The best ideas in life are simple, and Wink is just such an idea. In essence Wink enables a thought of card (or number or symbol, or… you get the idea) to appear in a spectator’s wine glass. You could say it turns your spectator’s drink into a crystal ball!
What do you get?
You get a clearly shot DVD which runs to about 30 minutes and explains all you need to know – how it works, how to get in to position and out again, presentation ideas, some forcing methods etc. You also get a set of gimmicks which will enable you to reveal cards, numbers, ESP symbols etc. But you could make your own extra gimmicks once you’ve understood the principle. You will need to supply a small quantity of a very commonly found household item to complete your gimmick. But don’t worry about ‘craft skills’ – this is about as simple as it can be.
The Effects
Wink essentially utilises an under-used optical principle to ‘make the magic work’ – and you can use it in a whole variety of ways. The core routine makes the spectator the mind reader – so they look into the glass and can ‘divine’ a card (or number etc) chosen by another spectator.
The Other Brothers have given plenty of thought to how to make this play to a larger group and explain this carefully on the DVD. You’re not limited to a wine glass – but could use a bottle – as long as the contents isn’t too dark.
The obvious appeal of this idea is that it uses an object that would be readily available in many close up and walkaround performing situations – and that you can make the spectator the ‘hero’ is even better. The gimmick is all but invisible and handling is really very straightforward.
A nod is as good as a…
We always strive to tell it how it is in our reviews, so although we love this concept here are a few small negative points. We would have loved to see a live performance on the DVD – I’m always amazed by how many products seem to miss this out – but it is a great way of gauging the feel of a routine in the hands of a performer who has (hopefully!) done it many times before.
Given the nature of the principle involved there could be minor angle issues. However, these are well covered in the teaching and with only minimal audience management there is no real reason why this should be a problem.
Wink, wink, say no more
This is a really nice concept which I can see having many applications given a little creativity. I love that you can pick up a spectator’s drink and do the magic with it – very visual and surprising. This is only the second release we’ve seen from the Other Brothers (check out our review of Hands Down here), but so far we like what we’ve seen! Recommended.
Wink is available direct from MagicShop.co.uk for only £18.99 (at the time of writing).
Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.
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