The Ultimate Chair Test Routine Act by Luca Volpe

I've always been a sucker for mentalism. While I don't perform a lot of serious mind reading in my own shows (primarily because it doesn't fit my personality), I do consider myself to be a student of the art. Mentalism, when performed well, can be absolutely captivating. Unfortunately, when performed poorly (or even just adequately), it can be like watching paint dry. I have never seen Luca Volpe perform, but after reading his e-book, I imagine that he would belong in the first category.

Here's what the ad says...

This manuscript contains Luca Volpe's best stage routine, but pay attention as it is NOT just a simple chair prediction routine, this is a COMPLETE ACT of 8 minutes that will leave your audience blown away!

A multi-phase routine with an incredible crescendo of random sequence predictions.

We will not describe the effect here as it is so well conceived and well structured that you need to read the manuscript to believe it. The only thing that we will say is that you don't use N.W. or anything like that, the envelopes genuinely have the numbers printed on them and it involves a method so bold that I am sure you will love it.

Luca Volpe has for the majority of the time performed this as a stand alone piece for TV guest appearances or corporate events because it is so strong that you can't do anything else after it.

So, if you want to 'kill' your audience with a strong multi-phase stage chair routine and get a standing ovation, this is the chance to get your hands on the manuscript.

In the manuscript you will find not only the routine and the method but all of the script and bonus tips to enhance your performance. The ultimate chair test routine act includes a serial number revelation connected with a combination lock routine. A four chair prediction in which the spectators choose envelopes with printed numbers - a bold method is used. For the finale you are also able to predict what one of the chair test spectators will be wearing and give him a descriptive prediction of his personality. And much more...! 

To understand whether or not this is something that you would actually perform, I want to give you a clear vision of the effect as seen by the audience. The magician borrows a bill from a volunteer. The bill is isolated in an envelope which is then held by the participant. Four spectators are called to the stage and are asked to sit in any one of four folding chairs. The performer introduces a small box closed with a combination lock. It remains in full view throughout the routine.

The original participant mixes up four envelopes labeled one through four. The envelopes are held with the numbers facing down and each member of the group selects one. The performer introduces a clear bag containing four colored scrunched up paper balls. Each spectator chooses one. Everything seems completely random at this point. The spectators have each randomly chosen a seat, an envelope, and a colored paper ball.

Now, the spectator with the bill reads the last four numbers of the serial number. He enters them into the combination lock; the box opens. Inside is an envelope which the volunteer is instructed to hold but not to open just yet. The four seated spectators open their envelopes. In each one is an ESP symbol. One by one they are instructed to fold their chairs to show the audience what is underneath their seats. In each instance, their freely chosen ESP symbol matches a symbol under their chair.

The prediction is now opened. It perfectly predicts the order of the envelopes, the ESP symbols, and even the full serial number to the borrowed bill. Finally, the prediction talks about "the person who chose the blue paper ball." It describes a little about his personality as well as the exact clothes he is wearing.

While, of course, there is a trick to the proceedings, the effect looks very clean from the audience's perspective. The method is very practical. The routine as described requires the use of an off stage assistant. However, in the bonus section, several alternatives are outlined which eliminate the need for a helper. None of these alternatives are any weaker in effect, so I cannot imagine anyone would ever perform this using the assistant method.

Regarding the method(s), I think most performers will find the techniques used to be within their comfort level. The routine is technically easy to do. There are no real moves or mental calculations to learn; the work will come in building the presentation. The author mentions more than once how BOLD the method is. In fact, he calls it his "BOLD DIRECT MOVE." The "move" he refers to (if you can call it that) is not original to the author. I have seen the idea used before both in and out of mentalism. In fact, Roberto Giobbi teaches it on one of his lecture DVDs. That being said, the idea is used to great effect in this routine.

The ad mentions that this is a complete act of 8 minutes. While the routine may take that long to perform, the majority of the time is spent by volunteers making supposedly random decisions. Only in the final minute or two does any real effect begin to occur. This is not a negative for a performer with the presentational abilities to hold an audience's attention during the time building up to the final prediction. However, an inexperienced performer may find difficulty in holding the audience's interest.

Most of the props required can be purchased at your local office supply store: envelopes, card stock, colored paper, etc. There are only a couple of "magic" props to speak of, and you probably already have access to them. If you don't, they may be obtained inexpensively. You will also have to find a box to hold the prediction as well as an ungimmicked combination lock. So, there will be some investment besides the cost of the e-book.

The teaching in the manuscript is sufficient as there is not much in the way of secret sleight of hand to explain. It is obvious that English is not Luca's first language, but you should have no problem learning the routine. The e-book checks in at 23 pages, but only about 15 of them are used to teach the routine. The others are taken up by advertisments, quotes, etc.

For most of you, the biggest obstacle to purchasing this will be the price. I see where you're coming from: $40 for a small e-book is a pretty high price to pay. If you're a working pro who may actually use this in your act, the cost is quite reasonable. If, however, you are fairly new to mentalism, you would be much better served by picking up a book or DVD that will give you more bang for your buck. This routine is not meant for the casual hobbyist looking to learn new concepts. The value here is in the routining of existing concepts for use in front of real audiences.

Recommended (for workers)

- Available from http://www.lybrary.com/ultimate-chair-test-routine-p-64833.html?manufacturers_id=6329

Magic Review: ANATE by Dee Christopher

This is a tough item to review... a really tough item to review. That's not due to the quality of what's being offered. It's just difficult to talk about the ANATE concept without exposing it. Here's what the ad says...

ANATE is a psychological technique.

It's a subtlety that is not 100% sure fire, but when you get the technique down and you hit, you'll know it.

Imagine placing one card on the table, face down. The spectator decides on a card, they turn over the card to reveal a perfect match. The place explodes.

Imagine holding your wallet in full view and asking a spectator to name a card. The card is then instantly pulled from your wallet.

Imagine something that you can carry with you always, to create impossible, unbelievable prop-free demonstrations with boundaries as limitless as your imagination.

This is ANATE.

There is no indexing, no gimmicks, no stacks, no nothing. All you need is a single playing card, or a maximum of four cards in your wallet, or maybe a post-it note to write a prediction.

The reviews speak for themselves. As mentioned before, this is a psychological technique. With the correct study and performance you will blow people's minds, it's not for everyone... Is it for you?

So, what is ANATE? In short, it is a linguistic technique that is extremely easy to understand. Implementing it in a way that doesn't make its working obvious to a spectator, however, will take a little work. Also, it is not 100%. That being said, it probably stands up better than any other psychological force I have ever come across.

Does the e-book deliver what is promised? Well, sort of. Most people, I think, will be interested in the first effect mentioned where one card is placed face down on the table and the spectator names it. To be fair, it isn't that straightforward. The spectator doesn't simply name a card; instead they must settle on a suit and then name a value. The procedure for naming the value is extrememely direct. That is the power of ANATE. The process for naming the suit is left to the magician to figure out. Those with some experience in magic will be able to work out the missing elements, but Dee only devotes two lines to this idea.

The routine that I imagine more people will use is the one where the named card appears in the performer's pocket or wallet. This idea is extremely direct as there is much more freedom with regards to the suit of the selection.

I saw a guy on an internet forum refer to this type of effect as "naked mentalism." He is absolutely correct. While the main idea focuses on the use of playing cards, the ANATE force may be used in other situations. Imagine writing down a number on a piece of paper and asking a spectator to guess what it is. They get it right. There are no nail writers or billet switches, just the ANATE principle at work.

It is important when looking at an effect that isn't surefire to find a useful out in case it doesn't work. Dee covers a basic out that will get the job done, but I think it seems like a bit of a cop out to the audience. Devin Knight suggested a wonderful way to practice the effect on a post on The Magic Cafe. He suggests performing the routine with a Brainwave or Invisible Deck as you are practicing. This will allow you to test drive the technique without a risk of failure. As you become more confident, you may eliminate these crutches and perform it as taught in the e-book.

The e-book is only 8 pages. This may sound small, but the concept can be explained in a couple of sentences. The rest of the document discusses tips and outs to use with the ANATE force. This is sort of an all or nothing deal. This isn't like most magic products where if you don't like one aspect of the product, you can still gain something from the other parts of it. With ANATE, you get one very small secret. If it ends up fitting you, I think you'll find it's a worthwhile addition to your toolbox. However, it's a bit pricey if you're just curious to hear the technique.
Recommended.

- Available for $20 from http://www.lybrary.com/anate-p-12714.html

Top 5 Magic DVD Review: TRICKS! The Magic of David Regal

TOP 5 DVD PICK

TRICKS! The Magic of David Regal

(Tricks, More Tricks, and Enough With the Tricks Already)

David Regal is one of the most likable performers I’ve ever seen. He seems to be one of the few performers who can get away with scripting his routines without sounding like a robot. And, while he’s got a path planned, he’s not afraid to stray from that path in order to remain in the moment with his audience. This is refreshing since many magicians seem do magic “at” the audience rather than “with” them. This is not the case with David. That’s because he cares enough about them to constantly think of the magic from their perspective.

He also cares enough about them to use every tool in his magic toolbox in order to entertain them. The method is not his first priority; it is all about the effect. Stacks, gaffs, misdirection, swindles, sleight-of-hand… it doesn’t seem to matter to David. His ‘take no prisoners’ approach to the creative process means he isn’t afraid to go the extra mile… or two… or ten to make sure he fools them to the best of his ability.

Cheating- This is a twisting routine with a spectator’s named four-of-a-kind. The cards turn over one at a time. Then, they turn to Jokers. Finally, they transform into the four Kings. David reaches into his pocket to remove two of the original four-of-a-kind. The other two are found reversed in the deck on the table.

Everywhere- The spectator selects a card and returns it to the middle of the deck. The card is instantly revealed on top. The magician tables the card. Instantly it is found in the middle of the deck. This card is also tabled. Now it appears as the bottom card which is also tabled. The magician continues finding duplicates of the selected card and placing them into a pile on the table. Finally, the card is pulled from the magician’s back pocket. The cards on the table are turned over: they have transformed into a run of Hearts from Ace to King, in order.

Deep Guilt Aces- This is exactly what I was referring to when I said that David will stop at nothing to fool his audience. In effect, a spectator cuts the deck into four piles. The top card of each pile is turned over; they are the four Aces. No switches or funny handlings; the spectator cuts and the spectator turns over each card. It is that clean.

Self Evident- This is probably my favorite effect on the set. The spectator cuts off about half of the deck. Holding the deck face up, he deals cards onto the table one at a time, stopping whenever he wants. The backs of all of the cards are shown to be blue backed. The card the spectator selected is turned face down; it has a red back.

The Half Deal- After a demonstration of a bottom deal and second deal, David has a spectator sign the back of a card. The card is placed on top of the deck and he talks about a curious move called the half deal. With that, he deals the ink off of the card into his hand. It looks like a clear sheet of acetate printed with the design of a playing card. The card is restored and handed to the spectator for examination.

Cups & Balls & Cups & Balls- David has a very interesting take on the cups and balls. He begins with a demonstration using the old Adams red, yellow, and blue cups as he recounts his first encounter with the trick as a child. He puts the cheap cups away and talks about how as an adult he has upgraded to the brass cups. He continues the routine with the fancy cups. For the finale, He produces large loads as usual, but he also produces the Adams cups and balls from his childhood. Large loads are produced from the Adams cups as well. The routine requires some special props to be made, but the final loads are quite unique.

These are just some of my favorites from the set. There are plenty of other items that are worthy of your attention. There are tricks with cards, coins, strings and beads, bills, and rings. There is much more variety than is offered on most magic DVDs, but most of the routines do use cards. David’s performances are entertaining and the explanation portion is expertly done. You won’t be disappointed.

Highly recommended.

-Available from Vanishing Inc. Magic

Top 5 Magic DVD Review: Joshua Jay's Talk About Tricks

TOP 5 DVD PICK

Talk About Tricks by Joshua Jay

If we’re talking bang for your buck, you would be hard pressed to find another DVD set with more value. With over 90 items (tricks and sleights), there are enough items here to fill much more than three discs. But this isn’t a case of quantity over quality. These are top notch routines suitable for the real world. Most DVD sets these days feel like the performer is stretching his material to fill as many DVDs as possible. This is absolutely not the case here. The set is packed with great magic.

The variety of material offered here is also impressive. There are tricks for close-up and stand-up performances ranging in difficulty from self-working to advanced. There is a nice mix of magicians represented as well. Rune Klan, Joel Givens, Paul Cummins, Raj Madhok, Joshua Jay, Rick Maue, Francis Menotti, Felipe Abreu, and John Lovick are all featured. While I was familiar with the work of most of them, I hadn’t had the opportunity to see all of them perform in front of an audience. This was a welcomed treat.

With so much material, I won’t detail each routine, but I would like to mention a few standouts. This is just a taste of what is offered. There are plenty of other outstanding routines.

My Lady’s Other Ring (John Lovick)- This effect immediately went into my stand up act. It’s the perfect kind of trick for a close-up worker who is looking for something that plays big in stand up environments. In short, the magician calls a female on stage to read aloud the steps to a new magic trick the magician would like to try. The magician acts out the steps as she reads: he borrows a finger ring from a lady in the audience, vanishes it, and produces a ring box from his pocket. He opens the ring box to reveal a ring inside. However, to the surprise of the ring’s owner, it is not her ring. The magician borrows a ring from a second female in the audience and shows it to the first lady. Amazingly, she verifies that it is HER ring. To bring things full circle, the magician pulls out the ring box from before and shows it to the second volunteer. Her ring is found inside. The routine is simple to do and contains plenty of built in laughter. Even though the props are small, the effect can be easily understood by an audience of any size.

242 Deal (Richard Vollmer)- A ten card poker deal that requires no sleight-of-hand and is easy to remember. The spectator chooses five cards for himself and five cards for the magician. Of course, the magician wins the game.

Reflipped (Yannick Chretien)- Tricks with the four Jacks and four Aces seem to be quite popular. This is a great add on to any one of them. The Jacks are placed face down on the table. The Aces are held above them. When the Aces are dropped, they change to the Jacks in midair. Now the Aces are on the table. The change is easy to do and looks amazing.

Tap-a-Lack (Paul Cummins)- This is a version of the classic “Do As I Do” routine performed under extremely fair conditions. The spectator and magician both select cards and lose them in the deck. The spectator looks through the pack and attempts to find the magician’s selection. He places one card face down on the table. The magician does the same. The spectator announces his card; the magician reveals that he got it. The magician then announces his card; the stunned spectator turns his guess face up. He got it as well.

Punken Droker (Paul Cummins)- The magician relates the story of a time when he played ‘Drunken Poker.’ The cards are mixed face up into face down. Obviously, as the cards are dealt, it is advantageous to receive face down cards so that no one else can see your hand. Four poker hands are dealt; the magician receives five face down cards while everyone else’s cards are face up. The rest of the deck is spread on the table. They’re all face up as well. The magician received the only face down cards in the pack. When he shows his hand, he reveals a royal flush.

Coin and Bottle (Rune Klan)- Rune Klan is an offbeat thinker in magic. He is known for his knucklebusting coin routines. Luckily, this one isn’t too difficult. It is, however, extremely well constructed. In effect, a coin vanishes a few times and appears underneath a napkin covered by a bottle on the table. For the finale, the magician waves the napkin over the coin. It changes into the bottle. The coin is found on the table. The two have changed places.

Laser Aces (Joel Givens)- This would be a perfect closer for a close up show for a performer with a slant towards gambling routines. The magician demonstrates a few cheating techniques by cutting to the four Aces. For the climax, the packets on the table are frozen into four solid blocks ala Paul Harris’s “Solid Deception.” Everything can be examined.

Even if you’ve been a loyal subscriber of MAGIC Magazine and have read these tricks in print, you would do well to pick up this DVD set. Reading through a trick, it can often be difficult to imagine the effect it can have on an audience. Seeing the routines in action, however, will convince you of their power. If you aren’t familiar with Josh’s Talk About Tricks column, this is a wonderful introduction. Highly recommended.

-Available from Vanishing Inc. Magic

TOP 5 MAGIC DVDs

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to review my top five magic DVDs. This isn't an official countdown. I haven't tried to rank them in a specific order. I just wanted to share my thoughts on some of my favorite items in my library. Stay tuned to see who makes the list.