Torn and Restored Heart

[Lisa Cousins]

I picked up a supply of red paper-lace heart-shaped doilies and put together a T&R for the Valentine's holiday. This is presented seated, with a close-up pad:

[Paper heart is displayed and set down on the close-up pad.]

Valentine's Day. There's nothing sweeter than Valentine's Day, when you love somebody and they love you back. And there's nothing worse than Valentine's Day when you love somebody and they don't love you back. I've heard it said that "Life's fair. Everybody gets their heart broken." As far as I can tell, this is true. It's certainly happened to me - more than once! But I think the worst time was when I was thirteen years old, and I had a huge crush on a guy named Carl.

[With a marker, I inscribe the name "CARL" on the paper heart, using the teen-girl method of making the letters conform to the shape of the heart.]

See that? I can still do it perfectly. I covered my notebooks with exactly that. And as Valentine's Day approached that year, I decided to be bold and declare my love to Carl.

[I pick up the Carl-inscribed paper heart.]

I made him a Valentine, just like this, and I presented it to him on Valentine's Day, and....

[Heart flutters back to the close-up pad.]

He was completely indifferent. It was as if...

[Pick up heart again, extend it]

I had handed him my heart, and he...

[Tear down the center]

Ripped it in two. No, it was worse than that. It was as if he tore it to pieces.

[More tearing.]

No, it was worse than that. It was as if he shredded it completely.

[More tearing.]

No, it was worse than that. It was as if he crumpled my heart up into a ball and threw it away!

[Ball of shreds is wadded up and tossed onto the close-up pad.]

That was my Valentine's Day when I was thirteen years old!

[Fingers get busy smoothing out the wad of shreds.]

But that same year, on Valentine's Night...

[Restored heart is unfolded.]

I met Sam!

[Center of heart shows the name "Sam" filling the contours.]

*************

A pleasant Valentine's Night to you all!

Lisa

[Matthew Field]

I really enjoyed this Lisa, even if I am jealous of Carl and Sam.

You've given the T&R effect a reason for having the original paper torn, something missing from virtually every other presentation. (An exception, perhaps, is the Peter Samelson "Torn and UNRestored Love Poem" effect, adapted by Simon Lovell in his "Torn and UNRestored Divorce Decree.")

Your presentation is beautifully evocative of something many of us can recall experiencing ourselves. Many thanks for sharing it with us as a collective Valentine's gift. And a belated Happy Valentine's Day to you.

Matt Field

[Max Maven]

Lisa Cousins' routine is indeed very nicely thought out.

Matt Field writes that she has "given the T&R effect a reason for having the original paper torn, something missing from virtually every other presentation."

Missing from most, but it's worth recording that the Torn & Restored Paper using a heart was first done by David Copperfield on one of his specials, back around 1980.

And the guy who came up with the premise and sold it to Copperfield was that well known romantic, me.

[Geno Munari]

Regarding Torn and Restored Paper with a purpose to be torn:

Robert Harbin published a great routine in Genii Magazine years ago. In the middle of his act he was interupted by a stage hand that had an emergency telegram from his (I belive an ex-wife???)

But anyway, the telegram was a simple message of basically you owe me some money. Harbin ripped it into four pieces and then let a spectator chose a piece. He threw away the other pieces and then read the piece in his hand. This piece was a whimsical response to the telegram by using the words on that 1/4 of the telegram. The answer was funny and solved the problem. Anyone remember it?

Interesting concept.

Geno Munari

[Matthew Field]

Originally posted by Max Maven:
And the guy who came up with the premise and sold it to Copperfield was that well known romantic, me.

OK, Max. A belated Valentine's Day greeting to you as well.

And I might mention here that Max's close relative Phil Goldstein's new book Redivider from Stephen Minch's Hermetic Press is woefully underpriced for a book filled with clever material revolving around palindromes, palindromic stacks (Stay-Stacks) and the like. No Faro Shuffles required. Highly recommended for those who enjoy some mental stimulation with their magic.

Matt Field

[Steve Bryant]

Unless I am mistaken, Simon's Torn and UnRestored Divorce Decree is adapted from David Regal's The Opener, from Close-up & Personal. The original is one of my favorites (being an old failed romantic).

[Jim Maloney_dup1]

Originally posted by Steve Bryant:
Unless I am mistaken, Simon's Torn and UnRestored Divorce Decree is adapted from David Regal's The Opener, from Close-up & Personal. The original is one of my favorites (being an old failed romantic).

You are correct. David also does this on the first volume of his L&L videos.

-Jim

[Matthew Field]

Originally posted by Steve Bryant:
Unless I am mistaken, Simon's Torn and UnRestored Divorce Decree is adapted from David Regal's The Opener, from Close-up & Personal.

Right you are, Steve.

Matt Field