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cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
Hi all,
I had the very good fortune to attend Alain Nu's lecture last night. Alain went through a lot of material quickly, but very effectively. He was at the end of a seven-city lecture tour, but still had plenty of energy. His effects included:
Appearing Watch Nu Sense (his version of the ring, watch, and key) Card Roulette Symbol, Shape, Doodle, Design (spectator makes three simple drawings on Post-It notes, then selects one, and Alain predicted which one before the effect began) Animalogic (from Syzygy) Zodiesque (partially from Syzygy, but included additional techniques not in Syzygy) Forked Up (chosen and marked coin in fork tines) Spoon Bending Any Card at Any Number (as performed on his TLC special) Interestingly, Alain did have a number of effects not work on the first try. For example, the Card Roulette routine, where he had a spectator bring up a pack of cards, pick five red spot cards and the ace of spades, mix the cards as instructed, and then choose which cards to hold against his forehead and "pull the trigger". The goal was to avoid the ace, the "bullet". The participant didn't follow the instructions properly, so it didn't work, even after a couple of tries. It was an excellent lesson in how important it is to give absolutely precise instructions. He also missed on one of his zodiac sign divinations because he either misinterpreted or overlooked a response to his question sequence. Finally, his ACAAN didn't work the first time because the deck was improperly prepared. I'm sure none of these mistakes would have happened in a professional show, but it was worth being reminded that things can and do go wrong. My favorite quote of the night: "Mentalism is what spiritualism became after it ran away with the carnival." Curt |
Brian Proctor Inner circle Somewhere 2323 Posts |
Curt,
I got to see Alain's lecture in Seattle last saturday. After the lecture we all had dinner together at Shawn O'donell's restaraunt. It was at dinner that he did some more of his amazing mentalism and card work. He did the card roulette routine which caused our mouthes to all drop. He is one heck of an entertainer and has incredible passion for his magic and mentalism. |
Magiguy Inner circle Seattle, WA 5467 Posts |
I also saw the lecture in Seattle and, here too, he struggled through the first half of his performances in a manner similar to what Curt describes. I first recognized Mr. Nu several years ago for his outstanding card and coin work. This lecture made me wonder if he made the right decision in his move to mentalism. Regardless, he is a very energetic and entertaining performer, and the book I purchased contained a great deal of thoughtful material and essays related to the fields of mentalism and general performance theory. I wish him the best of luck as he continues to strengthen his skills and develop his philosophy.
The Appearing Watch, Forked Up, and his final thoughts were clearly the highlights of the day. |
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