Gazzo Street Cups Review

Gazzo’s new offering on the cups and balls does extend his widely popular and influential routine to an audience of the experienced cup worker or the beginning student. The dvd consists of live performances of the cups, an overview of his equipment and moves, and finishes with two students performing the routine under Gazzo’s guidance. Overall the dvd offers various approaches to the routine that is Gazzo’s reputation maker.

The video opens with a brief overview followed by a performance in front of a live audience. After the completion of the routine, other variations of the routine are shown in front of different live audiences. The dvd contains new bits and lines even to those who have seen Gazzo perform on several occasions.

After the performance, Gazzo offers his thoughts on equipment, performing, and importance of an entire show being a single unit that can be mobile. He then moves through the routine with detail offering variations that could actually work in various settings outside the street.

As Gazzo works through the routine, he emphasizes showmanship. His teaching highlights how to make the routine work. Gazzo gives great detail to the misdirection, timing, and overall performance of the routine. Gazzo then allows a student (Billy Kidd) that is familiar with the routine to go through the motions. He then emphasizes the finer points and stresses that the routine can be learned physically, but must also have the other components to make it work effectively.

Gazzo then takes a complete beginner (Guy Collins) through the stages of the routine. Under the direct instruction of Gazzo, the beginner not only performs the routine to physical specification of Gazzo, but he is also taught why the moves work.

The dvd is probably best geared toward a mature audience. Gazzo is very much in character and turned to eleven from start to finish. For those who enjoy Gazzo’s work and have an understanding of who he is, they will enjoy and benefit from the dvd. Those unfamiliar with Gazzo should take this as an opportunity to learn from the most influential cup worker in this decade.

Jim, great detailed review. I think any fan of the classic effect would be interested in Gazzo's thinking.

Chris

Thanks Jim. Do you have Gazzo's previous videos/DVDs? I just wonder how it differs from the previous tapes that have been released.

Taliesin,
I have the previous videos. The routine is pretty much identical. Over the years since the first videos (School for Scoundrels) he's improved his teaching style and explanations. The camera work is greatly improved from a single stationary camera to a multi camera setup with some good editing. They do use camera cuts in the performing segment to minimize the "tells" noticable when watching a video and better illustrates his crowd interaction and the misdirection. This way we don't see him blatantly dipping into his bag, but like in a real performance the camera better follows what we'd really be watching if we were there.

The biggest advantage of this DVD is that you can watch Gazzo teach other students. Now it's not just "Do this, then do this and this..." but "This is what you did wrong. Let me tell you why and here's how you fix it." It's this repetition that sets this apart from the earlier video tape. He has more time to cover the details on "why" rather than just "how."

This is the closest thing you'll ever get to sitting in on one of his master classes. He goes over EVERYTHING, over and over again until he's sure you understand it.

Penguin tried to take advantage of DVD technology by adding "multiple angle" cameras where you can switch views while you're watching. I was really excited about this, but as it turns out it was the weakest part of the video. The moves are all there, but the overhead camera really didn't capture anything but the top of Gazzo's head. I know it's nearly impossible to shoot, but I would have liked to see a "performer's eye view" perhaps an over the shoulder shot or something so we could better see the sleights rather than the tops of the cups. But, this is a minor issue. The material is gold. The teaching is superb.

And Gazzo... well he's Gazzo. What more can I say?

So, if I didn't like the old video, I should not buy it ,should I ??

It depends. Why didn't you like the old one?

I bougth the tape just because of the cups and balls, I wasn't looking for "how to build a crowd" and stuff, any way I did not like the c&b routine. 15 years ago I use to perform c&b with the 1+3 big balls climax, took me 10 years to figure 3 balls at once is better reaction.
gazzo gets more reaction with the first orange than the other 5. the melon under the hat is a good kicker.
the rest of the routine is vernon's work. so I belive this tape is for performrs who allready liked the routine and allready have the pouch and is willing to lern how to use it.
I hope my english is understandable

I got GAZZO'S new DVD over the weekend and have watched it twice and really enjoy it. It's shot at Gazzo's new pitch, and what a pitch. Gazzo has found busker heaven. You can see a huge cruise ship docked about 40 yards from him. The crowds are ready made for a comedy magic show: tourists right off the boat, literally. He's working every day. He's looks great, too, by the way. He's dropped a bunch of weight. There are three different performances on the dvd. They picked three performances over a two week shoot that show different times of day, but also different types of shows--different crowds, different crowd energy--to show how Gazzo deals with this, which is something we all face.
The performances are limited to the cups routine--which is what dvd is all about. I selfishly would have loved to see his whole show. I love seeing Gazzo's hat lines and the whole post-show hat segment of the show. (The show's not over till the hat is full.) And Gazzo proves this. This alone is worth the price of the dvd for any would be busker.

The dvd is not limited to people who want to busk however. The teaching segments of dvd are terrific. You see Gazzo walk a newbie through the cup rountine, and you really learn along with his student. Gazzo really shines in this segment of the dvd. For people who have never seen this side of Gazzo, it will be a revelation. Gazzo is impressive to say the least. You see the real Gazzo, the lover of magic, who sees every little nueance of handling, who gives all he knows to his students unselfishly and with total patience and ready compliments when they get things right. "Well done!" You see the whys and the wherefores and it's a great education. If the cups and balls is the standard for a magician, then Gazzo's teaching of his routine is a metaphor for learning all other magic. Included in this segment is also the best teaching of a widely-used cup move that I have ever seen explained before. In other sources, this move is usally glossed over, but, after seeing Gazzo's exhastive explaintion and demonstrations, I am going to change my handling. Thank you, Gazzo. (It's the simple move of falsely loading a cup from the front.)

As a surprise to people who own Gazzo's other tapes will be the new gags and lines that never made it onto his other tapes. Again, the hat segment is facinating. This is also true of Gazzo's current performance of his cups and balls routine. IT HAS CHANGED FROM WHAT HE DID FOR YEARS. He's doing it differently now. This is also very interesting. I asked Gazzo why he's made the changes and he told me that's just the way he's doing it now.

Overall, the dvd is extrememly slickly produced. The titles are top level professional, the dvd authoring is easy to access. Everything is a click away. gets my highest recommendation. Thanks, Gaz.
Your student,
Jersey Jim

I agree.

I do have his other work. It is, as Dave mentioned, much different in the aspect of the teaching- it is much more detailed. However, I thought the angles were fine. The routine is changed in a small way, but a change nevertheless. There are other bits too that make the dvd worth the study.

Gazzo? That ol' has been? I use his old videos to even off my end table. But that's only because I converted it to dvd and made the dvd cover from the video jacket

Gotta love Gazzos material. Trust me, my wife is a real prude, but Gazzo just makes her smile and laugh, and she kinda likes the magic. Gazzo, is innovative, entertaining and one of the few who still don't mind pushing the evenlope as far as he can and then some.

Jake

Great performer and great DVD!