Review: Menu of Miracles Vol. 1 by James Prince

"Menu of Miracles" features some strong, baffling and commercial material for restaurant work and table hopping. For all of the material on this DVD, you'll want to be secure in your basic sleight of hand.

Three routines offer variations on card to pocket, and more specifically, "travellers." These routines with signed cards are excellent, although Prince employs some modifications to his clothing (you'll also need to be wearing a jacket).

I particularly liked Prince's Repeat Travellers where he performs the effect twice for his breathless spectators. He also offers a routine that allows you to perform the effect with up to six selected cards.

Mirrors is an offbeat card effect. A selected card is found in a rather conventional way, but the rest of the deck, which is held by spectators, turns into a stack of mirrored cards.

The real reason to purchase this DVD is Prince's Card Over/under and in Matchbox. Much like card under glass, a freely selected and signed card ends up under a matchbox that's laying on the table, and then on top of it. At the routine's stunning conclusion, the card is found folded inside. This is a true worker’s routine.

In Ring in Pepper-pot Illusion, you borrow and vanish a finger ring and it reappears inside a clear pepper-pot (pepper grinder) that is sitting on the table. You have to unscrew the top of the grinder to get the ring out.

The vanish is fairly conventional and well known, but it's the cool pepper grinder and its modifications that you’ll want to study. Prince offers two gimmicked props that you make yourself with some shopping and work.

A piece of commercial magic that you can perform at the drop of a hat, Prince's Impromptu Anniversary Waltz allows two cards to be selected and signed by spectators, one on the front of a selected card, and the other on the back of the other selected card. At the end, the cards appear to meld into one. No gimmicked cards are needed.

As the name implies, there's no preparation that's needed to perform this one, just a deck of cards and a sharpie, although the routine is probably not as strong as traditional "Anniversary Waltz." Prince also dispenses advice on finding the right restaurant venue, which is worthwhile information.

I had never heard of James Prince before, but his Menu of Miracles Vol. 1 offers an excellent set of commercial routines for restaurant work. I'm looking forward to whatever Prince will be serving next.

MSRP: (US) $34.99

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