodin uses! Most of the
1062 Posts
effects require some kind of specialised prop but hey, it just wouldn't be possible for Borodin to
present his material so dramatically if this wasn't the case. He is obviously a perfectionist and likes
to give all his creations a sense of authenticity.

In summary this book is seriously inspirational and highly sophisticated in the prop department. I
don't see this as a drawback as anyone serious about creating their own personal bizzare/mental
style will nd more than enough stories, ideas, processes and other writings to really spark them
into action and think out ways to either build the props they need or adapt the routines to using
items already available.

My highest recommendation to all who like strange!

Cheers,
Al
Al Straker Dip F.P, B.Mus.Ed
<BR>"Stranger than ction!"
<BR>An unforgettable experience
Posted: Mar 10, 2006 11:22 am
Bill Palmer 0

One thing to consider -- there is one story in the nal section that requires an outlay of exactly $0.00
USD (in Australian dollars, that's even less!), and another that will cost you about $5.00 to construct.
If you have some recent magazines, you can construct "The Game of Fate" for practically nothing.
You can also construct "The Cards do Not Lie" for about $10.00, if you have to scare up a really old-
looking deck of cards. So it's not all about expense.
Eternal Order
Only Jonathan I've had the advantage of actually seeing some of these props -- sometimes in the developmental
Townsend has
more than
stages, sometimes in actual performance. It took Borodin a couple of years to develop his
24133 Posts knifeboard, and almost as long to develop what he used for his "Swan Lake" routine.

I could never perform the "Swan Lake" routine, myself. It's not my kind of story. But it is a dandy
story for someone who has that kind of personality.

On the other hand -- "Hustler Bill" is right up my alley!

"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
Posted: Mar 10, 2006 12:20 pm
Doug Higley 0

Funny thing is the one I like most is the shortest with a prop readilly available or VERY easy to
make. 'The Fountain Of Youth' (from an idea by Brother Shadow) is sleek and has a gentle nale
 that would t in many routines. Especially those that tend to go overboard in the darkness dept. (not
saying that's a bad thing!)
Kind of an 'interlude' effect to calm the waters before the next deep delving.

As most of you know from my varied interests I'm not a Bizarrist in the strict denition and do not
use a character like that either but I like to do routines that have Bizarre twists and I do come up
V.I.P.
Here and There
with some bizarre ideas on ocasion (not to mention the props)...so this book is in another relm for
7147 Posts me and is almost pure entertainment reading. (It scores!) I could never pull off long stories like my
friend Clifford or many others in this topic. My own attention span is that of a gnat on caffene.
BUT...most of these stories can be adapted to a quicker presentation style and like has been said
utilize readily available props and effects. I don't see this book as a word for word eld
manual...more (like in the Fountain story) a map from which shortcuts can be devined and jauntily
taken.

Higley
Higley's Doug's Museum
Posted: Mar 10, 2006 09:51 pm
Al Straker 0

I agree Doug!

I should have added to my post above that there are some routines which would be quick & easy to
make up from the book that are awesome in themselves.

Grammar Host Al
Australia
1062 Posts Al Straker Dip F.P, B.Mus.Ed
<BR>"Stranger than ction!"
<BR>An unforgettable experience
Posted: Mar 27, 2006 06:57 am
The Curator 0

I receive my book this morning and couldn't resist to read it from cover to cover.
It's a delight ! Congratulations to both of you for this exquisite work.
http://www.surnateum.org
http://www.surnateum.com

V.I.P.
Beware Vampire, I
have
3721 Posts

Posted: Mar 29, 2006 11:51 am

Julian Kestrel 0

There are very few books which actually qualify as Desert island books for the bizzarist. Final
Curtain is one of them.

This is not for folk who think you can use a Tenyo prop and talk about your haunted or ancient
object.
Loyal user
254 Posts
Julian
Posted: Mar 29, 2006 11:39 pm
Clifford the 0
Red
Quote:

On 2006-03-10 13:20, Doug Higley wrote:

I'm not a Bizarrist in the strict denition
Inner circle
LA, California
1923 Posts

This coming from a man who cooks shrunken heads and chupacabras for a living.
 "The universe is full of magical things, waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Eden Philpotts
Posted: Apr 26, 2006 04:29 am
MisterE21 0

Is this book available exsclusively through Hocus Pocus? I haven't seen it elsewhere and Murphy's
doesn't nd it in their search.
Your EFFECT is only as good as its AFFECT.

Elite user
Salt Lake City, UT
426 Posts

Posted: Apr 26, 2006 07:32 am

handa 0

Mr. Palmer,

Are you selling the book directly?

Viking Magic is also carrying it on their website.

Inner circle
Pittsburgh, PA http://www.vikingmagic.com
1346 Posts

Chris
Please visit Chris Handa's spookymagic.com

The Magic Cafe Forum Index The spooky, the mysterious...the bizarre! Final Curtain
Book by Borodin(0Likes)
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