talkmagic.co.uk

Available from RSVP Magic at £17.99 per Volume

http://www.rsvpmagic.com/modern-marvel-1.html
http://www.rsvpmagic.com/modern-marvel-2.html

What They Say:
Join your host Mel Mellers and his crew as they travel the length and breadth of the UK to bring you fourteen brand new routines on this superb new DVD set. Over a year in the making, you'll watch Mel perform in various live shows and then explain everything that you need to know in the studio.
Along the way be amazed and above all amused, as Mel performs a 6 Card Repeat in a truly international way, a feat of number manipulation despite overriding distraction, a Plume routine that gets huge laughs, an underwater escape that has no water (!), a superb mindreading stunt in which he predicts a genuinely random set of numbers, manipulates his own eyeball, vanishes and reappears a borrowed watch and for his grand finale uses a flea and a feather (don't ask!). Watch as Mel wins £20.00 in his opening routine, tells the audience just what they're missing on TV, cuts an audience members hand off with hilarious results, reads 6 spectators drawings using his knowledge of body language, takes a short break to show you a Wee Little Trick, teaches the audience how to solve their own problems and finds a freely chosen card with hilarious results
As fans will know, Mel is a hilarious magician and all of these brilliant routines can be adapted to be used by all performers. As usual Mel takes an effect and turns it upside down with a unique and original twist.

Review
Now, I’m unashamed to say that I am a huge Mel Mellers fan. His first pair of DVD releases, ‘Tickling The Mind’ were instrumental in raising my interest in mental magic in a stage/cabaret environment. I particularly loved the ‘character’ of Mel Mellers and his releases so far have been almost a masterclass in the art of presentation. The follow up release, ‘Undiscovered Wonder’ followed a similar pattern of using tried and tested magic techniques and taking them somewhere new purely based on the strength of Mel’s presentation.

OK – that’s the love-in over with and down to the reason that it’s taken me so long to get round to writing this review.

I’m really in two minds about how I feel about it; whilst I still adore the character that Mel uses and all the comedy ad-libs and audience participation, I found there to be a little too much filler on this two disc set. I’ll list the effects that are included here (copied straight from the website):


INTERNATIONAL 6 CARDS OF MYSTERY
The 6 card repeat presented in a new and refreshing way.

DISTRACTION
Two audience members choose two random numbers. Mel then manipulates them in an amazing performance based around mathematics and a sense of overriding distraction! Hilarious results ensue along the way in a stage filling routine that you will use.

DO AS I DO PLUMES
The ideal routine for adults and kids alike. Taking an old favorite, Mel dresses it up and takes it to a whole new level in this superb piece of comedy magic. You'll even learn how to make the props yourself for only a few dollars.

THE NO WATER UNDERWATER ESCAPE
Houdini watch out! Mel Mellers attempts his most dangerous stunt yet, attempting to recreate Houdini's world famous Water Torture Escape... on a budget! Magic, laughs and comedy. What more could you want?

EYEBALL
A super-fast comedy piece in which Mel Removes his eye manipulates it on the stage and puts it back into place in just a few seconds. The perfect opening!

WATCH THIS
The watch routine that you will USE! Borrow ANY watch, make it disappear and reappear WHERE and WHEN you want. Simple, easy and fun to do!

FEATHER FLEA FINALE
A Flea (Invisible to the human eye) lifts a large feather before his audience. No flea training required and works every time

BOTTLE OPENER
Mel's unique take on the Norm Nielsen Vanishing Bottle. Gambling his own money, Mel wins every time in this superb opening routine that's perfect as an introduction to your show.

YOU COULD BE
Explaining just what they're missing by watching him, Mel takes the torn and restored newspaper plot to another place, giving it logic. Listen to the reaction!

HANDS OFF!
A hilarious ten minute comedy routine in which a spectator acts as his glamorous assistant, whilst Mel cuts off the other spectator's hand! Hilarious and so, so easy to do!

PERSONALITREE
A group of spectators are brought onto the stage and asked to make a drawing of a tree. From these random drawings Mel is able to read into their personalities and tell each one which drawing was theirs. Again, easy to do and laugh out loud funny!

A WEE LITTLE TRICK
Mel's unique and funny take on the Multum in Parvo routine. There have been many before this, but none quite this offbeat!

SOLVED DISOLVED
Slydini's knotted silk routine, finally given a logical plot. Ten minutes of comedy from just two handkerchiefs. Brilliant stuff.

PSEUDO CARD ROUTINE
A brilliantly simple effect using one spectator and a regular deck of cards. Comedy and ad-libs combine to make a superb routine that you WILL use.

So, you’ll probably recognise a lot of old, tried and tested routines – the newspaper tear, Knotted silks, Multum in Parvo, Neilsen bottles, etc. So, my first word of warning would be that there’s likely to be a lot of stuff here that you already know… and if you don’t know it – Mel ain’t going to tell you! As you’d expect, Mel’s not about to give away the Multum in Parvo secret or the suchlike so you may find yourself none-the-wiser after you’ve watch the DVDs. He does give a nice plug to another RSVP DVD on Handcuffs during the ‘No Water Underwater Escape’ discussion but doesn’t tell you anything about the cuffs he’s using, focusing more on the presentation side of things.

Having said that, there is some great stuff to be found on these discs that you will use. In particular, the ‘Pseudo Card Routine’ went straight into my act the very same day that I saw it! Based on a Barrie Richardson premise, it is a beautiful routine that combines a memory demonstration coupled with a spin on ACAAN, it’s so perfect that it’s almost worth the price of the disc alone!

And that, I think, is the biggest issue I have with this set – the price!

Personally, I would have preferred a single disc with less emphasis on the routines that couldn’t fully be explained here. However, I understand that others may find some gold in the routines that I’m never likely to use but, for me, there was just too much of that type of material here.

One nice touch is some little clips interspersed throughout the routines that show Mel in ‘lecture’ mode where he answers questions on numerous topics such as his style of presentation, the genesis of his stage persona and what it’s like to work on cruise ships, where Mel spends most of his time. This really is fascinating viewing and has certainly made me want to hunt Mel down next time he’s lecturing and sit in!

In closing, I’d say I will probably use a maximum of 3 or 4 effects to be found here but, as always, the presentation tips given go a long way towards saving the day.

I do hate giving ratings but…. I reckon:

7/10

Can you indicate where to get this and the sort of price being charged please?

Doh! I suppose I should... seeing as how I was complaining slightly about the price, eh?!

Duly edited....

Ta!

Might check this one out - Mel's a legend!

It's certainly worth checking out and, I agree, Mel could probably do the old '21' trick and make it hilarious! My issues with the release weren't with Mel - rather that some of the effects seemed to be put on to fill the 2 discs....

I have one of his 'Undiscovered Wonder' videos and , just like Malone's On the Loose, I've learnt a lot by just watching Mel perform.. A great performer indeed.