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gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
Eric was kind enough to provide me with a pre-release of his soon to be available new DVD. To help others in the Café make a better-informed decision, I’m providing this review.
For those of you unfamiliar with The Great Zucchini, he’s known throughout the Nations Capital as one of the biggest names in children’s entertainment. He specifically targets the Pre-K market, ages 2-7, and has been doing over 500 shows a year for 20+ years now. Eric’s first DVD Kidshow Rockstar was done in a lecture style format with some short show clippings in between. In contrast, this new DVD is the exact opposite. It provides you with a thoroughly entertaining unedited school show from start to finish with a few short breakaways to Eric giving insight into why he does certain things during his show. Topics covered on this latest DVD include: Branding through repetition Running gags and unlikely props Targeting the Pre-K market The Secret to Seating Mastering the double-take Building reverse psychology .... and much, much more! Don’t buy this DVD expecting to see a lot of high caliber magic. Eric does lots of age appropriate simpleton magic during his show that gets great reactions, but the real focus of his routines is on the comedy and ongoing fun interaction with the kids. If you’re convinced that kids ages 2 to 7 have no attention span, you really owe it to yourself to watch this show for a wake up call and to get some great ideas for the next time you find yourself performing in front of that age bracket. I’ve actually had the good fortune to attend many Great Zucchini shows with my kids since I live in the DC area. I can assure everyone that this guy is the real deal! The show on his newest DVD is no different than every show I’ve ever seen him do. Yet regardless of the setting, challenges he faces, or number of kids attending, he always achieves the same successful outcome. You don’t have to like his style to appreciate the fact that he has clearly stumbled across a formula for success that consistently works every time for this age group. I attended one of his shows last week that took place in the middle of a toy store. Talk about distractions for the kids! Well he was a hit. For your viewing pleasure and with Eric’s prior permission, here are 2 routines I happened to capture on my cell phone during that show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIfSnycUN......ad_owner and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGC8MGIyr......er-smbtn Eric is much more a children’s entertainer than a magician, and he would be the first to admit this fact. That said, the special connection he makes with every kid in the room is truly magical to witness. At first glance, it’s easy to find fault in this show if you’re trying hard enough. Eric always wears very casual attire (that I personally think helps the kids better relate to him), he comes with no fancy props, and his entire show appears on the surface to lack structure. He shows up with one suitcase filled with what many might perceive as junk, and spreads a ton of it out on the floor or table behind him. And throughout his non-scripted show, he just keeps grabbing items randomly and launches into routines. Well all I can say is don’t judge this book by its cover! The Great Zucchini is proof that you don't need a fancy outfit, funny costume or huge magic props to brand a successful image, earn respect or garner tons of laughs from your crowd. He consistently achieves this solely through his personality, age appropriate magic, showmanship and a rare gift of being able to connect with every kid in the room and control their every action while making all the kids feel like they are the ones in control. It’s an amazing thing to observe, and this alone makes this DVD worth the price of admission! While Eric clearly doesn’t follow any type of script during his shows, I’ve observed first-hand that everything he does is actually very methodical. His show may seem to lack structure, but in actuality, he doesn’t need a script because every prop he uses has a structured routine behind it. So when he grabs a prop, he just kicks into auto-drive while always connecting with the kids and adapting to the moment. It’s interesting, educational and entertaining to observe. If I were to point out one piece of constructive feedback, I actually wish that Eric had gone into much more detail after his show elaborating on what things go through his mind during a show to influence the decisions he makes such as the routines he chooses on the spot. Fortunately, much of this is covered in his first DVD. If you don’t already own his Kidshow Rockstar DVD, I highly recommend watching it AFTER seeing his full-length show on this latest DVD. If he could have done it over again, I personally think he should have come out with the LIVE show DVD first because it genuinely validates that everything he lectures about in Kidshow Rockstar actually works, and brings his ideas full circle. One final note. While Eric’s shows are clearly geared to the younger children, I’ve observed time and time again that the parents almost seem equally entertained just because it’s so much fun watching the reactions of all the kids. And for that reason, I believe that everyone will enjoy Zucchini’s latest LIVE show. - Gary |
Robin4Kids Veteran user Lower Alabama 396 Posts |
Great review Gary! Any news on when/where the DVD will be available?
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writer25 New user 95 Posts |
I am a fan of Eric's and I agree that his casual (and on occasion scruffy) dress helps him to relate to the kids. However, it does not help him relate to the parents. Or to put it another way because they know who he is and all about him they forgive him for it. Parents don't like their entertainers to arrive looking a mess but because Eric is so well known in Washington he gets away with it. The Washington Post article has actually helped him in this regard.
Eric should continue doing exactly as he does since "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" providing the novelty doesn't wear off. However, Eric is an exception and I would strongly advise other magicians, particularly those just starting not to emulate him and go to shows dressed casually. The parents won't like it. And even with Eric some of the parents raise an eyebrow or two. I worry that some of the younger magicians will think the casual dress is a great thing and if it works for Eric it will work for them. It won't. I guarantee it. |
gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
Thanks Robin.
I believe Murphy's will be exclusively distributing his DVD to dealers worldwide within 2 weeks, but I'll keep everyone updated. Good point Writer25 regarding attire. You only have one chance to make a good first impression! If you don't already have a terrific reputation that proceeds you like Zucchini earned over time, it would be very smart to carefully pick your outfits wisely while recognizing that you're branding an image that people will associate with you for years to come. Like I mentioned in my review, no differently then with any other entertainer, there will certainly be many aspects to Eric's style that many won't like or that one would be best not to emulate. That said, there are also many aspects to how Eric relates to younger kids that can benefit all of us if we tailor them to our own personality. His latest DVD can truly get the creative juices flowing within all of us if we cherry pick the positive attributes! - Gary |
TomBoleware Inner circle Hattiesburg, Ms 3163 Posts |
Well said writer25 & Gary
I too believe others can learn a lot from Eric. He has what I call a God Given talent to work with kids. While you can't copy all of that, you can learn bits and pieces that will very much improve your working with kids. You can't 'be' somebody else but you can 'do' many things they do. Well done on the review Gary. Tom
The Daycare Magician Book
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/amazekids/the-daycare-magician/ My Blog - https://boleware.blogspot.com/ |
charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-10-05 09:12, writer25 wrote: I would agree with this point. I think the more important lesson to learn is to question if what we wear helps us to best relate to our audience and if it helps us to best establish our brand. |
Robin4Kids Veteran user Lower Alabama 396 Posts |
Great review Gary! Any news on when/where the DVD will be available?
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
When I watch TGZ the little kid inside, (who's never far from the surface anyway) has a ball. Even though as a performer I can see what's coming I still laugh. His timing and reactions are exactly right.
Looking at it as a parent I have to say that my initial reactions would be "what the heck?" A guy in shorts and a tee shirt? Really? How much does this guy charge? I personally don't care too much a about appearances so it would quickly become a non-issue as I watched the kids having such a great time. I think one of the questions we all ask as we develop our "personas", as businessmen, is who do I want to impress more, the kids or the parents? Of course we know that we're performing for the kids, but we give equal weight to what we think parents are expecting to get for what they pay for. Especially when you reach the $500 and up level. Even though I'm not there yet, I realize that even though the parents pay the bill, the kids are your REAL customers. As a parent I know that if you are good to my kid I'm going to pay you. I'm also going to be thankful that in that context at least, I can put my mind to ease. If TGZ has always performed in the same casual style then his success is even more remarkable. If he came to it gradually he probably just realized that he didn't need a costume or elaborate staging or thousand dollar tricks. He just needed to be himself and let the adults opinion of him be their own business. Since he's booked the majority obviously get over their preconceptions. He is obviously having a great time.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
Eric and Potty were both banned from the Café for a month due to too much "Potty" talk! It's kind of hilarious that he's going to miss the feedback regarding the debut of his own DVD as a result, but we couldn't help but laugh about the whole ordeal.
Anyway, he wanted me to post this comment regarding the latest replies to my review, all of which I shared with him. Eric commented: "I just want them to know that my connecting with parents is always there because I hang out for 20 minutes before getting in the car. Also because my show is so well known now, and so publicized that parents actually have asked to take pictures with me - without the kids. I relate to parents after show, and target kids during the show. Actually wore a vest, 15 years ago, lost at White House (not kidding) decided, didn't need it." My personal take on his comment is that he's not trying to justify his attire and has no desire to change, but simply wants us to know that he cares enough about what the adults think that he makes the effort to connect with them in other ways after the show. And it appears to work just fine for him due to his reputation. His comments here may sound arrogant, but I can assure you that this guy has a heart of gold and is very humble and genuine when you meet him in person. I'm sure that this also plays a huge part in why he's widely accepted regardless of his attire. |
Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
Man, those clips are fun. Thanks for posting them and this review, GMS. I'm really looking forward to seeing the DVD.
Believe it or not, I actually agree with some of what is being said about GZ's attire. Just because he can get away with it (after years of building his brand in this way), doesn't mean that the rest of us could pull it off. |
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