Just finished watching both of Larry's DVD's and I have to say, they are way too good to have be released. This is real working material you could go out and make a living with. The material is fantastic, lots to choose from. I intend to use at least four of the routines here in my walkaround shows.

As well as the wonderful routines Larry also talks about Motivation, Scripting and Rehersal. This advice alone is worth the price of the DVD's, but the fact you get the material as well makes them an absolute bargain.

If you want practical, professional routines that will work in the real world and advice that will make you a better Magician, do yourself a huge favour and get these DVD's RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

Iain.

This is top rate stuff, funny and how. I like magic mainly but lauhging is good for all our souls. laughter came thru me and showed itself many times when I watched these movies.

Criss

I would have paid the price of the DVD's just for the Essays. There is so much detailed, vital information.

The performances show the art of entertainment and audience control. Larry is a wondeful teacher and you feel as though he’s in the room giving your personal instruction. I can’t say enough good things about these DVD’s.

Chris

Iain, Chris, and Chris, I'm glad that you're getting something useful out of the DVDs.

Those that have the DVDs will understand the meaning of the title Scripted Insanity, and speaking of scripting, there's a very good article on that topic in the latest (June) issue of Magic magazine--see the Bob Fitch article on pages 26 and 27. Also, there's good information on the topic in Ken Weber's book entitled Maximum Entertainment--see pages 73 and and 93 - 100.

If anyone has questions they'd rather not post publically or for info on ordering directly from me, please send me a PM.

Larry

Speaking of sources on scripting I can recommend Eugene Burgers article in The Altar Flame with headline Less Is more. It deals specially with the subject Editing Our Scripts from the assumption that most scripts need editing, mostly because they have too many words. He goes on showing his initial patter on an effect and how and why he cut it down.
I think most magicians agree that Eugene is a master when it comes to present an effect. It is a different style compared to Larry, who sometimes is very "wordy" in his presentations.

As I've expressed on my DVDs, I consider the words (facial expressions, etc.) that a magician uses to be extremely important, but I hope that nobody attempts to imitate me (or Eugene Burger) because then they wouldn't be themselves. Every magician needs to figure out who he or she "is," that is, what the person's performing persona is, and develop scripts that fit, but at the end of the day, theory can only go so far and what works for a particular magician/routine/audience can only be determined through experience and fine-tuning. Enjoy the journey!

Well I finally have worked my way thru both vol of this wonderful set of dvd's and all I can say is.." We are all blessed that Larry has decided to share his brilliance with us" I don't know where to even begin..each routine is well thought out and obviously these are things that work..not pipedreams... I love to find creators that use the stuff they release.. You can tell by watching Larry a lot of blood sweat and tears have went into the development of these routines... They are very polished as he USES them and has had a chance to work out any bugs.again we are fortunate to be able to take advantage of his generosity.
So many times the cliche of this one routine is worth the price of the book or dvd..if this set of dvd's were priced with this theory...they would have been several times higher than the retail price..Thanks to Bob Kohler for sharing this find with us.
Larry " Thank you very much for releasing so many workable routine in one set of dvd's."
To close if you haven't alreay purchased this set of dvd's...close out the Café and go to your favorite dealer and make a purchase NOW..you won't regret it!

Shomemagic I agree with you. What gets me is some folks that release products that get panned in the Café get mad. If they took the time and care that someone like Larry did, everyone would be cheering for them.

Right now I'm doing Half & Hole and Big Mystery ( this is killer ). The essays are wonderful. So much knowledge being passed on from a worker!

Chris

Thanks guys! Although the material has served me well for a long time, I didn't know if it would be well received by the magic community and it's truly heart warming to know that some of the effects are making their way into other magicians' repertoires.

I still have some DVDs in stock and anyone would like to order directly can PM me for info.

Best, Larry

I'm thrilled that everyone has finally seen that Larry is a true madman and a comic genius...

I haven't put my comment on this

This DVDs are great

IMHO, the routines, most of them, are workable, especially in restaurant, bar, or walk-around situation..

A lot of gems inside here and I must say some of them fool me.
Larry's performance also involve a lot of twists and jokes and all are very usefull.

and Larry's also give his thoughts on performance area and it's really valuable

Real good work, Larry

Has anybdoy in the UK brought this and like it and do they think this man is funny? In Englad we have a higher threshold for laughing than our american cousins.

Pls advise soonest.

Ha Ha. Is see what you mean!

I am in the UK, and yes Larry is very funny - for anyone who has the DVDs the point where Larry nearly gives the spectator a heart attack (twice) during the 'Relaxation Principle' is a personal high point.

As far as the DVDs go, they really are top quality and full of amazing material - the effects could actually translate to any style really - for example, the poodle trick and '808' could easily be presented as straight mentalism. I feel Larry's card work is very strong and is something any magician/mentalist should at least be aware of.

I can't recommend these highly enough.

Too bad the dental hygiene isn't at the same type of threshold in "Englad".

Where's "Englad"?

Don't worry. If it's not funny over here in the US, we just add a laugh track.

Sad isn't it?

Getting back on track...

In "Scripted Insanity" you get to see the behind the scenes work and thought which goes into routines that are purposeful and designed to get calculated reactions. Kudos to Larry for not just giving "essays" on these points but for really breaking down the routines to show you exactly where the work is and what the work is. These are tips and ideas which can be applied to every performer and every performance.

Eventhough I personally did not care for the performance style Larry has chosen, seeing the minutiae in his work will hopefully inspire everyone who sees these DVDs to deconstruct what they perform and learn from the process, not just copy Larry's routines and or his style. Larry, himself, states that is not the intention of this work.

Kudos to Larry for going the extra mile in detailing this work and kudos to Bob Kohler for taking the risk of producing such a DVD.

There are precious few works of which one can say, "Even if you don't find one trick or one joke to add to your performance, the lessons within this work will prove invaluable." This DVD set is firmly in that catagory, with specific lessons on routining, scripting, dialogue, blocking, and more.

Ok...my review has been a long time coming, and that is simply because I kept watching these over and over.

First and foremost, I would highly recommend this DVD set for any performer who is serious about not just learning some great magic, but HOW to perform for an audience and get the best possible reactions.

A few asides. I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy these videos and see some good magic. I even thought I would learn a thing or two about improving presentation. It went above and beyond that.

The first thing that got my attention, is just how much Larry and I have in common. As someone who has been concerned that I am losing my hair at too fast a pace, this was very disconcerting to me, because, it is like we lead parallel lives. We are both (apparently) happily married with a son and daughter, we both started work for the federal government straight out of college where we are to this day, and we both believe in getting in full costume to stand in front of a mirror to rehearse, and have been quizzed by our kids on what we are doing. (For the record Larry....my wife is also a choreographer so one room in our house is one whole wall of roof to floor mirrors (tax write off for both of us)...but I am more intrigued by the mirrors in your room your wife won't let you talk about)

This has been a great year for me to talk with East Coast gurus in magic and presentation and gain valuable insight. At the Columbus Magi-Fest, Rich Bloch lectured on stage presence. While a number of magicians about a half hour in started asking Rich when he was going to tip actual magic, I was still hanging on every word on how to take the stage and approach a microphone. Rich and I had a candid conversation later about the late great Johnny Carson and Jack Benny and how their expressions and mannerisms could be milked for all it's worth. It was great to see Larry invoke those same names in a very similar conversation and you can see some of their influence in what Larry does.

Personally, I think the valuable insight that he passes on regarding scripting, rehearsing and motivation would be worth a Master Class price on one DVD by itself. The fact that he includes a working repertoire of tricks to go with it is just absolute gravy. As I watched these, I kept thinking about the great essays I read over the years from Mike Close in the Workers series books. I could only imagine that if Mike was still reviewing for MAGIC, that he would have given these a favorable rating for simply the advice Larry gives on thinking about how to improve your magic.

What makes these even better...the fact that I have 2 new routines that I have already introduced into my act, and 2 more in the planning stages. Obviously these 4 make up my favorites from each set. From Disc 1, it was Half A Hole and 808. I have already contacted Jamie Schoolcraft to inquire about making me up a gimmicked coin gaff to match the others he has made for me in the past. From Disc 2, it was Pearl the Poodle and Relaxation Principle. These two are now in my act. Relaxation Principle has been adjusted to go into my stand-up cards to pocket effect and aside from the colorful looking gaff I had to buy (even though the internet ad showed a plain black card case like Larry's) this one bit has increased the opening to my routine. Pearl The Poodle is a great give-away effect. As mentioned previously, Larry goes into great detail on where to buy the neccesary items and how to make the routine. (For the record, I can verify that the pearl strand that he recommends that you buy, you can make EXACTLY 35 poodles for a $1.97 at Michael's Crafts. Can't find too many giveaways for $.06 a piece)

I have gone back and forth over the last 4 years on learning a memorized stack. Larry has forced me into it. I am leaving for Florida on Monday for ten days and will be taking my Aronson stack, which I have also recorded onto my I-pod in hopes of subliminal sleep learning).

I cannot recommend this set highly enough. Excellent material from a true worker. If Steve Dacri was not appropriating the title with his upcoming set, I would have called this set No Filler as well. All proven effects, and powerful advice.

In closing.... my travels to DC are so jam packed that I have made a few unsuccesful attempts to meet Larry in person. When I got his DVD's I watched some on the road in my hotel room, and again on my desktop and large monitor at home. Unlike watching them from across the room on your couch, having Larry's head less than 3 feet from mine really felt like he was talking to me and jamming with me as I had deck and coins in hand. (Thank god you are a handsome man Larry and my computer smells good). I can only wait until he and I get a chance to meet in person.

Great job Larry, and thank you Bob for producing this set. Once again, another home run from BK Productions.

Now Larry....you mentioned your stand-up show.....when will that be released????

I'll describe this set with one word. WOW!

Larry you rule. Thanks for releasing this. Easily one of the best releases this year.