Join your host Mel Mellers and his crew as they travel the length and width of the UK to bring you seven 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 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!

THE REVIEW:

The Routines:

Bottle opener – If you own a vanishing bottle and don’t want to do the usual patter that’s provided by the instructional manual. Here is a varied presentation you can consider.

You could be - A Newspaper tear in reverse, with a twist. Mel takes the torn and restored newspaper plot to another place, giving it logic. The reactions by the audiences were good.  

Hands off – A more in depth treatment (and explanation) of the hand off illusion shown on a previous Mellers offering. A lot of fun, but I would want to pick the right spectators (not drunk!), so that the routine is not de-railed.

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. A easy effect that can fit into the comedy magician’s arsenal.

Wee Trick - No live performance. Got ‘Multum in Parvo’? Here is a way of presenting it with humour.

Solved Disolved – A slight variation to the Slydini silk routine.

Pseudo card routine. A routine that plays big but based on a simple card trick.

Will I use the material?

I could not just take a Mellers piece and more or less replicate it in my act. Mel has such a strong performace character, that is not something I would or could copy. Part of the value of the material is inspirational. Another part is the ‘bits of business’.

Our thoughts on this Dvd:

My only issue with this Dvd is that once you take away the presentation/patter of the routines. The effects standalone are not strong enough to sustain a crowd for a 30/40 minute corporate performance. With that said, it is important to note that Mel Mellers is an expert in turning basic effects or concepts into comedy performance piece.
The performances here seem to have weak reactions, possibly due to the large constitution of magicians watching. Repeated views may increase  appreciation of the set.

Overall, this dvd offers good value. Mel is a great performer, a concise teacher, and proof of what you can do with a few simple props / basic plot. There are many bits of business that you can pick up, and  ideas that you can experiment with.

6/10 (A decent buy)

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