MYSTIC PIZZA BY STEVE FEARSON
Effect: Casually hanging around with friends, the performer of the group decides to order a pizza for everyone. In all fairness, everybody is asked what topping they would like on the pizza. Once every little detail about the pizza is decided upon and everybody is satisfied, the magician reaches for the phone to make the call to the pizza place. However, just as he grabs the phone, it starts to ring... bizarre. He passes it to a nearby spectator and asks him to answer it. The spectator complies... and stands there with a blank stare on his face as he realizes the person who called is THE PIZZA GUY and he's telling the friend EXACTLY what was asked for on the pizza, down to the tiniest detail! Not only did the "pizza guy" know exactly when to call, but he also impossibly knows exactly what is wanted on the pizza! The exact pizza is then delivered about 30 minutes later.
Review: Again, Steve Fearson provides a practical and powerful mentalism effect. However, as you can probably tell by the description of the effect, this is not something you are ever going to do formally. It's a casual "hang-out" effect.
Not unlike The Pentalist and Mental Directory, this is yet another excerpt from an old Party Magic video of Steve's. From what I have seen, this old video seems to be mostly practical mentalism with ordinary objects that you could pull off effectively at a party (hence the theme of the video). However, with The Pentalist and Mental Directory, you could perform powerful and organic mentalism in virtually any venue. That is not the case with Mystic Pizza but, then again, that was never the intention of the creator.
Steve has, again, brought a classic principle in mentalism to a new level, this time around adapting the principle to modern times for practical use. Nothing is ever forced during the effect and all toppings are completely free choices by your friends or guests. There is a tiny bit of prior set-up to the effect but Steve covers this to make it seem nonchalant and casual.
As for the video quality... again, like his previous two mentalism offerings, the video is ver short yet thorough. The method is simple enough to be grasped in minutes and requires absolutely no skill... plus, the whole sequence runs like water and there are no suspicious actions or moves.
The principle involved is very practical and easy, and there's not much room for error. Things can still go wrong, of course, but the chance of failure is very slim. With the principle, you can gather all of the information and INSTANTLY have the phone ring, with the speaker on the other end telling you exactly what information was just gathered. This is seriously powerful mentalism.
Don't like the idea of the effect itself? No problem, the principle is super-flexible and can be adapted tro virtually ANY type of long-distance mindreading. It doesn't have to be the pizza guy calling and telling you exactly what you were about to order, it can be, for example, a call from a person that the group of spectators literally came up with on the spot. They decided on gender, name, hair colour, age, etc. and you instantly get a call from this imaginary person. Like I said, limitless possibilities await.
Overall, I think $10 is more than fair for the technique you learn, with so many possibilities at your disposal. It's definitely worth it and you will not be disappointed. With Mystic Pizza, Steve has brought a classic into the 21st century with a practical, creative approach, and I give the effect an 8/10. It's flawed, sure, but a lot of effects are.
Mystic Pizza can be purchased at: http://emagicsupply.com/112-MC-56-custom.html
Michael Kras
Effect: Casually hanging around with friends, the performer of the group decides to order a pizza for everyone. In all fairness, everybody is asked what topping they would like on the pizza. Once every little detail about the pizza is decided upon and everybody is satisfied, the magician reaches for the phone to make the call to the pizza place. However, just as he grabs the phone, it starts to ring... bizarre. He passes it to a nearby spectator and asks him to answer it. The spectator complies... and stands there with a blank stare on his face as he realizes the person who called is THE PIZZA GUY and he's telling the friend EXACTLY what was asked for on the pizza, down to the tiniest detail! Not only did the "pizza guy" know exactly when to call, but he also impossibly knows exactly what is wanted on the pizza! The exact pizza is then delivered about 30 minutes later.
Review: Again, Steve Fearson provides a practical and powerful mentalism effect. However, as you can probably tell by the description of the effect, this is not something you are ever going to do formally. It's a casual "hang-out" effect.
Not unlike The Pentalist and Mental Directory, this is yet another excerpt from an old Party Magic video of Steve's. From what I have seen, this old video seems to be mostly practical mentalism with ordinary objects that you could pull off effectively at a party (hence the theme of the video). However, with The Pentalist and Mental Directory, you could perform powerful and organic mentalism in virtually any venue. That is not the case with Mystic Pizza but, then again, that was never the intention of the creator.
Steve has, again, brought a classic principle in mentalism to a new level, this time around adapting the principle to modern times for practical use. Nothing is ever forced during the effect and all toppings are completely free choices by your friends or guests. There is a tiny bit of prior set-up to the effect but Steve covers this to make it seem nonchalant and casual.
As for the video quality... again, like his previous two mentalism offerings, the video is ver short yet thorough. The method is simple enough to be grasped in minutes and requires absolutely no skill... plus, the whole sequence runs like water and there are no suspicious actions or moves.
The principle involved is very practical and easy, and there's not much room for error. Things can still go wrong, of course, but the chance of failure is very slim. With the principle, you can gather all of the information and INSTANTLY have the phone ring, with the speaker on the other end telling you exactly what information was just gathered. This is seriously powerful mentalism.
Don't like the idea of the effect itself? No problem, the principle is super-flexible and can be adapted tro virtually ANY type of long-distance mindreading. It doesn't have to be the pizza guy calling and telling you exactly what you were about to order, it can be, for example, a call from a person that the group of spectators literally came up with on the spot. They decided on gender, name, hair colour, age, etc. and you instantly get a call from this imaginary person. Like I said, limitless possibilities await.
Overall, I think $10 is more than fair for the technique you learn, with so many possibilities at your disposal. It's definitely worth it and you will not be disappointed. With Mystic Pizza, Steve has brought a classic into the 21st century with a practical, creative approach, and I give the effect an 8/10. It's flawed, sure, but a lot of effects are.
Mystic Pizza can be purchased at: http://emagicsupply.com/112-MC-56-custom.html
Michael Kras