Magic Tricks

I'm obviously a friend and fan of Manos (one of the quotes in the ad-copy is mine) but now that I've seen the full lecture I can confirm my earlier suspicions.

This is full of great concepts and workable ideas.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions... but I COMPLETELY disagree with the reviewer who said the methods are, "not particularly useful for a working mentalist." As a working mentalist I can personally attest to the fact that I've been using some of these ideas since Manos shared them with me nearly two years ago. I've tweaked them to fit my style, typical audiences and performing conditions of course but definitely are USEFUL.

That same reviewer also mentioned that, "the presentations are dry as dust." Let's cut Manos some slack here please - although he's quite proficient in English he works almost exclusively in Greek. It's difficult to be at ease when juggling the normal demands of performance with the added stress of a secondary language.

Let's talk about what a "working mentalist" can take away from this act:

BRICK OPENER is a wonderful combination of practical strategies to create an engaging "macro" effect involving the entire audience and then a surprise two-kick climax. The core principle in play can be applied to any number of routines where you need to control a 50/50 outcome. Manos has updated a simple idea so that it's fool-proof in anyone's hands.

POSTCARD builds on some existing tools and ideas to produce an effect where you reveal information that only exists in the minds of the participants. There is a small bit of risk associated with the overall framework used but, as they say, "go big or go home."

STEGOSAURUS adds an extra (and in my opinion MUCH NEEDED) third phase to Phill's routine. If you enjoyed the original you'll no doubt love this update. The routine is self contained and nearly automatically resets.

PROMETHEUS is an excellent rendition of the "Which Hand" plot that uses nothing more than your wits and ANYTHING that can be hidden in a closed hand. Manos' demonstrates one of MANY possible surprise kickers that can compliment this routine but this can EASILY be customized on the fly to suit your audiences and personality.

UNLOCK is, first and foremost, a PRESENTATION that feels quite genuine and although it isn't extremely "flashy" I think it would have a "slow-burn" effect on an audience. The more they think about it the more authentic it would seem.

Within the explanations there are also several "nuggets" for the working performer that touch on topics like handling participants on stage, best moments to acquire information, and combining method WITH presentation.

Manos (performing in ENGLISH) may come across a bit subdued but, for me, that didn't diminish the insights I obtained from the content.

Well done my friend!