Review: The Love Ritual by Woody Aragon
If you could only perform just one trick, something that would engage your audience and make a lasting impact, what would it be? After much pondering, my answer surprised me. It wasn’t the biggest props, wasn’t the most expensive, wasn’t the newest or coolest, it didn’t even use electronics or gadgets… But this one is very close to my heart because it’s utterly brilliant, beautiful, and plays exceedingly well to a small intimate group or to a crowd of thousands. My choice would be this:
Description
“We have used Woody’s “Love Ritual” as a Penn & Teller show closer in Vegas, all over the USA, on Jimmy Fallon, and indeed all over the world. It kills. We’re not thrilled about you doing it, but if you wanna, these instructions will tell you all we know and much more. Woody is the best.” – Penn & Teller
“Woody Aragon’s “Love Ritual” is one of the best routines I did on tour for many years. I closed my show with this quite often which says just how much I love this piece of magic.” – Cyril Takayama
“Woody is one of the great thinkers in magic today who has made some significant contributions to the our field.” – David Blaine
“Love Ritual is the heart of one of my favorite routines of all times.” – Luis de Matos
“This a reputation maker that I’ve used in my own corporate work for years. If you want an impromptu miracle that you WILL USE and that people WILL remember, then Love Ritual is for you.” – Eric Jones
“The Ritual is the greatest audience participation card trick ever created! I can’t tell you how many times after my show people come up to me and say “that was the most amazing card trick they have ever seen”. If it’s not already in your show get this download and thank me later.” – Erick Olson
“What really makes this routine so powerful is that it can be done in Close-Up or Stage. I have seen this on television with the entire audience doing the effect. It blew me away. I love that he not only explains his proven variation but also reveals multiple other variations. And the “secret” is so diabolical that the audience does the dirty work to themselves!!” – Chef Anton
“This is way too good to give to the masses! I’ve been using Love Ritual in my professional work to create pure magic and genuinely connect with the audience. Pure genius!” – Michael Kaminskas
“Woody Aragon’s Love Ritual is the perfect trick to actively involve EVERYONE in the audience…I LOVE it!” – Cody S. Fisher
There is a reason this trick is found in the repertoire of many of today’s top working pros, and now for the first time on video Woody will share with you all the secrets to make this practically self-working miracle play huge.
What is The Love Ritual?
The entire audience is given four playing cards that they shuffle. They then tear those cards in half and shuffle some more. They put one of the torn pieces in their pocket and then shuffle the remaining pieces even further. After eliminating cards by throwing them in the air everyone is left with just one piece of torn card. The audience brings back out the piece that they put in their pocket, and it matches. Every person in the whole audience is successful.
Clocking in at over an hour and twenty minutes, Woody goes into all of the fine details and variations that make this a stunner. He even includes the variation that fooled some of the world’s best magicians at the prestigious 4F convention in Batavia New York. Whether you need something that can play for a stadium (the largest version of this was done by 50,000 people at once!) or to cap off an intimate show among friends, every magician should learn The Love Ritual.
Let’s talk USP (unique selling points)
I first came across The Love Ritual by Woody Aragon several years ago in 2016 but boy, did that memory stick. I was invited by the cast of The Illusionists to watch them perform live in Singapore, and sitting there in the middle of the audience, I witnessed first hand how strong this incredibly smart routine played out as Luis de Matos lead everyone through all the steps as he stood on stage.
There was incredible energy all around as everyone was laughing as people ripped up the picture postcards, giggling at how crazy amazing it turned out to be… they were really loving that magic was happening in their very hands! And even after the show, as we were leaving the theatre, people were still talking about it (and holding on to their little souvenirs). That’s after watching over an hour of incredible grand illusions and breath taking escapes, as well as, mind boggling mental magic that could not be explained.
I later came across The Love Ritual by Woody Aragon on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us and then folks, some more creative and original than others, started performing the same routine. If you’re not familiar with the plot, the above video should enlighten you. It’s a simple trick but it really plays big, and with the right presentation you can really win people’s hearts. It’s no wonder why professionals everywhere are including it in their set.
In this instant download, Woody patiently explains how the self-working effect works before diving in deep to present alternative handling and presentations. He does a fantastic job covering every detail and subtlety in making this charming math trick work with a little fun, some misdirection, and lots of personality. The challenge for the performer, as I see it, is how to make Woody’s fine routine as original as possible through patter and props. Instead of playing cards you can customise it to something else with context, like how The Illusionists used picture postcards of the cast.
IMHO the Love Ritual works brilliantly for nearly every occasion I can think of (weddings, classrooms, company bonding events, etc.) and interactive Zoom shows, which I think is a performance genre that’s pretty much here to stay. Penguin Magic’s price tag for this highly informative 90+ minute long video with Woody teaching EVERYTHING is more than fair.
TLDR: The Love Ritual by Woody Aragon
A powerful masterpiece used by professionals all around the world, this instant download could be your best investment in magic yet. Highly recommended. A full 10 stars! Exclusively available through Penguin Magic.
