Every week we will be posting a video clip of performances by some of the word’s greatest magicians! This week we feature Tommy Wonder.
Tommy is one of my biggest inspirations and one of my favorite magicians of all time. The routine below was the inspiration for my ‘frozen ring’ routine. It is similar in concept – a volunteer’s ring vanishes from her hands, appearing in a small ring box, frozen in a solid block of ice, sealed in a welded shut container, in a sealed bag that has been in full view throughout the performance. True to it’s inspirational roots, the spectator opens the container, chips away at the ice and removes her ring from box with the magician standing away from all the activity.
Here is Tommy Wonder’s Watch in Nest of Boxes
Tommy worked on this routine for years. What you see above is the third major revision.
What really made Tommy stand out was his relentless pursuit of perfection. While most magicians would have settled with Version 1 or Version 2 and stopped, he scrapped them and started over again to improve it even more. After he published his life’s work, detailing the three versions of this trick that he created, I’ve found that most magicians are more apt to adapt the first or second to their show–the third version is too much work.
I had the privilege of Meeting Tommy Wonder, before he passed away, while performing in Amsterdam at a trade show. As it happened, there was another magician working a different booth and he invited me to visit the center for the magical arts in Bennebroek. Over the course of the evening, I had the privilege of meeting (and reconnecting) with several outstanding magicians. Most memorable, though, was talking magic and philosophy with one of magic’s greatest thinkers, innovators and performers.
Tommy Wonder is indeed missed by the magic community.
