From Wayne Kawamoto,
Your Guide to Magic & Illusion.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Greg Otto is a comedy magician who performs entertaining magic using straight-forward methods. Most magicians will already know versions and methods for the classics that he presents on this DVD that include: bill switch, cut and restored rope, linking finger rings and more, which are also explained in a variety of DVDs and books.

This DVD is notable for its comedy bits and the way that it shows what a worker such as Otto uses in his act.

Fits the Bill

Otto's torn and restored bill is a variation on a well known bill switch. The highlight here is the gag at the end that is visual and allows the routine to play to large crowds. Another segment offers bits with a balloon animal. There's no magic here, but a good comedy routine with audience interaction.

The cut and restored rope is a classic three-phase routine with the usual methods. Otto also teaches a card to fly routine where the spectator’s chosen card is pulled out from the zipper of his pants. His method is sure proof and requires no palming. This one is hilarious, if not on the edge of good taste.

It's in a Book

Otto performs a book test that relies on a marketed product. Unfortunately, he offers no insight into using the prop but simply names it in the explanation. He also performs a linking finger ring routine with the usual gimmick. Again, his explanation simply identifies the gimmick and offers no information on how to use it, but he and Martin Lewis do tell some fun stories about the prop. The Add-a-Number routine is one that caught my eye. Three audience members each think of and write down a three-digit number and the numbers are added together by an audience member. At the end, a prediction that's been in plain view throughout the routine foretells the final number.

Method Acting

Otto's method is diabolically simple and effective. With all of the methods out there that rely on complicated, gimmicked products, this one is a keeper. And you'll be able to buy it for little money at your local office store.

The performance segments, which were recorded in front of a live audience at the Magic Castle, have uneven sound. The laughter from the audience and their reactions are too loud, and it's often difficult to make out Otto's patter. For a comedy DVD, this is a definite inconvenience and downside.

Otto is accustomed to walking out on stage and pulling all the props from his pockets and doesn't usually rely on a case. And he says that he has performed these proven routines for over a thousand people at a time on cruise ships. Perhaps his routines are the very definition of "packing small and playing big." You may learn a thing or two here.

There's good material on this DVD and depending on where you are with your act and magic, perhaps one or two keepers and some comedy bits that you can learn and use.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

If you have any questions about this or any other product that we have reviewed, please feel free to post a message on our forum by clicking here. (You don't have to register to visit our forum, simply click on the link for "Guest Access.")

Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.