Effect: This rope routine is a true classic of magic and in my opinion, one of the best magic tricks on the planet. You introduce three ropes; a long, a medium and a short rope, to the audience. You invite them to examine the ropes. You then proceed to magically (and quite impossibly) stretch the ropes, making them all the same length. You display them individually to the audience. Finally, you just as magically restore them back to their original lengths.
Secret: There is some preparation required to perform this fantastic rope effect. You will need three different lengths of rope: a short piece, a medium piece twice as long as the short piece and a long piece three times as long as the short piece. Display the three ropes to the audiences emphasizing their different lengths.
1. Hand each rope to a different spectator instructing them to examine them closely. You then ask for them back, taking them in the following order: the long rope first, short rope second and the medium rope last.
2. When you receive the short piece, under the misdirection of asking for the medium piece, secretly cross it over the long piece like an “X.” Then loop it under and around so that, facing you, it looks like the short piece is looped around the long piece but to the audience it still looks like you are holding a long and a short rope. (see accompanying picture)
3. Now ask for the medium rope. Display them to the audience holding the top ends of the ropes, with your right thumb and fingers concealing the two linked ropes, so that it appears to the audience that you are still holding three separate ropes of different lengths.
4. Bring the three free ends (bottom ends) of the ropes up and separating them from the top three ends, clip them with the little finger of your right hand so that they all look about even. It is critical that the six ends are separated into two groups of three ends by your fingers. It should look to the audience like you hold six ends of rope that are all even but with loops of different lengths hanging down.
5. With your right hand, take three of the ends and with your left hand take the other three ends and slowly pull your hands apart. It should now look as though you have magically turned the three uneven ropes into three ropes of the same length – the length of the medium rope.
6. The ropes can now be counted and shown separately. To do this convincingly, pinch the medium rope between your left thumb and index finger and draw it slowly out of your right hand, counting, “One.”
7. Bringing both hands together, pinch the short and long rope between the first and second fingers of your left hand and draw them our simultaneously, leaving the medium rope in your right hand, counting, “Two.”
8. Bring your hands together once more, this time drawing all three ropes out of your right hand, counting, “Three.” The audience believes they have seen you count three separate ropes – all the same length.
9. For the big finale, keep the medium rope and one of the ends of the small rope clipped with your right thumb and fingers. Bring one end of the long rope up and add it to the clipped ropes.
10. Keeping those ends clipped, give the ropes a dramatic shake. They will automatically fall back to their original lengths: one short, one medium and one long piece of rope. Take a bow!
