The Effect
These are the sleeve notes from the packaging:
“Does the world need another video?... Well it “does” need a video from this man. Danny Tong is a man who has done it all. Anytime a pro like Danny ants to tip some prize information, I am ready to receive it. I was so glad to hear that we are able to have some pearls o wisdom from one of my favourite entertainers.
I treasure the times that I have spent with him and can’t wait to have him on my television anytime I want” – Doc Eason
Content
• Malini Egg Bag: This 3 phase routine with spectator ends with the production of a glass of liquid. Joe Lefler said, “this routine has to be seen to be believed”.
• Chop Cup: A short, fast routine with this prop that does not promote a gambling theme.
• Card on the Ribbon: A slight change in the presentation of this great Jack Chanin trick creates a second effect and leaves you clean.
• Thompson’s Aces: As an opener for a card routine, this in the hands, ace production would be hard to beat. From a shuffled deck, you will produce the four aces, one at a time, while cutting the cards. Combine this production sequence with Christopher’s Red and Black Aces (Daley’s Last trick) and you will have an easy to follow routine that does not require the spectator to take a card.
• Ropes: A rope routine that runs gamut from C&R rope to Professor’s Nightmare to a 3 to 1 restoration. A complete act on it’s own.
• Bonus: A minor change in this old trick adds another laugh and extends the climax.
Cost
£22.23 from here:
http://world-of-magic.co.uk/tricks.asp? ... offset=252
£27.99 from Alakazam
Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
2 & 3.
These are more advanced routines than those on Volume 1 that will suit the intermediate to advanced magician much better, yet are all rated at around skill level 3 in terms of sleights. They are a natural progression to those that are included on volume 1.
Review
This was the DVD out of the two volume set that interested me the most and whilst I don’t want to take anything away from volume 1, it was the particular inclusion of the egg bag, chop cup and rope routines that held the greatest attraction to me from all others on the 2 DVD set.
Why? The answer is simple in that I always perform the chop cup and ropes when I’m working (my two favourite routines above all of the other magic that I own), and I actually performed these very three things when I auditioned for my local magic club, albeit different routines. It therefore stands to reason that these would hold the greatest interest to me and that I would be looking for some new moves and performance tips.
• Egg Bag: The core of this routine is a very similar routine that comes with the Mardo egg bag as an extra (approx £15 extra), but the difference with this performance is that you get the glass production. I’ve been a fan of the egg bag for some time and regularly perform it in a variety of situations but I’ve never seen, or even thought of a glass of liquid production and it’s worth the DVD alone for this. I’m not going to reveal how you can walk around and produce a glass of liquid – you’ll have to buy the DVD but it’s an ingenious yet simple method. Dan uses a Malini bag whereas I prefer the Mardo bag but this makes little difference and needs just a very slight adaptation in the mechanics of the handling. If you’re buying an egg bag then you must buy this to accompany it!
• Chop Cup: The chop cup begins with a fascinating explanation from Dan about how he developed this routine. Wow! I’ve used the Martin Sanderson routine for a while now with a couple of variations and I’ll now have to go back to the drawing board and re-think. The moves are all standard moves but I love the colour change of the ball. The final load looks so slick and even I missed it
.
• Card on a Ribbon: I’ve not seen or heard of this routine before but on watching the performance it somewhat reminded me of the Tag routine by Chastain Criswell. The technique is not the same though and this is a rather simple signed card transformation whilst threaded on a ribbon. Very nice it is as well and there’s scope to play around with this and make it into something different.
• Thompson’s Aces: This is a nice and simple ace production that leads into Dr. Daley’s last trick. An ideal routine for tables!
• Ropes: The very first rope routine that I bought was a manuscript by the late Joe Riding that was called ‘Roped In’. It’s a cut and restored rope routine based around the professor’s nightmare. It’s the only cut and restored routine that I’ve stuck with it’s an absolute favourite of mine. This is one and the same but with different patter and this routine simple astounds people of all ages. Please don’t buy it
!
Rating
I can’t find any reason to not score this as 10 out of 10.
Overall
This is one of the best magic DVD’s that you will find for teaching visually strong magic and importantly in this day and age, for teaching variety. It’s a natural progression from Volume 1 (reviewed here: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic16333.php ), and filled with some great routines, most of which are classics that should be part of every magician’s repertoire.
The teaching by Dan is extremely good and you’ll have no problems following his step by step approach. This two DVD set makes a good foundation course in magic for someone who is just beginning or for someone who is looking to add some variety to their performance. For the more experienced magician, volume 2 is the definate highlight as the content is not only slightly more advanced, it is also difficult to find these routines all bundled together in the same place, and of this high class.
