Lee Asher: Live In Malaysia – The Review

Last Saturday, Thor and I headed down to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for the much anticipated Lee Asher Convention! I’ll leave the experience to Thor but up next is the review!

An hour and half before the start of the convention, there was already a crowd of cardists outside Bangkok Jazz!

First with the formalities, Magic Garage was the organiser for this brilliant event and the team of dedicated staff that made this happen. So prior to the lecture, there was an introduction of the staff of Magic Garage by its founder, Isaac.

To kick start the lecture, Lee opened with a teaching of Jack The Ripper which is a flashy production of four jacks from one odd looking card. This move has appeared in two Hollywood movies such as Shade and Smokin’ Aces – get a feel of stardom!

Next was Lee’s very own take on the ambitious card plot which included slap happy and the ripple. Lee goes in depth about how to enhance your magic using suspense and how to make you the memorable performer in this micro magic piece. These were inspiring pieces that reminded us to keep working on innovating new magic of our very own.

Diving board double. This one is a freaking crazy move which will take your double lift to the next level. Lee also demonstrated his acrobatic version which made the crowd went wild; think crazy fans from soccer matches. No drinks were spilled.

Joking Around. A simple piece of magic great for walk-around and picking up women so says Lee Asher. The best part of this trick is that you get to give away a souvenir for your audience. A must learn for the restaurant workers and table hoppers!

Fingerbox of death. This is your most affordable form of illusion that is done close up. Lee goes into the subtleties and timing elements required to perform this freakish piece of magic. However, i personally think that it will serve better as a gag rather than a standalone piece.

Three Stylin. This is Lee’s take on the classic 3 fly plot using 3 different colored casino chips! This is a really beautiful piece with many elements of misdirection, timing and body language. Very well worth your time and money! Once you learn the method, you will realize that you have been fooled twice the amount.

Losing Control. The invisible “pass” that floored many magicians at the convention. This is easy to do and a control that you will most probably use to fool those ” i know that move ” hecklers.

Asher Twist. The much awaited and anticipated routine to be taught that night. Many magicians have tried to perform it themselves but none did it as smoothly like Lee and he generously went into all the subtleties and the tips required to make this close up visual miracle happen.

Witness. A quality product marketed by Theory11.  This simple piece is truly one of the most visual miracle that the spectator can both see and feel the change happen! Lee explains further on how to interact further with your audience using this piece! His girlfriend didn’t seem too amused though…

Dealing with hecklers. Lee breaks down the type of hecklers that are out there and how to deal with them.

The above is all the magic content that was covered during the 2 hour lecture excluding interesting stories and facts of his life and other magicians as told by Lee Asher.

LOCATION: The venue chosen for the lecture was great as it was situated near the central district and right across shopping havens like the pavillion. Bangkok Jazz itself provided many comfortable cushioned seats specially arrange for the event.  The setting of the pub/restaurant was set in a dark mysterious mood which is a stark contrast to Lee Asher’s light fun personality.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: Lee took the time to ensure that everyone learn what was being taught by adopting a ” no man left behind” approach. Indeed Lee was a great teacher in all aspects, being clear, concise but also holding this unique presence that managed to keep us enthralled even through a long 2 hour lecture. Despite being left-handed, he went through the trouble of explaining and teaching the moves in the perspective of the right-handed since they are the majority.

( Note: Vogue is left-handed )

There were aplenty of limited edition decks on sale and booklets, videos by the man himself, not to mention you can get his autographs along with them! The titles of these booklets are quite interesting such as ” hands job” and “sex sells”.

It was a queue that took eternity as fans were brawling over the autographs of Lee with STACKS of posters and decks. Still he was kind enough to meet the demands of everyone. The staff at Magic Garage were also efficient in ensuring that everyone takes home a piece of memory from this wonderful experience.

One regret that I’m sure everyone had was that we the event venue didn’t allow us to have time for Lee to impart us his Thunderbird ace production. The ticket price was rather expensive but we understand that Magic Garage has took the effort to invite him all the way from the United States!

Also details of your interview can be found  HERE !

We were in a rush and didn’t had time to hear your feedbacks! Although most of you were busy queuing up for Lee Asher’s autograph HAHA. It would be great to hear what you guys have to say about the event especially for those who turned up!

Tags: 11, 3, ace, asher, card, convention, fly, garage, in, lecture, lee, Magic, malaysia, production, review, theory, thunderbird, twist