I've always found it valuable to be able to watch other performers do their thing. I really enjoyed
watching Tom Mullica's "Evening at the Tom Foolery" and Doc Eason's "Rocky Mountain Magic" DVD.
Although they have no explanations, they have a great deal of value to the working pro. David
Allen's DVD, "Party Time With Magic Dave" is in this same format.
If you're a working
children's show entertainer, there is a lot to be learned from this DVD. While it's not a "teaching"
DVD, it is a "learning" DVD.
You will watch Dave from start to finish arrive at the gig,
set up, perform, tear down and leave. There were a few dull parts in there where I wanted to fast
forward, but for the sake of a complete review, I did not. The majority of Dave's act is not magic.
It's a bunch of games. However, they are fun games that the kids enjoy and require no props.
After the games, then it's on to the magic show, which was surprisingly short. He just did a
handful of routines and it was over. Speaking from the perspective of an ex-children's entertainer,
I found a great deal of value in watching the show. There were a few things that I would consider
doing differently if I ever got back into that venue.
Dave is really good with the kids,
and is excellent at walking that fine line between being a "peer" with them and having a good time,
and being the adult authority in control of the situation.
Two things that kind of bothered
me:
First the venue appeared to be in some sort of reception hall where it looked like the
parents of the birthday boy rented a hall or something. Nothing was said about this venue on the
DVD. From my experience, a birthday party show is always in an over-crowded living room at the
birthday boy's/girl's house. I'd be curious as to how they came to be in that particular venue.
There wasn't much said about the venue or about the type of party he was doing, etc. Basically,
there was no "back story." You just show up at the event with him and watch. It felt like there were
some things that needed better explaining.
Secondly, some of the props for the show were
ones that I was not familiar with. It would have been nice to have a product list or a run down of
the stuff he was using, where he got it, etc. For those who may want to use some of those props in
their own acts, it would have been very helpful.
Even with the couple of things that
bothered me, I believe that the good out weighs the bad. When all is said and done, it was an
entertaining show to watch, and there is a lot to be learned from it. If you perform children's
shows, or are considering moving into that venue, I think you'll find some real gems here.
Although the price of $40.00 bucks is a bit steep, I still would recommend this to the
working children's show pro.
