Jason Alexander is a true performer. Listening to him talk about his thought process in structuring his act was a true pleasure, and I mean that. If you are thinking about buying this lecture, you should know that you are not getting it for the material. If you know how to take advice and act on it, this lecture will be the best purchase you make this year. Any bad reviews for this lecture will be from trick collectors who only see value in learning new tricks, and these people will never be successful magicians. Jason Alexander is TRULY an actor playing the role of a magician, and if everyone could present material the way he does, the art of magic would get a lot more respect.

I believe that this is a MUST see presentation for anyone serious about the art and craft of mentalism and magic in general

Unless you are new to this world you will NOT see new methods or techniques - indeed you may well have shelved some of the 'props/effects' used in Jason's show.

What you WILL see is the exquisite performance and what you will learn has everything to do with bringing meaning and relevance to the work you do.

Jason Alexander speaks to the heart and soul of the artist and each point he makes is a gem... I will be reviewing my work after hearing these useful, New Year (as this was released on 4th Jan) thoughts.

The session superbly hosted by Dan Harlan who really pointed out the nuances and genuine mastery inherent in Jason's performance.

If you're 'trick hungry' this will not satisfy - if you are eager to grow in the art and craft of magic this is a veritable feast.

It's an atypical format. They show a segment of Alexander's Magic Castle act (recorded years ago), then discuss it, then show another segment and discuss it, and so on. It was good to learn how a professional actor approaches magicians' material. If we are actors playing the part of a magician, we should know more about the craft of acting. Alexander has great advice for making a presentation more effective. That was most of the lecture. Almost all of his effects are commercially available, so you may already have some of these already (e.g. Mental Epic), so you can use these very practical tips in these (and any) tricks right away. The downside is that because almost all of his effects are commercially available they couldn't disclose the secrets to any but one of them! Nevertheless, performers can REALLY benefit from the creative and problem-solving process Alexander reveals for improving presentations. Those who just want secret workings of tricks should look elsewhere.

When Max Maven is in the audience, you know the lecturer is an important magician. but as lectures go, if you're expecting Jason to show you a trick, then show you how to do it...this ain't it. It’s so much better than that! If you buy lectures just to learn tricks or learn how something is done, do not buy this.

But! If you are passionate about wanting to improve your performance, if you want to learn a thing or two about acting for magicians, and if you are eager to get some ideas for writing your patter and scripting your act, then definitely get this and learn from it.

What you'll get is a 2 ½ hour interview wrapped around a set-by set analysis of Jason Alexander's Magic Castle performance. You won't learn how any of the tricks are done but in many cases, you're directed where to get it if you want to learn it.

You'll be asked burning questions like what is the reason for doing the effect you’re doing? Why would an audience care to see you? Why do they want to see your act? Questions that you need to answer as you prepare your set and write your patter. You're also told that the prop is not the performance-- learned advice for which MANY tricksters pretending to be magicians have missed the point.

When this first started watching, I thought "Can Dan stop fawning over Jason?"

Then, I thought Are they really just going to replay a recorded version of Jason doing a magic act?

Soon, it became apparent, once you are willing to take the lecture as a valuable lesson in performance, there is so much more.

If you want to take your magic to another level, make sure you watch this and make notes.

To hear how Jason spent so much time thinking about what would make the participant/audience care and what is the story were very important ideas that are not often asked or discussed in lectures. These are critical questions that should be answered for any performance.

Thanks for making me think about so much more than just a new move or trick and for putting this lecture together!

I picked this lecture up on the 5 for $99 sale and would recommend it to anyone looking for titles to complete that deal.
I had no idea that Jason Alexander was a magician/mentalist. I would not even describe him as an amateur, since the performance was top tier. The best part was the retrospective discussion with Dan Harlin about the decisions involved in creating the performance. Jason's explanations on why he chose the tricks he did and held the tone that he did was enjoyable and insightful, and would be helpful to anyone thinking about constructing performance.

Simply brilliant! I can't recommend this Penguin Live event enough. I'm lucky enough to be a Magic Castle/AMA member living in Los Angeles where lectures are offered to us on a weekly basis. Needless to say, I've seen several hundred such presentations in my 22+ years in Southern CA, not to mention the numerous Penguin Live events I've purchased over the years and I cannot stress enough how important, fascinating, and valuable this chat with Jason Alexander has proven to be. Dan Harlan does a wonderful job taking us through Alexander's award-winning act, as they dissect everything from the props, to the script, to the running order of the set list. This is a very unique presentation and you really need to watch this repeatedly. I know I have and will continue to do so as I learn something new with each viewing. Your act will improve by watching this and you don't need to learn any new tricks - you already know more than enough tricks!

Jason Alexander is a funny guy, and he sure knows how to present a good mentalism trick. It was a pleasure watching his performances, and seeing what how he performs "Mental Epic" was a learning experience.

He knows how to make them laugh, and he's got great comedic timing. I didn't learn that many trick or mentalism, and most of the lecture seemed like an interview. Though aside from that, Jason Alexander had a lot of valuable insights about mentalism and I liked to see his old performances and see him talk about them.

Jason Alexander's Penguin LIVE interview was grat! If you want effects explanations, finger flicking and moves look for another lecture. If you want to learn how Jason approached and created an award winning mentalism act check this out. Jason is a true amateur in that he truly and genuinely loves magicians and the art of magic. That's what he created, a 40-minute immersive piece of art.

Jason talks about his effect selection, acting techniques and mindset he used when creating his act. You most likely know more trick than Jason at this very moment then he will even learn, but the difference is how he presents his act. You too can take note from him and add dimension, depth, and power to your performance by looking at the presentation of magic as his did.

Overall, if you want to create powerful meaningful presentations and move past tricks check out this interview, or not the choice if yours.

Why do I think if it weren't for Seinfeld this never would have happened???
Jason is a very nice man......a fairly average magician....
you learn next to nothing about new moves or routines.....
However if you're a Seinfeld junkie its fun seeing Jason again...

If you're in it for the magic...don't waste your time or money