talkmagic.co.uk

Street Cups and Balls



$49.95 from Penguinmagic



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)
Id say between a 2 or 3. Theres nothing THAT technically challenging in the routine BUT (and its a big but) the book/dvd tries to teach the whole thing not just the moves but the verbal banter and misdirection which some may find a little harder... watch the video on penguin and see what i mean!

What it says on the tin
Gazzo is one of the world's legendary street performers. In this ENORMOUS three hour DVD, Gazzo demonstrates and teaches his famous Street Cups routine. This is THE money-making routine Gazzo uses to close all of his street shows. You'll learn everything from placement of the wand to where to stand. You'll learn the moves, the misdirection, the subtleties, and all the presentation tips.

Gazzo teaches you how to do it, and then he teaches you why to do it that way. This is a tried and tested routine. It's being brought to you by way of the streets after over 20 years of live performance experience. Every action in the routine has a purpose. Nothing is left to chance.

First, Gazzo takes you on a tour of his equipment -- The Table Top, The Stand, The Poacher's Pouch, The Gazzo Cups, The Balls, The Hat, etc. Gazzo says, "Professionals can't afford cheap props."

Next, he walks you through the entire routine -- The Beginning Phase, The Middle Phase, and The Final Loads. He even walks you through the wand spin!

Finally, Gazzo invites you to sit in on a teach-in with fellow street pro Guy Collins. Guy is a juggler who is just starting to learning Gazzo's routine. You'll see Gazzo teaching Guy and walking him through the entire routine, correcting any mistakes and explaining why each move is done a certain way.

But, without question, the hi-light of the DVD is the MASSIVE one hour performance section. This is one of the best live street performance sequences ever captured. You'll see how Gazzo interacts with his spectators, how he builds the routine toward the finale, and how he encourages a massive hat.

The passionate student of the cups and balls will find this an invaluable resource.

On the Menu
Over one hour of live performance footage!
Full in-depth explanation of the routine!
Performance by Gazzo's student, Billy Kidd
Angles Section featuring head-on and ceiling cam. Use the angle button on your remote to switch angles.
Teach-in with street performer Guy Collins.


what I thought
I havent reviewed anything for a while now for a couple of reasons.. one of the main reasons being the fact that i havent actually bought anything that i think people would be interested in buying/performing since it doesnt have anything to do with Oz Pearlman or Criss Angel.

BUT i know that this book/dvd combo wont interest most of the regulars on here partly for the above reason but also because it involves cups and balls and not cards or coins (I'm not trying to be bitchy or anything I'm just making a point)

BUT I'm still going to review it in the vain hope that someone will buy it.


Watching Gazzo perform is simply awesome... his crowd control skills and his banter (honed through countless performances) are excellent (however some wont like a few of his lines due to their nature).
The dvd goes into a detailed outline of his routine where he explains the technical side of the move and the psychological aspects of certain parts also.

The section about his props may be a little longwinded but having said that it still makes a lot of sense.

He also blows a massive magic myth out of the water... "I have small hands so i cant do blah blah" his student Billy Kidd (a rather fetching chinese girl) has tiny hands but she still manages to do the routine to a decent standard and shows that tiny hands work just as well

The book has chapters on how he deals with hecklers.. a chapter on his patter lines (however as gazzo portrays a "cheeky insulting" type of chap these may not be perfect for everyone... be warned!)... timing..appearance..which props he prefers..and obviously the routine as well. There are loads of useful tips in here for street performers (not that I'm a street performer but i may be one day!) but also for people who work in other areas as well.


Overall

I'd rate this highly..somewhere between an 8 and a 9 for teaching and a 10 for the hour long performance section. The performance is the same routine 4 times to different audiences at different times of day ..real audiences not L&L type ones (although i do miss Dave) but its interesting to see how his patter varies for each one depending on which people he chooses to help. Oh and an 11 out of 10 for the Squeeker gag!


There are loads of other bits i could probably mention about this but i'll wait till i've watched/read it a few times more and maybe i'll review my review.

nice one mr. mog...Gazzo's genius..this is now on my "to get" list...

may i also recommend two lovely little books from cards4magic while im here:
The Mendoza Cups & Balls Routine £3, and
The "How to" Book of the Chop Cup by Merlyn Shute also £3...

i know I'm probably gonna get shot down in flames for this but hey. if u wanna learn street cups and balls learn from the master Cellini. Gazzo is an amazing comedian and an amazing magician but his comedy is not for everyone to copy because they just can't, he's a one off and brilliant at it.

HOWEVER Gazzo's cups and balls routine isn't Gazzos it's Cellini's the guy who basically started street magic as it is today (the kind that gazzo does, not the kind that Blaine does)

i am very good friends with a magician called Todd Various who was a student of Gazzo, he checked out Cellini's the Royal Touch Book, took one look at the cups and balls routine and said that it was the exact same routine.

if you want to learn the street cups and balls learn from Cellini. u'll learn how to do it simple and effectively not learning someone else routine but learning the trick so u can make it your own. which is so much better than being a carbon copy

Figo wrote:i am very good friends with a magician called Todd Various who was ....

Todd does the slickest C & B routine I've ever seen.
He is awesome (and, dare I say it, even better than Gazzo).

excellent..thanks for the replies guys..will look into Cellini and todd various


thanks again

I recently bought Volume 1 of Michael Ammars C&B DVD. How does this compare?

I have to say that I am loving the one I have, very good teaching and some nice background about the effect

from what ive seen of the ammar dvd it appears to be more "parlour/close up" type stuff but the Gazzo dvd is purely for street workers.


but having said that Ammar is awesome with cups and balls also

This DVD sounds like it was produced along the lines of the School for Scoundrels "Three Card Monte" DVD, which also features Gazzo.

If it's anything as good as that, it'll be the best resource available on the subject.

First off Cellini didn't start street magic. Its been around for thousands of years if you know the history of the cups and balls etc.
Secondly, Gazzo doesn't do the Cellini version, he does a routine based on the Malini, Vernon routine. So obviously this Todd person doesn't know what he is talking about. How can he be better than Gazzo if he doesn't know this. Maybe I'm biased because I am a huge Gazzo fan. But do your research first before you start posting people.

ok where to begin, mike first things first you might want to post an introduction before you start critisising other members posts. secondly you are talking to someone who does street magic for a living who has researched gazzo, cellini and the like for many many years. if you look at the book i mentioned then looked at gazzo's routine then you will see the similarities. i am more than aware that cellini didn't start street magic what i am saying is that he was the one to take it into the modern day form that it is in today. i am not trying to detract from gazzo because i think the guy is great at what he does, all i was saying is that he isn't a god and is doing a cups and balls routine which had been done almost exactly the same way by cellini. i appreciate your comments but you should really not get on your high horse for someone having a difference of opinion

Having attended one of Gazzo's workshops and seeing him perform I was more interested in his card work and hearing his story about meeting the phantom of the card table -- before a mild stroke this guy had unbelievable chops and was one of the underground -

the cups and balls routine is pure gazzo - i have seen some other guys perform this but have never seen anyone better at the cups and balls - unfortunately the relesaing of this may unleash a load of Gazzo clones - shame

ok gonna stop posting to this thread coz we are just going round in circles and it's an old old thread. i can't understand why people are getting so defensive over a guy who is by all accounts doing a 2 thousand year old trick which most others do too.

thanks for this.

i've never been a fan of cups and balls but Gazzo makes them cool

i think I'm going to buy this...when i have enough change

Mog ,

Thanks for the great review - it convinced me to buy a copy yesterday.

Don't apologise for promoting cups and balls, I still find them fascinating and anything that's lasted a few thousand years can't be all that bad!

For anyone interested in a very good. impromptu routine, can I recommend the one cup routine on Volume One of Daryl's excellent Fooler Doolers Set.

James

Thanks _mog. I think that I will by the DVD/book.