talkmagic.co.uk

Before I begin, I would like to point out that I am writing this as a beginner in magic and hence my difficulty rating may reflect this. I will also keep this short for now as I have not actually performed it properly yet but have tried it out on someone to get an idea of how effective it would be.

The Effect
The performer asks a spectator to write a question on a small blank card (like a visitors card) and then this is placed in an envelope. The performer is able to know what was written on the card and can act out their own sequence of dialog in providing the answer to that question. The author of this effect recommends not answering the question directly and using a long sequence of dialog to eventually come to an approximate answer.

For example, the spectator may write "Will I win the lottery ?" on the card to which the performer could reply "I think your thought has something to do with the future. I am uncertain as to whether it concerns your health.. no I feel that your question relates to achieving some sort of success. It clearly has to do with money and I think that what is on your mind has to do with winning a very large sum of money. Am I correct ?"

Of course this is only one example of what you can use this gimmick for. You could simply ask a spectator to draw a symbol on the card and then you miraculously draw the same symbol on a piece of paper.

Cost
£17.95 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. It is very easy to know what is written on the card inside the envelope. The difficulty is only in your approach to providing the answer and drawing as little attention to the envelope as possible. However, I still don't think this makes the effect merit more than a 2.


Review
This comes with 3 envelopes which are all the same - you only need one of them for a performance. They look just like a normal envelope and there is absolutely nothing for the spectator to suspect about them at the beginning of the performance. However, later on through the performance, you will need to be more careful with them. The gimmick also comes with comprehensive instructions on their use and some example ways in which to use them. However, you are really only restricted by your imagination.

When the card is placed in the envelope there is still nothing for the spectator to suspect and you can place the card in it right in front of them and show them it. But I would not let them check it out for themselves.

You will also need to note that you cannot be surrounded during the performance due to the fact that at the time of reading what is in the envelope, others would be able to do so too.

The gimmick though is only going to be as good as your performance and it is going to be vitally important that you leave a considerable amount of time between reading what it is in the envelope and then actually revealing what was put on the card. I think this is another reason why the author suggests you take your time getting to the answer. I cannot explain why this is important without giving the game away.

At the end of the performance, it would be possible to allow the spectator to check the envelope (but only if you have allowed the performance to drag on as long as possible) and even then, I wouldn't want the spectator to handle it themselves neccessarily.


Overall
Overall, this is a clever idea but I am a little concerned at how long the envelope takes to "reset" itself so that the card inside cannot be read. You would certainly need to be confident in drawing as little attention as possible to the envelope during the performance and really making the spectator believe that you have read their thoughts. You want the spectator to be as minimally suspicious of the envelope as possible.

The gimmick has great potential and so I will award it 7/10. I have knocked 3 marks off for the fact that the envelope cannot comfortably be inspected by the spectator and for the amount of time it takes for it to "reset". Also, your handling of the envelope is vitally important.

I bought this and though a clever idea I could'nt get on with this at all. Don't even know where it is anymore.