Lost Luggage is an e-book written by German mentalist Stefan Olschewski. The concept behind the book is similar to Max Maven's Nothing DVD: what happens if you need to perform a show but don't have any props. Maybe they were stolen or maybe they were lost by the airline. In any case, you need some material that can be prepared quickly using materials that are easily borrowed or obtained. I will describe the act as seen by the audience.
Intro- The performer directs the audience's attention to an envelope hanging from a string. He says that this is a prediction of things to come. He promises never to touch the envelope, but that the audience will get to see what's inside at the very end of the show.
Sensitive Silverware- The performer introduces four glasses, each containing a different object (spoon, fork, knife, and napkin.) He asks everyone in the audience to concentrate on one of those objects, one of which he has secretly predicted in advance. As he walks around the room locking eyes with a series of spectators, he supposedly looks for someone who is thinking of his predicted piece of silverware. He finally settles on one woman and invites her to the stage. He has her pick up the object she is thinking of, but before she does, he shows his prediction to everyone in the audience. Amazingly, the woman picks up the predicted object.
I really like this effect. It has the feeling of the classic Open Prediction card effect without cards. I must mention, however, that this will not work in every venue. The method, while clever, requires certain conditions that won't be present when performing in most impromptu situations. I can't reveal the exact conditions for fear of tipping the secret, but suffice it to say that this isn't something you could perform in a small parlour setting. Unfortunately, this means that it won't be of much use to many performers. That being said, the effect is a good one in the right environment.
Intermission 1- This isn't really an effect in itself; it is used to help set up the final prediction of the show. The performer borrows a bill from an audience member. After some byplay where an old gag is used for something sneaky, the lender signs the bill and seals it inside of an envelope. He is instructed to hold onto the envelope until the end of the performance. Some people won't like the bold method used here. However, those experienced in magic and mentalism should be able to easily think of alternative approaches.
Win Win Situation- This is a new presentation for an old principle. The performer calls 10-12 people to the stage to participate in a simple game. The winner, he says, will win a prize contained in an envelope (free dinner, cash, etc.) Another spectator is invited to help be the judge for the proceedings. The performer and guest judge take turns eliminating people from the game until there are only two players remaining on stage. The spectator makes the choice for the final elimination, and the winner is asked to open the envelope. Besides the prize, the envelope contains a description of exactly what the winning spectator is wearing. Apparently, the performer knew who would win from the beginning.
I must say that this is what happens only 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, a slightly different effect occurs where you describe the person who won second place in the game. The presentation and wording cover this adequately, but it does seem a bit "off" to predict the person who almost won instead of the winner. If you are interested in this effect, be sure to check out Michael Weber's "The Laying on of Hands" from his book Lifesavers. It uses a similar idea to really great effect. Weber's routine is also impromptu.
Intermission 2- Again, this is not an effect in itslef. It is just used to set up for the final prediction. The performer introduces a copy of that day's newspaper. Someone selects a page and it is torn in half. The audience selects which half to keep. This is again torn in half and the audience chooses which piece to keep. This is continued until only a small piece remains. This is sealed inside of an envelope and handed to a volunteer to hold until the end of the show.
Magical Chairs- The performer places an envelope on the table. A paper ball is tossed into the audience. Whoever catches it tosses it to someone else and comes up to the stage. This is continued until four spectators are selected. Each person is handed a piece of paper labeled 1-4. Also on stage are three chairs. They play a game similar to musical chairs where, instead of playing music, the performer reads from a book. Stefan reads from the Bible which is an odd choice but does satisfy the conditions of bein able to obtain the props from your hotel room. At any rate, each round one person and one chair are eliminated until a winner is declared. The performer opens the envelope and pulls out a piece of paper that predicts the winner of the game.
This is the weakest effect in the book, both in method and effect. I won't give away the details, but if you saw the routine performed, I don't think you would have any problems working them out for yourself. The revelation of the prediction is certainly not as fair as it could be. Since the performer is only predicting something with a one in four chance of happening, the revelation needs to be completely above suspicion. Unfortunately, this is not the case here.
Wrap Up Prediction- The performer reminds the audience of the prediction that has been hanging from the ceiling since the beginning of the show. The spectators that have been holding onto the envelopes, remove the signed bill and torn piece of newspaper. Another volunteer is called on stage to open the envelope and read the prediction. The prediction reveals the text on the newspaper as well as the serial number of the signed bill.
There isn't much to say about the final prediction except that you are way ahead of the game by the time it is revealed. All of the dirty work is taken care of long before the final moment. In theory this is a strong closer to the act, but its strength relies completely on the fairness in which the bill and newspaper piece were selected. That means that when the final predication is being read, the audience is going to think back to when those objects were first introducted. In this case of the dollar bill, I fear that some astute spectators may be able to reconstruct the method if performed as written. I'm not discounting the method used completely. I have no doubt that it could be used in certain situations, but I don't like the idea of the most important part of my show relying on it.
So there's the act. There's nothing earth shattering about it, but there are a few strong pieces of mentalism included. The procedures employed in this e-book are very straightforward, but may not suit the style of every mentalist. Due to the nature of having to come up with this act on the fly, most of the methods are carried out with brute force rather than subtle techniques. The biggest problem with the act is the fact that each effect is a prediction. While I don't think this is the best approach, it would have at least been better if the odds of each prediction would have become more and more impossible as the act progressed. The first effect is a one in four prediction. The odds grow to one in twelve for the second routine, but then shrink back down to one in four for the penultimate effect.
There are a couple of times where the author comments to the effect of "nobody will be suspicious, because they are not expecting anything sneaky" or "you're a mentalist, not a magician, people don't expect you to switch things." While I agree that in many tricks, the method is as much about attitude as it is secret moves, I think it's a bit naive to believe that the audience isn't fully on guard against suspicious actions. This is especially true in mentalism, where the presentaiton stresses how fair you want everything to appear.
The layout to the book is straightforward. There are pictures when necessary and the descriptions are clear. If this act sounds like something you would like to perform or to simply have handy in case of an emergency, you may want to check this out. Most performers, however, will be better served spending their money on a DVD or book that will provide more bang for your buck.
Not recommended.
- Available from www.stefanmagie.de/shop.htm and http://www.lybrary.com/lost-luggage-p-79124.html
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