DVD Review: PAYphone-Corey Burke

The Birthday Trick

Another strong card effect, “For Promotional Use Only” is Burke’s version of Doc Eason’s “Birthday Card Trick.” This one is a natural for restaurant work as it ends with a souvenir card for spectators that displays a message (“happy birthday” and more). A card is selected and signed by spectators and travels to the magician’s pocket. In phase two, the card is found in the pocket a second time, but the back has changed colors and displays a written message. This one is excellent and commercial.

“De Ja Vu” is a sandwich card effect where a selected card is found between two cards, and in Burke’s approach, the effect is repeated. This one requires minimal setup and reset, and is good.

“Call Waiting” is a standard pick a card and I’ll find it effect, but at the trick’s conclusion, the deck is formed into something that looks like a cell phone and the “antenna” that rises to gain better reception turns out to be the selected card. It’s a visual way to find a card and the cell phone angle offers lots of entertaining possibilities for patter.

There's More

“Smooth as Silk” is a coin and handkerchief routine where coins appear, vanish and come together within the folds of a handkerchief. I’m not a fan of silk and coin magic, but this one is entertaining and causes some magic to occur in spectators hands. As in “There is a fly in my soup,” spectator management is paramount and with the coins in their hands, you run the risk of an audience member causing trouble when he or she tries to pocket the coins.

There are a couple of “Easter eggs.” “Framed” offers a fast-paced, continual production of empty purse frames-you continually pull an empty purse frame from another empty frame. At the end you link the open frames together and unlink them. This one is visual and funny.

“Money Pen-E” is a great effect where a “Bic” style pen is produced. After that, the pen sticks to your hand, shrinks and produces a quarter from its cap. The pen then vanishes and the magician produces a jumbo coin. Another winner.

Corey Burke offers solid explanations and the DVD only offers adequate quality video and sound. PAYphone is among the best DVDs that I’ve reviewed of late. If you work restaurants, you’re bound to find a keeper or two within.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: (US) $35