Don't get lemon juice in your eye or you'll be crying (thank you Don McLean) . . . So what do you get for $60 bucks? Well you get a bill in lemon routine. That's it . . . or is it? Isn't that trick in Tarbell?

It's always a good thing to learn from the experience of seasoned performers, and Chris Randall certainly is that - a seasoned performer. So the question is this: is his routine, nuances, pointers, experience, bits o' business, etc. worth the 60 bones. I'll give you all the information you need to make that decision on your own in just a moment. Let me first, however, address some issues with the DVD itself along with the performance and explanation.

Stuff That Just Ain't Right . . .

So . . . I put the DVD in, and it went straight the main menu - a good thing. I hate having to filter through 3 hours of commercials to get the main menu. Next, I notice that there are three menu items:

• Play All


• Chapters


• Extra

This is another good thing . . . a simple menu. So I did what I assume most people would do; I clicked "Play All." The DVD cuts right away to Chris Randall in the studio saying here's what you're gonna need to perform the bill in lemon trick. He then went over a bunch of props needed. So far so good. Next he goes into the next section which is all about setting up the needed props, getting the lemon ready, etc. At this point he's sort of covering "method," but I still haven't seen the trick and he's revealed too much for me to enjoy, let alone be fooled by, the performance.

After this section, a new section begins where he starts off by saying, "let's go over the performance again." What? Again? You mean there was a performance? Then he proceeds to walk through in an exposition style (exposing rather than teaching) the entire performance. He does not perform it. He walks through it, exposing the methods, techniques, etc. He then goes into some depth about his methods, moves, etc.

Then . . . the DVD ends! Suddenly, I'm back on teh main menu. No performance. No idea what the routine looks like from start to finish. So I click on the "chapters" item from the main menu. Nope. No performance there. Finally, I click on the "extra" menu option. There is a live performance on Freemont Street. It was extremely loud; I could barely hear him; the camera cut a couple of times so I missed the overall live flow of the presentation. The audience, however, did seem to be having fun. They were laughing, applauding, and generally having a good time, so I trust that the routine plays well based on their reactions. Incidentally, you can watch the performance with commentary or without. That was mildly helpful.

In the "extra" section, there were two other things: "center tear" and "Q&A with Scott Alexander." The "center tear" section was briefly interesting. He showed us his basic handling of it which is basically (as he admits) Corinda's handling. Here, Randall shows us an effect using the center tear that can be added to your bill in lemon routine to help with the time misdirection. However, he has the spectator use a pen that has been covered (unbeknownst to the spectator) in lemon juice as part of the secret prep of the lemon.

I'm not sure about you, but I think if I gave a spectator a lemon soaked pen, they're gonna notice. He does not address this issue at all. Finally the Q&A with Scott Alexander was pretty interesting. It covered sort of a history of Alexander's evolution of the effect. I enjoyed this for the most part.

Deciding the Value

So here's the million dollar question . . . is it worth it? First, let's look at the model that should be. If I pay $60 for someone's hard earned experience and lessons, and performance tips and so forth, it better be a professional, detailed and specific course or dissertation on the subject. I think in this case it's fair to judge the performance - normally, I don't count the performance in my review - as well as the method. After all, I'm paying for the performance of a pro.

That being the case, maybe the $60 secrets are found in the method/teaching section . . . Not so much. Randall certainly had some good tips (one main big one) that are good additions. Here are a few highlights of his handling:

• The bill in the lemon is the signed bill


• The misdirection and timing of getting the bill in the lemon is very well thought out


• The "load" happens at the "right" moment, rather than at the moment people are most expecting it.

The best tip on the video is hard to say much about without revealing method and without giving away the most valuable part of the DVD. I'll just say this, it's a simple, simple idea that helps you keep "track" of the lemon and that helps your lemon always be perfectly "at the ready." This is definitely a solid and simple tip that one only finds in the experience of hundreds of performances. Is this one thing worth the $60 . . . maybe, especially if you perform bill in lemon and are having a hard time keeping track of the h*** in the lemon. This tip just might be worth it to you.

The other somewhat big thing Randall brings is the overall flow/rhythm/structure of the routine, the choreography if you will. Bottom line: if you already do a bill in lemon and you like it, and you're not concerned about any parts of the method, then you probably won't benefit from this. If you already do the effect, but are struggling with a few points, this may very well benefit you. If you've never done bill and lemon but are looking to add it, this is, no doubt, a good method and would probably be a valuable DVD for you. In either case, keep in mind that you're only really learning a method for bill in lemon . . . a good method, yet one that is not unlike many versions out there.

You also are getting a full routine with some good extras and options (rope effects and center tear effects) that make this more than just buying bill in lemon. Further, it is a full routine that can be carried (once you've set up) with you anywhere, and it's ready to go at a moment's notice. You get some good tips on where to get Crown Royal bags for cheap and/or free, good tips on lemon choice, and a few other good pointers.

However, you're not really learning much about the ins and outs of how to perform this (at least not by watching his performance on the DVD). So what do you get for $60 bucks, a good (yet very, very, very familiar) method for bill in lemon and very little education into how to present this miracle. If you feel that any of the positives pointed out above are worth the price tag, then go for it. If you're a street performer, you'll likely learn a couple of pointers that will help you earn the cost back in tips. If you're new to magic, skip this one for sure. If you're a real pro who wants to add bill in lemon to your arsenal, you just might be happy with your purchase. My guess is that everyone else will not. For this high of a price tag, I think most people would expect more of an in depth study of the performance that we got.

Final Verdict:
2.5 stars with a Stone Status of grubble.