Sheer Luck - The Comedy Book Test
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Shawn Farquhar, FISM Grand Prix World Champion of Magic, performs and explains in detail an effect that has been used in his show since 2011 when he presented it at the famed 4F convention in New York. This has been described as the "paper balls over the head" of mentalism. It's the perfect piece for mentalist looking to lighten the mood, magicians wanting to present mentalism and even master of ceremonies wanting to spice up the event with a little audience interaction.
You and a spectator stand back to back while they freely select any page from the book. Then with absolutely no effort you are able to recite word for word any sentences, paragraphs or even a whole page that is selected.
During the entire demonstration the audience see just how the "magic" works. Once revealed to the volunteer you will stun everyone by showing them the solution they thought was being used... isn't it at all.
I love the comic twist to this book test and how it takes it a step further than just reading a mind. I also love that it is a book that real people would have in their library. Was not the method I was expecting and to be truthful I like my method better ( but until I can afford to produce my version… Lol) it is one of the best I have seen. I do think I will invest in the third book used in the FoolUs presentation. If you only want to buy one book test this is the one you need.
I first saw Shawn perform this on Fool Us and I was enamoured right away. I’ve performed this a handful of times now and each time it has gotten amazing reactions. If you register this on Shawn’s site, you’ll get an email from him with the method he used on Fool Us for free, which is an incredible bonus!If you want to purchase the upgrade to utilise that method, you can pick that up from his site for $20, but Shawn himself prefers the original method and I have to agree.If you want to incorporate a comedy routine into your act then this is an absolute must buy!
I got this last month and have performed it three times now within covid safe environments - i.e. Not standing right beside the spectator. The tutorial from Shawn is great, and he talks a lot about the development of the idea and the inspiration he drew from to create it. You register a product code on the Palmer Magic website and Shawn, after verifying it, will email you the details of the method used on Fool-Us - with the option to buy the items needed for that method. He normally charges a higher value for that method, but if you 'upgrade' he only charges you the difference between what you've paid here, and the cost of that method... Around £20.A few people have asked about being challenged to read the book - if you're in a fairly casual environment such as friends/family and that's likely to happen - you probably want the fool us method - that said, I haven't needed it, because the reveal is very fair.You do need to make sure you follow Shawns angles advice - I fell foul of that the first time I performed it and had it recorded... And whilst nobody noticed at the time, the recording is unusable as a result, which is a shame because my mum's reaction was comedy gold!All in, I love this effect... Well worth the money - oh and you can buy different books from Palmer Magic to use for the same effect!
I have just purchased this, but have seen it performed (much more as a comedy routine) I feel it can play very well as a solid mentalism piece, great shows need light and dark, play down the laughs, let the audience feel they are 'privy' to one of your 'secret' methods, by all means enjoy a light hearted 5-8 mins, but, once the volunteer seemingly discovers the joke, make a point of firstly, showing them your blank book, then remind the audience that true 'mentalism' takes incredible concentration and mind control - then show the audience your book is completely blank, I would never open with this, or indeed close with it, but sandwiched between some mind blowing mental gymnastics as a second to last routine to lighten the energy before performing a memorable closing effect, The Comedy book test, would be an added highlight. I should add my patter would be very different to Shawn's as my performance character is closer to a Mentalist/wizzard than a Comedy/Magician not that I don't appreciate how difficult Magical Comedy is to perform as well as Shawn Farquhar performs it. This is a great effect, very engaging and if performed well quaranteed to last for 100's of shows, and people won't mind seeing it many times. 9/10.
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malcolm asks: Can you hand out the blank page book for examination? if not, I assume the info is on the first couple of pages, maybe, but have you ever been challenged to show the book as in give it to a member of the audience? How is the effect being received with the general audience. Many thanks Malcolm
Jose asks: Is there the possibility of doing this in another language, or it can only be done in English?
Mark asks: I understand there are or were two versions of this trick. The one performed on Penn & Teller and then another on that was a less expensive version. Which one is this?
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