"Hole in the Head" by Ben Harris
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Hole in the Head", the latest from the incredibly creative Ben Harris, is at once the worst trick ever to be released and one of the best performance pieces I've ever seen.

That's the kind of paradox Harris generally creates, and he did so here. In spades.

Looking for a trick? Something that always works, that you can plan around, that requires just a wee little bit of work to make you look like a magician? "Hole in the Head" ain't for you. It ain't even close to being what you want. Go buy something else. Please.

Looking for a piece of theater? Something that can make other effects go a whole new level, that makes you work your creative muscles in order to achieve anything at all from it, something that, done right, makes you look outright strange? "Hole in the Head" is it. Don't look any further.

The effect is simple (you can take a look at a demo video here), but, like the method itself, the best bits are in the detail. The performer stands so his shadow is cast upon a wall. While standing facing the wall, a small bit of light appears in the head of the shadow, growing slowly larger. A spectator is asked to wave their hand behind the performer's head and the fingers are clearly seen in the shadow's "hole". Slowly, the hole then closes as the light begins to fail to pass through and onto the shadow.

It's eerie, to say the least.

Let's start looking at this by hitting it's weakest point: practicality. "Hole in the Head", ultimately, is not practical for typical performers. Just reading the description of the effect tells you that: you need a wall, you need sunshine, you need to be standing, you need spectators close by. You also need the tool to execute the thing, which is either commonplace to you or totally foreign. And those are just the obvious things. The less obvious things, which are the real secrets here, make "Hole in the Head" one of those things that limits just who can do "Hole in the Head" when.

But...

If you're able to meet all the performance requirements, if your audience management skills are up there, if you've put in loads (and loads!) of practice, if you understand how this works beyond the simple mechanics, "Hole in the Head" is phenomenal just for the responses it gets.

And that's what makes this such a poor trick and such a beautiful performance piece. If you're one of those that can pull it off, you've really got something here. If you're not likely to be in the position to do this one, then you've got sock drawer lining.

That's the long and the short of it.

For me, the requirements were painful. I just don't do that much outside that doesn't involve yardwork so the chances I'd have to perform are minute. It took months of waiting for the right environmental conditions to hit before I could even get in some serious practice with Harris' idea (clear, sunny days are not all that common for me). And, to be honest, I was about to give up on it when I had a chance to perform it, off the cuff, in conjunction with something else. The reactions from spectators were stronger than I would have expected; I was stunned more than they were. And brother, were they stunned.

Was it worth the time? Not for that one performance situation, certainly, but for the other times I've done it, used it with other ideas? Absolutely. Now this is one I "carry around" with me, just for that opportunity. It's that good. For me. That's part of my style and I'm used to the things 'Hole in the Head" requires; for others, it is simply not worth it.

Okay, so you've noticed I've been very vague about a ton of stuff having to do with "Hole in the Head". That's because the idea is so simple -- so infernally simple -- that even too much of a mention of the demands of "Hole in the Head" tips the method. That's really a thumbs-up to Harris; it's so simple and so obvious no one's thought of it before. The paradox-loving side of me grins just thinking about it. But it certainly makes discussing it in any detail near impossible. Caveat lector.

So what do you get when you buy this? First, it's a booklet. You need to supply the prop (easily purchased, though you'll have to play around to get the best one -- some work better than others). You also receive a DVD, but do not -- do not! -- make the mistake of thinking you're getting a "DVD with a booklet added". Quite the opposite: you're getting a booklet with a DVD thrown in. The contents of the DVD work more like supplementary material, and are nice touches, but "Hole in the Head" is still a booklet and that's where the meat of it lies.

At the end of the day, Harris' "Hole in the Head" is one of those things where context is everything and your environment is more crucial than the mechanics involved and, if everything is going the right way and you do it the right way, you've performed a legendary piece of artistry.

"Hole in the Head" by Ben Harris
In A Blink: 8 Out of 10

Material: 4
Harris' idea is diabolical and seems to throw people for a loop. The biggest drawback it has is in the practicality department, which this simply isn't: you've got to pick and choose carefully when to do it. Choose correctly and this is a killer piece.

Quality: 10
Harris always does a great job of putting his thoughts together; he did his usual level-best here.

Illustrations: 10
Few illustrations are need or given, but I applaud Harris for including a DVD "addendum" to the original booklet.

Presentation: 10
The "standalone" presentation is okay, but where this really gets going is with the added ideas in the booklet, some of which really take this to the next level.

Shane