The Multiple Revelation Project by Andi Gladwin, Rob James and Vanishing Inc

With “The Multiple Revelation Project,” Andi Gladwin and Rob James offer a comprehensive two-disc DVD set that exhaustively teaches controls and revelations to perform a multiple card control/revelation routine. I thoroughly like this one and it’s one of the most useful DVDs that I’ve reviewed. I wish that this product had existed at an earlier stage in my magic development but I can still learn from it now.

Years ago, after watching Ricky Jay perform his routine on his “52 Assistants” show, I knew that I wanted to one day perform a similar effect. Over the years, I’ve come up with my own routine that relies on a control by Matthew Wright (published on his excellent “Unusual Suspect” DVD) and employs several revelations of the selected cards. I learned the revelations from various sources and settled on those that I use after considerable trial and error and experimentation. If you’re interested in such a routine, this DVD set offers a single source that will jumpstart your efforts. (I wrote about my multiple revelation journey in a story, “In the Works: The Multiple Card Control,” that you can read here.)

The ads state that the “Multiple Revelation may well be the ultimate card trick.” If it’s not the “ultimate card trick,” it’s easily among the strongest. In these routines you have between ten to fifteen spectators each select a card. After losing the cards in the deck you find them in impressive ways. The effect is not only perceived to be an amazing display of skill (it is), it’s interactive and involves lots of people in the audience. The classic and winning plot works in strolling and walkaround situations, as well as in formal close-up shows and even in stand up performances. And if you can perform a multiple card control and revelation routine, you potentially have a four of a kind effect with your choice of any four of a kind (it depends on the control that you use but you can still rely on your revelations when using a stacked deck).

The routine is strong enough to be used as a closer. It’s also an impromptu effect that can be performed with any deck, even a borrowed one. And can be “jazzed” up with you mixing and matching the revelations to suit your audience.

One last thought. The multiple card control and revelation routine is an excellent one to work on because it builds up your sleight of hand skills. After all, if you can reveal a series of selected and lost playing cards in a flashy manner, you can certainly find and reveal a single one. Working on such a routine will provide you with a multitude of reveals that you may call on at any time. Alright, enough on the background stuff. Lets talk about the DVD.

“The Multiple Revelation Project” consists of two DVDs and a book. The first disc begins with the performances by Gladwin and James and their performances and routines are superb. The pair demonstrate to all magicians a level to strive for. Disc one teaches you six ways to control the selected cards. By the way, Gladwin and James favor a selection process where spectators choose but don’t hold and handle the cards, which speeds up the routine. Most of the sleight of hand that’s taught supports this approach, most notably, with valuable lessons on the “side steal” and Aldo Columbini’s “Fireworks” control.

The second disc teaches some 65 ways to reveal the spectator's selected cards. There are a variety of revelations from those behind your back, to card flips, fans, cuts (including Daryl’s popular and flashy “Hot Shot,” pop-outs, tosses, a four of a kind production, sandwiches, forces, color changes, card on chair, and more. It was great to obtain names for some moves that I already perform. For example, I didn’t know that I was already performing a move by Dai Vernon called “The Chinese Deal.”

Beyond the raw sleight of hand, the DVD and book offer insights into gags, and building and structuring a routine and performing it, and there’s discussion on false shuffling, timing, having spectators verify that you have found their card, mixing things up, outs, “jazzing,” working to a big finish and more. It’s not only a exhaustive and valuable discussion on performing the multiple revelation routine, there’s valuable advice here on performing general card magic.

I can’t praise “The Multiple Revelation Project” enough. This would have been the exact DVD that I would have wanted during an earlier part of my magic development. And I can thoroughly appreciate it and learn from it now. It’s gaining a top spot in my magic library and it’s one of the finest titles that I have reviewed. This one gets a rare five-star rating.