The Trade Show
Harlan, Dan
L&L Publishing
To begin the next set of effects, Harlan uses two spectators and two torn dollar bills in "Value," a great re-working of Grant's Million Dollar Mystery, a piece he uses to underscore the company's money-back guarantee. Two one-dollar bills are openly torn in half and one half is given to the appropriate spectator while the other two halves are burned. The destroyed halves are not only restored but found to be in an impossible location that was under the spectator's control at all times. This highly entertaining piece segues perfectly into "Trust Me," which features Dan smashing and then subsequently restoring a spectator's borrowed wristwatch. To close out the set, Harlan performs "No Worries," his take on Slydini's classic Paper Balls Over the Head, a trick that plays huge and is perfect for building trade show audiences.
In the final set, Dan begins with a puzzling version of the Salesman Hotel Mystery using just a few playing cards yet leaving the onlookers with a mystery they'll be discussing for the rest of the day. He then brings out a classic - the Chinese Linking Rings - to illustrate how the company makes connections with its customers in a piece he calls "Compatibility." Again, this is the perfect trick, because of its high visibility, to build a large crowd in front of a trade show booth. To end the show, Dan then demonstrates a giveaway item - the Three Card Monte - and encourages the audience members to take one with them so they can perform the trick for their friends and family (which is a brilliant stratagem for getting the company's contact information into the hands of many, many potential customers!)
Enjoy the show, then prepare to learn the secrets of a master as every nuance is revealed. Soon, you too will Pack Small, and Play Big!
Running Time Approximately: 1hr
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Dan Harlan's one of those guys that I've had mixed feelings about for many years. I think he's clever, has many good ideas, and is a very innovative creator and thinker. I also think that his performances are extremely non-smooth and very choppy. At the same time, that's kind of "his thing." Further, his performances are full of (and I mean full of) puns and cheesey jokes/gags/etc. Yet on the other hand, most of his "cheese" is original - at the very least not hackneyed - "cheese."
All in all I'm a fan, but you may not be. That's your call. So here's the plan: we'll look at each one of the DVDs in this series individually. You'll find this intro at the beginning of each review of each individual DVD. It's, I think, a fantasy of a great many of us to have an act that fits entirely in small to medium sized case, yet still can dominate a room and play big. Thus, my main focus - though not my only focus - will be on how well put together the show is and whether or not it really does "Pack Small" and "Play Big."
The Trade Show
If you've ever done trade show work, you may have drawn in a crowd and got them all riled up and then thought to yourself, Where do we go from here (Thank you Buffy). Well Dan Harlan answers that question with the final effect "Giveaway" at the end of this DVD/show. Further, you get several pointers and tips (during the explanation section) from a guy who has clearly work a trade show or two in his time. Further further you get several excellent presentational hooks that tie into classic effects (e.g., Linking Rings, Professor's Nightmare, Smashed Watch, Torn & Restored Bill, etc.). These hooks are very well designed for the trade show environment.
Harlan very effectively demonstrates and teaches you how to run a trade show performance, how to use the effects and presentations to get people involved and grow your crowd, how to keep 'em and how to hand them over to the sales people. I suspect that if you used this show the way Harlan taught it, you'd be the company star and get repeat bookings. I should also add that Harlan's presentation of the Six Card Repeat is the ONLY presentational angle I would ever do. Period.
Overall, the "cheese" was very minimal - almost non-existent (yay!), and the show was very entertaining.
On the downside, one of the effects performed was a demonstration of the old "What Happened to The Other Dollar? puzzle. He uses playing cards to represent money. It's clever and it fits the trade show environment. And though it fell flat in the performance, I still think it was good to include the demonstration he did. My complaint, however, is that during the explanation, Harlan mentions that you could use real money to perform the effect rather than cards. However, he fails to teach a workable method for doing it with money. The method with the cards does not translate to money handling.
An additional downside is that no time was spend discussing reset. In the other "Pack Small Play Big" DVDs in this series it's not a big deal. However, in the trade show environment, you'll be doing your set multiple times throughout the day. Several of the effects destroy props and/or give away props (which is very good for trade show work), but there was no discussion on packing multiple sets of props, etc. in the case. Because this series is all about fitting a show in a small case that plays big, it'll have to take a hit for this missing information.
Frankly, however, I think that with a little thought, you'll be able to work out what suits you. This particular set is very minimal props and fits nicely into the case and is definitely a show that packs small and plays big.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!