THE BLURB:
Alakazam Magic take great pride in bringing fresh new
material from original artists to the forefront of the magic
and mentalism communities and the latest of these exciting
new talents is a name that is destined to become synonymous
with modern mentalism.
For over a decade, Paul Stockman has been extremely busy
performing his unique and fascinating style of psychological
entertainment all around the world. Appearing at almost two
hundred events every year Paul is in constant demand and is
a consummate and professional entertainer in every sense of
the word. From intimate, high-end celebrity gatherings to
full evening theatre shows for two and a half thousand
people, Paul has performed in virtually all situations
possible.
"Connected" is Paul Stockman's DVD debut and showcases some
of the finest modern mentalism in the world today,
seamlessly blending deviously clever methods and engagingly
entertaining plots this double DVD set is certain to become
a must-see for all stand-up performers.
Shot in front of a live audience, the DVD opens with a full
fifty-minute stand-up show that features some of Paul's
favourite routine and ends with a revelation that is
destined to go straight into the act of so many performers
immediately!
"Connected" is a clear example of how Paul Stockman has
become one of the UK's leading psychological entertainers
and on this DVD, Paul shares with you his wealth of
experience and knowledge that can only be gained over
hundreds of performances as each section of the show is
broken down and explained with the assistance of Peter
Nardi.
"Connected" is not just a collection of effects, it is a
professionally structured show that is taught in full detail
from beginning to end and includes tips and advice on
scripting a show, structuring routines and keeping it
entertaining as well as captivating.
"Paul Stockman: Connected" Routines performed & explained:
Pick a Chair
A direct and baffling chair routine that audiences love and
establishes your abilities straight away. Four spectators
are invited onto the stage and allowed to sit in any one of
four chairs. After a number of free choices, the spectators
discover that you have managed to influence exactly where
they have sat.
Paul discusses the fundamental elements that make a chair
routine such a popular feature for many mentalists, as well
as the importance of keeping the effect clear and
understandable for the audience.
Hands-Off Bank Night
This popular effect gets a dose of the Stockman treatment
when Paul puts the entire effect into the hands of a
spectator. Tried and tested over hundreds of corporate
performances, the entertainment that derives from an
executive standing to lose their cash make this a real
crowd-pleaser.
The spectator hides the money in one of six envelopes and
then makes all the decisions while you stand back, guilt
free, as each envelope is eliminated and destroyed�will they
avoid the money!
The Pendant Curse
A beautifully scripted routine revolving around a tale of
four women, a murder and a sinister curse that captivates
the audience with its intriguing mystery. This is a clear
demonstration of the power of a strong narrative in
mentalism routines.
With the emphasis on performance and deliverance an audience
member managed to divine the identity of a murder victim.
Specially designed PDF files to reproduce the required
props, as seen in the live show, are included on the DVD.
Back to Becker
Larry Becker's fabulous "Casino Royale" is a true classic of
modern mentalism and is part of many leading performer's
repertoires. With Larry's kind permission, Paul explains his
variation of this brilliant routine that focuses on chance,
influence and luck involving money, blackjack and some
imaginary dice. This piece is a very good study of the
fundamental principles of three-way prediction style of
effect with tips learnt through countless performances of
such routines.
Our special thanks to Larry Becker for allowing us to use
and explain some of the brilliantly creative props and
principles from his original, commercially available "Casino
Royale" routine.
The Sweet Jar
Another example of the strength of attaching an engaging
plot in order to amplify the effect and make a routine
entertaining. This was one of the favourites with the
audience during the filming of the live show.
A large jar of sweets that has been on show throughout and
Paul invites three audience members to join him on stage to
try to guess the number of sweets. Each one of them has a
totally free choice and at the climax, not only does one of
the spectators manage to guess exactly right and finds a
prediction buried inside the sweets but unbelievably, Paul
has also managed to predict in advance, which of the
spectators that would be!
My Luckiest Day
The concept explained in this show-stopping finale is a
beautiful way to end any mentalism performance. The
confabulation plot has always been a firm favourite within
mentalism and Paul's tray revelation can be applied to
almost any plot or performance.
Throughout the entire show, right in the middle of the stage
is a small table that holds a tray that has a large
candlestick and candle standing upon it. At the start of the
show the candle is lit and remains in full view and
untouched throughout. During the course of the show, Paul
has various free choices made by different members of the
audience and has them keep a mental note of each one.
At the finale of the show, the candle is extinguished and
removed from the tray and Paul turns over the tray to show a
written prediction securely taped to the underside of the
tray on all sides. Impossibly the prediction matches every
single one of the free choices made throughout the show!
This is an unbelievable finale and destined to become a
classic way of presenting the confabulation routine. It can
be applied to many different types of revelation, in the
show, Paul uses times and dates that are selected by the
audience by you could have names, places, or just about
anything! No fancy boxes or backstage assistants are
required - this is the ultimate one-man confabulation for
stand-up and stage. The final image of the prediction taped
to the underside of a tray is a truly stunning climax to the
show!
Paul Stockman Interview & Discussion with Peter Nardi
Join Peter Nardi as he delves into Paul's background in
performing and how it all began for him in mentalism. You
will also learn the fascinating processes that go into
formulating routines, scripting them and rehearsal
techniques. Paul also emphasises the importance of being
entertaining and commercial to modern audiences as well as
tips on structuring a show correctly to make it flow
naturally and making methods invisible.
Advice on handling audiences and clients as well as
discussing his love for interesting narratives and
presentations are also addressed, including tips on knowing
how to adapt and work to different crowds and venues. This
is an extremely insightful and interesting section of the
DVD that very in-depth and filled with top-notch
professional advice from a highly experienced performer.
Disc one Running Time Approximately 1hr 40min
Disc two Running Time Approximately 1hr 5min
MY COMMENTS:
Before going any further, I must state up front that I'm
somewhat biased. I knew Paul Stockman when he was making
the transition to a full-time performer and we had much
correspondence about it. And I know he's become not only
successful, but a very busy pro.
What you get on the disc is solid material. Paul does the
classics, but has his own spin on them. Among the effects,
there are a chair routine, a Confabulation routine, and a
bank night routine. In fact, the chair routine (Pick a
Chair), which is the opener of this set, and the
Confabulation routine (My Luckiest Day) are the strongest
items and the ones most will be talking about.
I found that the best part of this set was the interview.
As a warning, though, don't skip to the interview, but don't
stop and miss it either. Paul and Peter Nardi discuss many
elements of the set on the disc that should be seen before
watching this final segment. If you watch the interview
first, it may spoil it for you.
In any case, the interview contains Paul's thoughts on
scripting, routining, choosing routines, rehearsing
routines, etc. It's very practical advice from a real
working pro and a wonderful opportunity to get inside the
mind of someone who may be like you. Paul started out as a
band drummer and turned to performing mentalism when he had
to switch careers. His insight and experience on switching
careers is also quite valuable.
I only have one major criticism about this set. I should
qualify this by saying that I've already mentioned this to
Paul and he agrees. In his set, Paul performs an effect
with a clock. It is similar in plot to Andrew Gerard's
brilliant REAL TIME, but the methodology is different.
Unfortunately, this effect, which bookends the act, is not
explained, nor is explained why it's not explained. It's
just curiously missing. It's not even in the list of effects
in the ad blurb. I can tell you that the clock does all the
work for you and I can tell you that the clock will be
available for sale soon, hopefully by spring of 2010.
This 2-disc set comes in a slipcase with a fold-out insert.
Though much of the information may not be new to very
experienced performers, this is a very solid, enjoyable, and
recommended DVD set.
