Ted Lesley – Cards Never Lie

A ZODIAC AND TAROT MIRACLE

Devised by Ted Lesley in association with Ken de Courcy this may be the first close-up Tarot and Zodiac act. Not a single effect but an entire act.

Merely describing the effects does not do justice to the routine however we’ll do our best…Telling spectators that cards and numbers play a part in their lives, the performer tells them that his diary contains a list of ‘lucky’ cards and numbers, a different combination of card and number is set against each date.

A lady is asked to think of her birthday and is shown a pack of cards bearing Zodiac signs. Upon being given twelve different cards she writes down her birthday on the card bearing her own Zodiac sign. The entire packet may then be placed in her handbag for safe keeping. The remainder of the Zodiac deck is placed aside while the spectator takes the diary and looks up her birthday. Each date has a Tarot card set against it and the spectator calls out the Tarot applicable to her birthday. Upon opening a Horoscope, given to her previously by the performer, she is astonished to find that the character reading inside also gives the name of her ‘Lucky’ card – this is the same card she has just seen against her birthdate in the diary.

A deck of Tarot cards is introduced and the spectator is asked for her date of marriage or engagement. This too is looked up in the diary and the number written against it is noted. Upon counting down in the Tarot deck to the ‘Lucky’ number the card at that number is turned over…..It is ‘THE LOVERS’.

As an afterthought the Zodiac deck is set in a wine-glass and the spectator is asked for the identity of her birth sign. Remember up until now the spectator has not revealed her birthdate to anyone. Mysteriously a card bearing her birth sign rises from the Zodiac deck even though the performer is not touching it.

Finally the spectator is asked to concentrate on the exact date of birth. Incredibly the performer is able to divine the date with uncanny accuracy.

Once the principles are understood you may alter the act to suit yourself.

Ted Lesley was one of Germany’s top professional magicians. He commanded high fees for his work and was constantly booked by the leading hotels and clubs in Germany. This is a professional routine.

16 pages.
word count: 4688 which is equivalent to 18 standard pages of text