While a Magician Works, The Mind Does the Tricks.

A decent backyard magic show is often an exercise in deliberate chaos. Cards whipped through the air. Glasses crashing to the ground. Gasps, hand-waving, loud abracadabras. Something's bound to catch fire, too, if the performer is ambitious enough -- or needs cover. ''Back in the early days, I always had a little smoke and fire, not only for misdirection but to emphasize that something magic had just happened,'' said The Great Raguzi, a magician based in Southern California who has performed professionally for more than 35 years, in venues around the world. ''But as the magic and magician mature, you see that you don't need the bigger props.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]