'Mr. Magic!'
Article from The Trojan Times
York Suburban Middle School Student Newspaper


By ALEXIS FRANCOIS


     "Do I get my quarter back?" asked Bree Lamb, a sixth grader at York Suburban Middle School. James Warren, a magician, performing for YSMS, was preparing to magically push her quarter into a balloon. Not only did Mr. Warren, formerly of York, place her quarter in the balloon, but he also suavely returned it to Bree.

     This assembly was sponsored by the ACT team, a group of teachers who help students who have social and emotional problems.

     Next the Los Angeles resident proceeded to do a rope trick with Ryan Pryor as his assistant and Jon Martin and Kareem Jaffer as his "big strong men." The strong men tied knots in the rope around Warren's hands; the magician explained how tight the knots were as his hands seemed to mysteriously come free.

     This graduate of Central York High School performed four shows while visiting York. It was his first visit in two years.

     Cassy Fornwalt was to be Warren's next "victim" with a card trick. "I am going to put a sword through your card from 40 feet away," he threatened while she was blindfolded with a deck of cards on her head. While he didn't stab Cassie's card from 40 paces, he did pierce the six of hearts from 52 cards flying through the air.

     His next trick certainly involved the air. With sixth grader Tyan Lanpher sitting with a roll of toilet paper hanging from his thumbs, Warren made balls of toilet paper and shoes magically disappear in front of Ryan's eyes. He then joked that the act was "a little over your [Ryan's] head." Warren threw the "disappearing" objects over Ryan's head to the opposite side of the stage. Completely baffled, Ryan tried to guess where the objects were going. The magician said humorously, "I know how it is coming off drugs." This act was by far the audience's favorite, as shown by the applause and loud laughter of the students.

     On the more serious side, Warren performed a 2,000 year old ring trick to use as a metaphor for friendship.

     "I'll do drugs, I'll do anything, because they're cool and they're doing it," he said as an example of what a "joiner" might say.

     Connecting the rings magicially, Warren used this trick as an example of "having friends who accept you even though you're a little different."

     This was the fourth ACT-team assembly sponsored for the students.