Notes de Conférences 1982 de Gaëtan BLOOM (en anglais)

Description

4 tours illustrés de superbes dessins de James HODGES

Perspex a la carte

A card is selected, remembered, and returned to the pack, which is then discarded.
The performer displays a small basket full of pieces of different playing cards which have been cut into quarters and thoroughly mixed.
The performer holds up a completely transparent piece of perspex (which can be examined) and picks out four different quarters at random from the box, dips each one into a glass of water and sticks them on to the sheet of perspex, boldly predicting that the four pieces will match up with the chosen card.
Unfortunately, the spectator confirms that only one corner matches the card.
So the performer «guesses» correctly which three corners are wrong, and discards them, but he is not finished yet! Annoucing that he promised to find the whole card, he tells the spectator to watch the perspex carefully.
After the count of three, the corner visibly transforms into the whole card, a complete duplicate of the chosen card.

Have you had un oeuf

The performer lights a calor gas burner (or a Coleman gas burner) used for camping, and showns an empty frying pan.
He then mimes cracking an egg on the pan, and again mimes adding a little salt, pepper and then butter.
He stirs the whole invisible concoction with a wooden spoon, and to everyone’s surprise, tips out a beautiful, freshly cooked omelette onto a plate, and gives it to a spectator to sample.

The ultimate flying ring

A key case is handed to a spectator to look after and examine if he wishes, for, apart from the usual three key chains, it is completely empty.
The performer borrows a finger ring and vanishes it.
Immediately the ring is found hanging from one of the chains inside the very key case that the spectator has been holding.

La cocote

The performer asks for the name of any animal and in the absence of anybody volunteering « a hen», the performer forces a hen on them.
The performer showns a square wooden board and a piece of paper cut to the same size which he lays on top of the board.
The performer makes a cluking noise like a hen, but nithing happens, so he enrols the vocal support of the audience, who all cluck away merrily.
As the version of «farmyard Follies» takes place, the paper starts to move and slowly assumes the shape of a hen. The performer then strokes the hen, and she proceeds to lay an egg, which is in turn broken into a bowl by the performer to prove it is real!