Alexander Marsh's handling is very good and the clever choreography of envelopes allows for a rather
streamlined and efficient modus operandi. On the other hand, the logic of the performance (as
demonstrated in the Full Performance section of the video) is faulty in my humble opinion: there is
no logic in reading the mind of the participant (and seemingly struggling for it) in order to
extract an information that supposedly was known before the effect even started! This effect should
be presented either as a prediction - like the original Orville Meyer's TERVIL - OR as a mindreading
experiment, but not as BOTH. If the mentalist knew since the start what the participant was going to
think of, then there is no point in reading the participant's mind.
As an alternative to Meyer's
handling which involved a number of switches, Marsh's handling is very efficient and, as pointed out
during the explanation, reinforced by the use of a sealed envelope to produce the prediction.
All in all, a very good variation of the Tervil effect that deserves to be known and used
(strictly as a prediction effect in my opinion).
11 of 13 magicians found this helpful.
This is not walk-around magic. It's performance magic for a small group with patience.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
The preview was particularly misleading -- although the performer was very engaging. And the effect
itself contains multiple elements that would serve more to confuse the audience (about why the
"experiment" is performed in this illogical manner) than to mystify thenm.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Delusion relies on an old principle right out of Annemann. If you've done your homework and have a
good grasp of the material in that legendary tome and then watch the trailer here, you'll identify
the principle. What Marsh has done is updated the method so that it relies on an almost surefire
gimmick (another oldie, but goodie that relies on some arts and crafts) instead of a whole mess of
sleights. It's all pretty ingenious, though this is not really an effect for duffers or hobbyists.
It's a pro routine. As good as it is, it will take some audience management skills because while
you appear to end clean, you really don't. You'll need some time misdirection and presentation
skills too, but if you are even a halfway competent mentalist, you are going to stun people with
this one. Also, you'll need to use another standard mentalism technique such as A***** N**** or an
i** p**, something not taught here. (See what I mean that this is not for armchair mentalists.)
Anyway, I really like Delusion. It's startling, and Marsh is like the UK equivalent of Dan
Harlan when it comes to instruction: concise and to the point. If this trips your trigger, you'll
love it.
4 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
Have just downloaded 'Delusion' and disappointed with the poor quality of the picture/sound sync..
Most sequences are inaudible and difficult to hear let alone understand.
3 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
The method is kind of clever and you could probably do other things with it combined with other
gimmicks or moves but i do not think the preperation is justified by the payoff as a stand alone
effect.
I would classify this as not for beginners, at least you would have to know a peek
or any other method for gaining secret information so you can verbally divine the information before
revealing the prediction (Wich is the intial effect) to get any real spark out of it.
But
if you can flawlessly do what i just described i think it would be a great demonstration under the
rigth conditions
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Delusion is an old method, found in a number of mental magic references. It is a very good method.
Ideally one should know how to peek a billet or switch a billet. Not incidentally the final switch
of the billet for the prediction can be facilitated with any of a number of clear plastic boxes or
use the techniques found in the DVD toibox. There are many ways to make the final switch.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
for me this video explanation was useful but he doesn’t teach you any peeks so if you are a beginner
and don’t know any billet peeks then you’ll have to learn billet peeks elsewhere. However, you’ll
learn how to make a useful gimmick.
First, the mustache is wonderful. Now that we have that out of the way(!), the effect has been well
thought-out, works easily, plays well, requires very little for repeat performances and set-up. I
would have given it 6 out of 5 stars(!), except for the fact that the full performance details an
entire portion of the effect that Marsh refuses to teach. Not that it has anything to do with the
effect itself (so its almost a second effect/method built-in to the presentation). But if you like
billet work then this will get you a reputation as a real mind-reader!
I like this as it can be done in any venue without the need of a table. Good direct approach, with
it being clear to the spectator what is going on and what happened (some mentalism gets muddy in its
execution leaving the spectators confused). Really excited to try it out in public.
Today, when you order "Delusion by Alexander Marsh", you'll instantly be emailed a Penguin Magic gift certificate. You can spend it on anything you like at Penguin, just like cash. Just complete your order as normal, and within seconds you'll get an email with your gift certificate.
Nice handling, but logical flaw in performance
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Delusion too complicated
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Misleading & Weak
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Annemann for the 21st Century
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