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Jon Armstrong LIVE ACT (Penguin LIVE)


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"By any standards, Jon is one of the finest magicians and entertainers you could possibly learn from. What Jon doesn't know about entertaining people with magic -- and earning a good living into the bargain -- isn't worth knowing. This will be a terrific lecture of brilliant thinking and top-class entertainment... don't miss it!" - Ian Rowland

"Jon Armstrong's Magic is a worker's dream! I have seen him devastate audiences at the Magic Castle and other venues. They were laughing and gasping at the same time! As a teacher, his explanations are easily understood. Adding Jon's material to your repertoire will add to your reputation as a great and magical entertainer." - Paul Green

"Jon Armstrong creates engaging plots, practical methods and wickedly entertaining presentations. I mean "Tiny Plunger", come on!!" - Bill Abbott

"Jon is the real deal. A voice in magic worth listening to for anyone who wants to improve both their technique and performance." - Ben Seidman

"Jon's dedication, commitment, and passion for the art of creating moments of magic is infectious. As a teacher his magic is clear, clever and fun, not to be missed." - Garret Thomas

"During an Armstrong performance, we can all learn something from a guy who loves what he does, and is simply great at doing it." - Rob Zabrecky

"If Jon Armstrong were a comic book character, he'd be a super knowledgeable sidekick with magical powers that saves the day. Now he's ready to make you the hero as he shares his most powerful secrets, expertly instructing you in how to produce the kind of miracles that have made him a crowd pleasing multi-award winner. If you want to master the superpower to astound and amaze an audience, you want Jon Armstrong." - Bruce Gold

"Jon Armstrong is a masterful entertainer and teacher. Oh, did I mention the exquisite magic he does? Look, listen and learn! You will be thrilled you did." - Peter Samelson

"Jon's magic is strong, commercial and best of all fun." - Asi Wind

"Jon is a wonderful magician: incredibly skilled, funny, creative and entertaining. He brings the same stellar level of ingenuity and craftsmanship to his scripting and routining as he does to his sleight-of-hand. His work directing other magicians is extremely insightful, not to mention generous. Jon makes everything he touches in magic better." - Chris Philpott

What will he teach?

Jon Armstrong is back at Penguin LIVE to share his cruise ship & corporate act with you! This is a complete parlor act that can play from 50 to 1,000 people, all designed to fit into 1 simple carry on case.

First, you'll have a front row seat to watch Jon's full 30 minute act, in front of a live audience. Then Jon will teach you everything you need to perform it, along with all the fine details he has learned from hundreds to thousands of performances.

We know you are going to love watching Jon perform, not only because he is funny, but the magic you will learn is incredible. And in this act Jon covers a huge variety of strong stand up magic including: Bottle productions, his ring and bow tie routine , appearing decks, mentalism... and of course, tons of killer card magic. Including his famous Card Under Watch routine.

Splash Bottle Production: A stunning production of a beer bottle from a roll of "magic" toilet paper.

5 Card Opener: Jon's performance of Bill Abbot's 5 Card Opener. You'll learn how you can take commercial tricks and make them your own

Ring and Tie Routine: Jon's stand up version of ring and rope, using his necktie and a jumbo novelty ring. It's complete routine with a surprise bowtie production ending.

Sudden Deck: Jon's performance of David Regal's Sudden Deck.

Card Magic: An array of strong stand up card magic including many of the effect Jon has made a career by. Included are My Opening Act, Sleight of Nose, Card Under Watch, and his Cards End finale. This is 20 minutes of hard hitting card magic that Jon will teach you how to perform on stage.

Who is he?

Winner of numerous awards, including Close Up Magician of the Year, Jon Armstrong has brought his amazing skills and magical comedy to prestigious audiences in over 30 countries worldwide. 

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Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 10 of 24)
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Some good thoughts... Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 21st, 2018
This is a tough one to rate. I'm glad I have this lecture, I enjoyed seeing Jon's "Cruise Ship Set" and hear him talk about putting together a set that works for him in these stand up environments.

The necktie routine is arguably worth the price of the lecture as it is very, very clever for a standup performer. The ending with the Invisible Deck has some nice work that he has added that certainly is worth considering.

My #1 reason for the low review is that Jon performs alot of tricks that he doesn't teach. Obviously he couldn't teach them, because they are not his, but the following are performed and not taught - 5 Card Repeat, 5 Card Box, Card in Wallet, Appearing Cards in Card Box, Spoon-Go-Round. That's alot to perform and not teach. To top it off, he mentioned couple of times that he often does his Tiny Plunger routine in this set... that's something that he COULD have taught, because it was his, but he didn't perform / teach.

I'm not trying to be too rough on Penguin or Jon with this rating... I genuinely liked Jon's thoughts on how he designed a show, and I liked seeing this set. I get why he wanted to show his current set with other people's work in it... But compared to the previous LIVE ACTS where virtually everything was taught, this seemed pretty lacking.
13 of 15 magicians found this helpful.
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GREAT LECTURE! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 15th, 2018
Jon's lecture is fantastic. First, as with the ACTS, he performs his full show. I've seen Jon own the stage in person and you can always learn from him.

Look, you could focus on the routines in this lecture and walk away with some great items. The REAL value here is how Jon presents his magic, structures his show and why he made certain choices. You're witnessing a professional who does this show for paying audiences. The advice and lessons he shares are priceless.

Each one of these routines are practical, fun and interesting. He has nice little touches added onto each one.

The bottle production has some nice tips for anyone who uses a splash bottle gimmick. The 5 Card Opener/Box is GREAT, if you are an someone who performs Bill's routine you may want to peek at this. Jon solves an issue I've had with the routine.

The ring and tie routine is freaking GENIUS. He teaches you everything you need to know to make this yourself. It's a great item with a LOT of magic.

The handling of reflex/ whack your pack is amazing. You will want to do this!

If your goal is to work toward being a pro... You should watch and absorb this lecture.
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
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This is fantastic! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 9th, 2018
I love Jon Armstrong's material but this was a real treat to see his stand up act that he performs on cruise ships. No stone is left unturned in this "lecture" as he goes over how he packs the show, how he presets the show and obviously how he performs the show. I think the biggest takeaway from this was why he performs what he performs which was super interesting. I really love this mini lecture and if anyone is looking for super strong, practical routines, get this now!
5 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
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As good as it gets Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 10th, 2018
Jon Armstrong is as good as it gets. He's a working pro who knows how to entertain with high quality magic. Do yourself a favor and get this lecture today. Your audiences will thank you!
3 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
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Good thinking but poor stage delivery Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on January 7th, 2019
I admire Jon's technical skill and thinking so was very keen to see how he has evolved into a platform performer, particularly after an excellent Geni review. There is some strong material here, particularly the bottle production, repeat card under watch and the closing triple revelation. But he could really do with some direction, he is restless on stage, talks over and through the climax of his tricks and "ums" and "ers" constantly. Everything feels played down and thrown away - maybe a reflection of dealing with tough audiences. Unfortunately the delivery detracts from the sound thinking.
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Some good, some bad Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 20th, 2018
The good:
Good advice on audience management
The size of the act fits in a carry on case
Cool bottle production to open the act
Awesome rope routine done with a neck tie (as seen in the trailer)

The bad:
My main problem is the amount of pre-show work. Not a fan.
Card effects - some feel repetitive.
One of the best effects is not revealed (the box vanish after a 5 card repeat)

Overall I'd like to give it 3.5 stars. I did get some value from it and I'm sure most people will get something from it.
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Awesome Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on October 30th, 2018
I really didn't know what to expect because I'd never seen his work before. I thought he was great. I don't think I'm into doing all the pre-show work...but I think if you are into that kind of thing...awesome stuff here for you to learn and think on and amaze people with. I love looking at how stuff is stored and hearing about table choices and etc. Gave me some ideas to think on in that area.

The tips on the tie/ring routine were awesome! He is very good with instruction.

Total pro. You totally should watch this. People have already said a lot on his other stuff...so keep reading reviews. This one is a delight.

1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Wonderful! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 19th, 2018
I love these Live Act lectures, and Jon's is my favorite so far. I really appreciate that he goes deep on the WHY of each routine as well as the HOW. The tricks are entertaining, and many of them are foolers. I love his version of Williamson's Ring & Rope, and it's already got me thinking of how I can tailor it to my own style. Which is another thing that Jon is big on... making sure each trick and each line fits his style. Oh, and if you thought Jon was "just a card guy," think again. This lecture has lots of card stuff but also a good amount of non-card stuff. Download this and you won't be disappointed.
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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GOOD MATERIAL Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 18th, 2018
GREAT BOTTLE OPENER AND CARD TRICK CLOSER.....Good tips for pre show
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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⅔ great and ⅓ good Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 23rd, 2020
Despite making the jump to stage / parlor / platform magic, Jon still uses cards a lot. That said, he has some practical advice regarding tables and transporting props while traveling.

He has some good "bits of business," and I love his necktie and ring trick. His thoughts on pre-show, and the actual filmed segments with audience members, is also quite useful.

Some other reviews have mentioned that he uses some commercial effects that he does not tip. That is quite fine, as the tricks are not overly expensive if they appeal to you. He also gives good advice (and support) in using commercially bought effects.
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