Random
Nardi, Peter
Alakazam UK
Anyone that follows Peter's work will understand his knack for creating hard-hitting magic and Mentalism. Random is a plot Peter has been working on for a while and now it can be yours!
Peter Nardi's Random feels totally organic and shows you can truly control apparent random actions. Your spectator makes numerous "Random" choices (with a deck of cards) yet you clearly and unbelievably predict their actions every step of the way.
Random is a totally self-working masterpiece that is strong enough to close your set!
Random proves you really do have total control over your spectators' thoughts and actions!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
In Random, the performer displays an entire deck of Bicycle playing card and cuts them in half. The spectator takes half and the performer the other half. After writing three concealed predictions across the face of three cards (one prediction per card), the performer gives the spectator the three marked prediction cards, face down, and asks him to shuffle them into the spectator’s pile of cards making sure that the spectator does not look at the predictions and so that the three marked cards end up in a totally random locations in the pile. The spectator then divides his half of the deck into three face-down piles, with the cards being mixed randomly. The performer then fans his half of the deck and displays the faces of his cards. The spectator names three of the displayed cards by name and instructs the performer which pile to place those cards on – one face-up card per pile. The performer then removes each face-up card from the top of the face-down pile and places it next to the face-down pile it was resting on. Before turning over the top face-down card on each pile, the performer reveals the names of the three marked prediction cards on which he wrote down his predictions. Then, in the moment that literally freezes the spectator’s sense of logic and reality, the performer turn over the top face-down card from each pile, which amazingly are the revealed marked prediction cards and each prediction card is marked with the name of the face-up card that was sitting on top of it. Although this description may sound a bit confusing, it is so simple and so unbelievably awesome that the spectators are beyond stunned.
The trick comes with a gimmicked Bicycle deck and a typical top-notch Alakazam instructional DVD taught by Peter Nardi. The effect is cleverly devised, easy to learn and very easy to perform. The audience reaction is consistently astounding and the reveal will fry their brains like an egg on a hot skillet.
The ad copy is accurate and the almost six minute promotional video is a well-produced live demonstration of Nardi performing Random in a mostly empty pub. If anything, a real performer’s demonstration of the effect is much better in real life than in the promotional video. In light of the impact of this effect, the price is fair.
With the exception of a few moments, when there are slight angle issues, the performer can be surrounded during this trick. The entire deck cannot be inspected, but the half that is in the spectator’s hand can be freely inspected. Although the performer’s half of the deck cannot be inspected, the audience is usually so stunned that they don’t even ask to see the cards that the performer has already placed back into the box. My only criticism of Random (and it is largely insignificant) is that Nardi instructs the spectator to remove at least one card from the deck (and not place it on one of the three face-down piles) and then later tells them that it was meant to just thrown them off. I don’t think it is necessary do adopt that step and spectators regularly ask why a card was kept back. That step is unnecessary and can be skipped.
I carry Random with me almost everywhere and highly recommend its’ purchase.
(Top ▲)
For $40 bucks you get a special deck of cards, a short instructional DVD and a very impossible seeming effect
This one I might do in the right environment. Let's look at the easy stuff first. Production quality is solid. The deck of cards is solid. The instructional portion of the DVD is pretty solid. Nardi's presentation of the effect as you saw in the demo is quite boring and long winded. However, that has no bearing on my review. I merely point it out so that you realize that you'll need to come up with your own presentation. That's a good thing.
Pros:
The trick is very deceptive. Nardi clearly put some serious thought into the handling, the method, the gimmick construction, the routining, the presentational hook (not to be confused with the presentation itself). There is no reason for anyone to " . . . suspect, let alone detect . . . " (thank you Erdnase) that you're using a very, very gaffed deck.
The presentational angle centered on seemingly random events being not-so-random-afterall is a very good hook and has a lot of presentational potential. The deck is well made and should last you a long time. And the effect will definitely fool your audience.
Cons:
This deck is a one-trick wonder. You'll not be able to use it for anything else. You'll have to switch it in, and then switch it out when you're done. That's not the end of thew world, but it can be a bit of a pain. Secondly, I think the ending, though clever and deceptive, is a little bit confusing. When the cards are turned over to show the writing on them, some of the writing is hard to read. Also, explaining to the audience what you did at the end is a little bit of a mouthful and slightly (I think) convolutes the power of the effect.
Final Thoughts:
If you liked the effect you saw in the video demo, then I think you'll be happy with your purchase. One thing about Alakazam is that their ad copy and video trailers are legit. They are honest and don't mislead you about what the effect is. This effect is self-working; You do need to be a bit alert mentally for one part of the effect, but in my opinion, if you left out that part completely it would not impact whatsoever.
I normally might find a one-trick DVD for $40 to be a little bit on the pricey side. However, from the look of these decks, I'm guessing that they were all hand assembled which is a bit of a pain and takes a lot of time. So I can be a little lenient on the price.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem