Magic Tricks

A lot of the magicians who do Penguin Live Lectures have been traveling and touring with that lecture for months, sometimes years. As such, their lectures are polished and perfected. They know everything they are going to say, as the lecture has become as well-rehearsed and honed as the performance itself. Jonathan is not a touring lecturer (yet); in fact, I've heard that this was his first lecture ever, so it honestly doesn't have that polished finish that those touring magicians' lectures have.

But have no concerns, because the *content* he's teaching is exceptional!

He doesn't simply show the same old tricks with a new facade, as so many lecturers do (seriously, how many times can we learn the same thing with a new script?!?). Instead, he's sharing new ideas, and showing us that it is absolutely possible to create something new, with new plots and new subjects, instead of just rehashing and regurgitating the same ol' same ol'. And the way he incorporates his love of music into his magic is a creative blast that we just don't see in so many of these lectures. Everyone can learn something from that! His reveals are of particular interest, and he even suggests that he thinks it's his forte.

He also has a few really cool original moves that caught my eye. While watching, pay close attention when he talks about his 'Arcade Vanish' and the 'Bare-Handed Trashcan Production,' as well as a cool move called the 'Slap Trap.'

In the end, this is an excellent lecture. I'm giving it 4-stars for content, but it's not getting the fifth star because it's not yet polished the way it will be once he does the lecture a hundred times. Although, to be fair, I also heard a rumor that he was fighting the flu and under the influence of some cold-&-flu meds when filming it, but you can't tell at all, which makes the rest of the lecture all that much more impressive. (For what it's worth, I have only given one or two 5-star reviews, ever. I save those for *perfect* products; so 4-stars from me is still an *excellent* rating!)

[Full Disclosure: I was given a free review copy of this lecture, but was neither asked, nor made promises, about the content of my review.]