It is difficult to write a review of this lecture in the conventional way since this is far from a series of “tricks”. Yes, there are a number of effects on the DVD, many of which are extremely powerful, but to coin Peter’s phrase, it is the journey that counts.

On the way through the performances and explanations you get an incredible insight into Peter’s own philosophy of performance and magic – what it is and what makes it powerful. It is the kind of DVD which I got to the end of and felt like I needed to watch again – to take more in and to deeply understand some of the truth buried in here.

Most of the effects are ‘propless’ – so you can perform there anywhere anytime within reason. There is a Pin Code divination (so cheeky – and yet powerful) combined with a star sign revelation (this one isn’t really explained – but is fully explained in Isabella Star 2). There’s an ACAAN type effect and a ‘Psychic Lift’ where you appear to be able to control a spectator’s movements without touching them.

But there also lots of shorter effects on the way – and additions to these effects which make them stronger. Although much of the magic is ‘propless’ Turner isn’t afraid of setting things up in advance for a stronger impact – you’ll be amazed at how bold yet effective some of these methods are.

There is a clever utilisation of language and ‘dual reality’ in some of the effects – this is a mentalism master-class. And there’s a brilliant answer to the classic mind-reader’s question – “What am I thinking of right now?” – and I’m not going to spoil it by giving it away here!

The nature of the material makes it very difficult to say what level of skill you need to perform these effects. Much of it is about confidence rather than ‘skill’ per se – but if you are at all interested in mentalism you will know that this is very often the case.

Turner himself is an unassuming and self-deprecating man – a joy to listen to, tangents included. His passion for magic and his sincerity about producing beautiful moments for his spectators is inspiring.

If you don’t know Turner’s work (and he has published quite a bit) you will find some similarity to Luke Jermay (you can read our review of his recent DVD set here) – I even though they look a little similar when you see the photo on the front of The Experience. But they sound very different in performance!

All in all, with my leanings in the direction of mentalism, I really enjoyed this DVD. The experience is well named since the message of the lecture is it is the experience that counts. Well worth a look if you perform any kind of mentalism.

The Experience is available direct from Merchant of Magic for £28.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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The Magic

Fizz Roulette is a brilliant example of his gift for taking a different slant on a well-known plot and bringing humour and audience engagement. In essence a spectator shakes up a can of fizzy drink which is then lost among 4 other unshaken cans. The cans are then opened, one at a time in the performer and spectator’s faces respectively. Needless to say, the final can – opened safely away from anyone else – has the extra fizz. The germ of the idea is from Paul Harris but Sean has built lots of fun in and plenty of humour. A great routine which could work in all kinds of settings – and even if you did it wrong the stakes are lower than with a blade of some kind!

3D Spectacular – a chosen card appears ‘in 3D’ in the flames of a lighter when your audience don some 3D glasses. Then the flame is ‘transferred’ to another random card which turns into the chosen card. Easy to do, though you’d have to watch the lighting and have good audience control for this one. A nice effect, but not one I could see myself using.

Dice Stacking/Chop Cup – This starts as a skilful demonstration of dice-stacking (which Sean assures us is not as hard as it looks – indeed a young lad from the audience begins to get the hang of it while you watch the explanation). It then moves into an entertaining chop cup type routine where an odd coloured die jumps back amongst another three and then two final (fruit) loads to finish. This is a nice routine and inspires me to have a go at the old dice-stacking.

The Multiple Card Find – this is a classic showpiece where multiple cards are lost in the pack and then found again in a variety of magical ways. As an experienced magician its very hard to be objective about this kind of routine. I’ve seen them so many times that they no longer excite me – but for a layperson it could be a very impressive routine. But whether you’ve never seen this before or are familiar with this kind of effect, Sean’s experience shines through and you’ll pick up loads of tips on the way and his own personal touches – including a neat vanish of the deck at the end of the routine.

The DVD finishes with a performance (only) of Sean’s take on the ‘Sam the Bellhop’ routine which he calls The 654 Club. It’s fast, entertaining and has some lovely extra features such as the spectator repeatedly cutting the deck on the way through.

The madness?

The whole DVD runs just under an hour and ten minutes. At the end I found myself wanting a little more – only four routines are taught. On the other hand they are all strong routines which, with a little work, would be within the reach of most. At around £25, I would have liked to see it slightly cheaper – but since the single effect Fizz Roulette has been sold for almost the same amount, it seems like reasonable value. Fizz Roulette is certainly the stand out effect for me – and if you were considering buying that anyway, you might as well get the whole thing.

Magic and Madness is available direct from the Merchant of Magic for £24.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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We’ll get the only real downside out of the way up front. This is not a professional studio production, but was filmed last year at a UK magic convention called LADS. So the quality of the video is not the highest we have ever seen. However, at no point does this get in the way of understanding what’s going on. And because it was filmed at a magic convention, there are quite a few ‘in jokes’ which might make you chuckle!

Arron himself is a great performer – very entertaining with a ready wit – so it is a joy to watch him perform – and even the explanations were entertaining. Let’s run you through the effects.

Anniversary Salsa

This is a lovely take on the Anniversary Waltz – which doesn’t use gaff cards and all happens in the spectators’ hands. It’s a really nice routine which has a great premise (it is a different ‘plot’ to the anniversary waltz – though the climax – with the two spectators’ signatures ending up on a single card). Not difficult to do – and with plenty of built in entertainment. A real worker.

Antelope Principle

This is a technique to ‘vanish’ a coin from a small pay envelope. Could be useful if you need to vanish a coin! A couple of nice details which make this more convincing. Not a major mystery but potentially a useful weapon.

Card 2 Pocket

Does what it says on the tin. This is a move which helps you load a card into a spectator’s pocket. There are a few details on the psychology provided, but the routine itself is a bit ‘vanilla’ – you might want to incorporate this into a longer routine.

OXO

Based on an idea by Martin Gardner, this effect starts with a prediction of the outcome of a game of Tic Tac Toe (Noughts and Crosses). Arron has added a few extra elements and subtleties to improve the routine, and it now finishes with the revelation of a serial number on a banknote. Whether or not you perform this routine (and it is quite easy to do – so you probably should!) you need to watch this just to enjoy Arron’s interaction with his spectator who manages to make a complete mess of things first time round!

Tworn

Routines that enable you to give away your business card are always useful – and when that business card is an impossible souvenir you can guarantee they will take it with them. And that is exactly the premise of Tworn. The spectator chooses a business card and signs it – you then tear off the corner and restore the card with the corner the wrong way round! Easy to do – powerful effect – and a souvenir with your contact details. I love this and am definitely keen to make it up.

The DVD only runs to one and a quarter hours, but in addition to the effects described Arron shares some of his thinking about the purpose of a magician and therefore the reason he structures his magic as he does. It is definitely worth listening to this advice from a working pro – and remembering that magicians see things differently from normal people!

The stand out effects on here are Tworn and Anniversary Salsa – both so practical and powerful – that (though I hate the phrase) they are worth the price of the release. They also make me want to check out his other recent release with Tom Wright – Completely Mental.

The Magicianary Position is available from MagicShop.co.uk for £27.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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