Big Headline by Dave Kaplan

This is the biggest thing to come out of Penguin Magic since… Look. This is huge. It’s giant! Seriously, it’s enormous! It’s an illusion that fits in your pocket but fills the biggest stages. What starts as a torn and restored newspaper becomes a transformation of a person on stage. Road-tested around the world, this illusion is one people will write about for years. It’s Big Headline by Dave Kaplan featuring Lucy Darling.

You start by telling your audience about an article you saw in the paper and wanted to read, pulling a scrap of newspaper out of your pocket. When that scrap doesn’t contain the right article, you pull out another, and another, and another. Then, in a flash, the pieces visually restore themselves into a full-sized newspaper. This effect doesn’t stop there though. Suddenly, the newspaper falls open, doubling in size. It falls open, doubling in size again, and then gets even bigger. It gets so big that it seems to swallow up the performer! Then, when the newspaper falls, a completely different person is behind it.

Big Headline features an enormous gimmicked newspaper made entirely from Tyvek, which won’t rip and will last a lifetime. The tutorial features Lucy Darling, who has performed the impossible person switch with The Great Kaplan using the Big Headline gimmick hundreds of times at the Magic Castle. You get all of the details to make the transformation of one person to another look perfect in nearly any stage environment.

Big Headline is a perfect MC-bit to introduce an act to the stage in a surprising way. You can use it to produce the CEO or guest of honour at your next corporate gig. It’s the perfect cover for any stage act that needs a comedy gag before they do a quick change piece. You don’t even have to do another trick with it, the growing newspaper is a hilarious gag all by itself. Multiple methods are taught so that you can load it from a stage wing, your case, or even a body load with the gimmick hidden inside your costume. This packs small and plays huge. A sellout at Magic Live, working pros around the world have added this effect to their shows and are getting huge reactions from their crowds. Perform an effect that will literally get you in the papers when you perform Big Headline by Dave Kaplan.

“David is a GENIUS. This is one of the best tricks for MC. Love it." - Woody Aragon

“Big Headline is the perfect packs small plays big stage illusion that will work for any and all audiences. As a professional illusionist being able to make a person appear with something that will literally fit into a case is so valuable. As an added bonus the newspaper restoration looks incredible If you are a stage performer, an illusionist, an MC or family entertainer this is worth it’s weight in gold." - Craig Petty

“David Kaplan is one of our modern greats, and Big Headline is one of the reasons why. It’s a work of art from an artist." - David Regal

“This perfect combination of Buster Keaton’s giant newspaper gag with the classic Torn & Restored newspaper unfolds with one surprising beat after another — making my mind swirl with countless possibilities! And the extra bonus for you is that Kaplan is a true professional who has no doubt made this amazing performance piece his fully-mastered thousand-timer!" - Gregory Wilson

“A great surprise for stage performers." - R. Paul Wilson