"Portal" by Steve Shufton and David Regal
Suggested Retail USD$60.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Portal", the latest effect from the creative powerpack that is Steve Shufton, is a weird hybrid of ideas that ends up being a unique, twisted prop that is just waiting to be made into a logic-slaughtering routine.

You know, normally I'd go off and tell you about the routines and the handlings and all of that. But with Shufton's "Portal", really that's a useless exercise: I'll just drop names instead (in no particular order).

Let's see... Al Wheatley, Jerry Andrus, David Regal. There. That explains it all.

Or maybe it doesn't. For those less-informed of our number, maybe a little expository will help. Al Wheatley invented one of the most classic props of all time, the chop cup, Jerry Andrus invented an absolutely mind-numbing platform/parlor routine, using a board with a hole in the center and a large ball, which he named "Zone Zero". David Regal supplies the routines and handlings for "Portal".

So, essentially, you have a prop inspired by Andrus, gaffed to the hilt in a spectacular fashion like a chop cup, with some sweet things to do with it coming from the brilliant and fanciful mind of Regal. If that doesn't give you an idea of what you can do with this thing, then do us both a favor and leave it alone: we'll both be happier, trust me.

But if that's got your brain percolating a little or your mouth watering a lot, then you know this is one neat piece of merchandise that allows for a Fiztkee-like list of things to be accomplished: vanishes, productions, transformations, transpositions... you name it, and chances are it can be pulled off with "Portal". Just for fun, I decided to pretty much produce/transform my usual props from this thing -- we're talking a deck, some coins, business cards... the typical stuff -- and all I can say is it was a blast.

I'll let you decide if the production of the donuts and the cup of coffee was overkill.

I'm not being facetious here: "Portal" can get the job done if you know what you're doing with it.

Oh, by the way, there's the rub.

Remember what I said about this being a hybrid? About part of its DNA coming from Wheatley and his chop cup? That's a big thing with "Portal". If you've been around chop cup routines, done a few or at least learned a couple, along with maybe some cup-and-ball experience, you'll feel quite at home with "Portal". In fact, I'd wager that it'll take no time at all to take an existing chop cup routine and tailor it to "Portal" (though it'll probably be a tad weaker until you figure out the ingrained pluses of "Portal"). Things like the sleights used, timing, misdirection, blocking, angles... these you'll already be familiar with and, I'd argue, an expert at handling and working through and compensating for.

If you don't know a chop cup from a hand chopper, you're in for a steep learning curve.

Regal does his best to shorten that curve and, truthfully, he does a masterful job of it at times. But one look at some of the flashes that happen under the camera and you'll get the idea pretty quick that there's some work and study and skill involved here to get the most out of "Portal".

Kinda like a chop cup, come to think of it.

Let's call that a caveat, but also a benefit: with all that work comes a huge payoff, akin to Don Alan's chop-cup routine, I'd imagine, just waiting for you to put it together.

Okay, so what do you get for your hard-earned and scarce shekels? Well, you get a "Portal" of your very own, five crocheted balls in four different colors (the "spheres" in the ads), a plastic card the size of the portal with different colored dots on each side (that's the "color bender"), and a fantastic DVD with Regal teaching tons of stuff about "Portal". As I see it, with all the barely-workable and not-very-fun stuff out there right now, Shufton has given us everything -- lock, stock, and both barrels -- for a miserly sum. You've got more than enough to play with in the "Portal" package.

By the time you go through your sock drawer for more toys, you'll be heaven.

Okay, so enough. Here's the bare-bones of what you need to consider with this one:

We've already hit the labor-intensive work involved to really make "Portal" hum. You'll be able to pull off some of the stuff on the DVD fairly quickly, but anything more than that is going to require a geometrically progressive amount of work. This is what we call "life". Next.

Everything is very well made here, but my particular "Portal" started showing some wear and tear quite early on during practice. I was able to fix it myself (and I'm all thumbs with such things) but I was disappointed that I had to fix it at all. Let's just say tread lightly and handle gingerly and keep dry and it may last a bit longer. Me, I would have preferred to see this one made in a more sturdy material and gladly paid for it, but that's just me.

While still on the prop, you might want to consider the size of the thing: it's 6"x4", which is a hefty size to carry around. By the time you add balls and what-have-yous, you'll need to weigh if giving up the pocket real estate is right for you. Thankfully, it weighs very little itself, so that's less of a consideration than sheer bulk. Just one of those things to think about.

And not a one of these things stopped me from falling in love with this one. I enjoyed the work which became play all too quickly (come on, now. Surely you didn't think my first idea was producing donuts with it, do you? It came after the comic book and before the action figure). I learned to treat the thing with a bit more respect and a little bit more physicality. The size I came to realize just didn't matter all that much to me when compared to some of the reactions I was getting.

My recommendation? If the idea of "Portal" appeals to you, and you don't mind putting in the work to really make this something, then you can't do any better for a unique prop that is just familiar enough to make your creativity strike like greased lightning; don't pass this one up.

"Portal" by Steve Shufton and David Regal
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
Like the chop cup, practicality depends largely on what you do with it: producing a handful of linguini from this has more issues than changing a white ball to red. In general, though, the size is a bit limiting for carrying around in your pocket. Everything else, like resets, angles, and the like? They can either be worked around or dropped entirely. Yes, it's that flexible.

Workmanship: 8
A bit of a disappointment here in that, after a few hours of practice, the thing started, well, peeling apart. It was easily fixed, though, and I was back in business. This is definitely something you'll want to handle with care and keep away from liquids.

Documentation: 10
Regal is on hand here to teach various routines and handlings and he does his usual exemplary job. Under Regal's instruction, you'll learn a few basic sleights and routines to get you going.

Effect: 10
Again, it's all in what you do with it. But if we consider the roots of this contraption, then we know that a "10" just ain't high enough. This has the capacity of having a stunning effect on an audience.

Presentation: 9
Okay, you know the story by now, that this relies solely on what you do with it, but this is an excellent prop that isn't so offbeat as to be ridiculous or so commonplace as to be ignored. Keep that in mind when you're playing with this one and the presentations will follow.


Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.