For some time now I have been wanting to build an illusion act and, for me, Harbin seemed to be the place to start. Unfortunately Zig-Zag had been performed so many times on television that I felt it would serve no useful place in my act. However, I did want a "torture" illusion and after reading "Harbincadabra" decided to attempt to make "Aztec Lady" based on the photographs in the book, as well as the brief information given in the Appendix "Letter to New Zealand".
I had seen Harbin perform this illusion only once on television and had made my own guesses as to how it was done. To cut a long story short, whilst I do not know the actual method used by Harbin, I did construct a working version of "Aztec Lady" which, together with the Chair Suspension, was to form the middle of my act.
However, "Aztec Lady" is not the purpose of this booklet. I wanted a closing illusion for the act and here I turned to the Supreme publication, "The Art of Illusion". In Chapter 10, Robert Harbin gives the "Assistant's Revenge", an effect similar to the Substitution Trunk but without all the energetic exercise, inappropriate for a performer approaching middle age.
This seemed to be the answer, and there was an additional advantage. The front of the illusion could be decorated in a similar manner to "Aztec Lady" so giving me matching illusions, one for either side of the stage. There was one problem however, I wanted my illusion to fold and pack flat for storage and easy transport. The method described by Harbin did not appear to have that advantage.
Back to "Harbincadabra" where, in the second Appendix, Bernard Juby describes his version of the "Assistant's Revenge". Whilst his idea of a "post" did not appeal to me, his method using boat cleats and magnets was the solution I was looking for.
