USDLethal by Bobby Motta
Yes, it's true, this is the "all Bobby Motta" blog this week, LOL
Bobby performed a show open to the public last month in Toronto, ON. My wife and I went to see it, and as the show started, as the curtains opened, I pointed at specific props on the stage and said, "Oh! I own that, and that and that!" Cracked my wife up, but the REAL point is that the stuff Bobby sells is stuff he actually uses in the real world.
The show was superb and other than the props I own, Bobby fried me with everything. There was one effect in particular which was so mind-blowing I can't stop thinking about it. I'm not going to detail it here other than mention the $100 bill...so Bobby, if you read this, if you choose to ever put that effect out, I want the first one.
More important than fooling me was the fact that Bobby was a pro and he treated his audience volunteers with a tremendous amount of respect. After the show, I was able to meet with Bobby and his lovely wife Alana and it's so refreshing to meet people in the business who "get it."
Over the years I've taken my wife to a few magic shows and more often than not, she comes away disappointed. Not so with Bobby's show.
Now, onto the review...Bobby Motta's Lethal. It's available from Hocus Pocus for $1195.00. Here's the ad link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=9936
EFFECT: A card is selected, signed, shuffled, and lost. The spectator can even shuffle the cards. A knife is introduced and comedy ensues. Also, a target board is brought into play and placed around the spectator's neck, covering their torso. The deck of cards is then sprung into the air. The knife is thrown towards the target board, and in MID AIR, the knife pins ONE card to the board. Yeah, you got it; the signed selection!
In fact, I asked Bobby if they could build me a version of Lethal a little smaller than the typical unit, so mine was customized small enough to fit into one of those silver cases you can pick up at the Home Depot. (If you have seen Sean Bogunia's Animation Sensation, that's the kind of case I'm talking about). After building mine, the two are now considering making that size THE size due to other requests to have the prop fit in those silver cases.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: The DVD is terrific. It includes two different live performances. Interestingly, each of the performances is different in terms of handling. There are three different ways to perform Lethal and you get to see two of them performed live, which I REALLY like.
Bobby's instruction is great, too. Multiple camera angles, close-ups, etc. This DVD was professionally produced and it shows.
He covers timing of key moves, different ways to handle the knife, blocking tips and much more. Honestly, whenever I invest this much in a prop, I usually have questions, but after watching the DVD, I didn't have a single thing that was not clear.
MARKETS: This is not one for the little kids' birthday parties!! In fact, I personally would save this for teen, college and adult shows. When we are onstage, it is easy to influence others, after all.
ANGLES: Angles are quite good on this. If you do two of the handlings, one in which the card is signed and one in which the card is not signed, you'll need to restrict your audiences to directly in front of you and the sides. Surrounded would be tough, although you may pull it off. The third presentation could be done surrounded, but again, in a stage setting, surrounded shows SUCK so I choose not to do them.
MY THOUGHTS: I know that there may be some people out there who question my objectivity since I bought so many other things from Bobby and have seen his show, etc etc. Well, the reason why I keep buying Bobby's stuff is because it rocks, plain and simple. Believe me, if after I bought the first Bobby Motta prop and I didn't like it, there's no way I'd keep going back. Plus, Bobby uses this stuff in his own shows, so that right there shows it was developed with real working conditions in mind.
There is so much to like about this - it's visual, amazing, comedic, theatrically "dangerous" and so much more.
About the only 'concern' is the weight of the board. My wife put it on and said a thin woman might find it a tad heavy. I'd say the board is around 4lbs, if I had to guess, so I didn't notice that at all, but it brings me to a good point - I would personally only use males for this effect. I think it's a psychological thing that most audiences will not want to see a woman "in danger" even if everyone knows it's "just a trick."
RATING: I'm sure no one will be surprised by my perfect 10 out of 10 rating. This is superb!
Until next time...
Best,
Cris
