This is so much fun - a terrific mix of mentalism and magic. The special gimmick is beautiful - very shiny, not sharp and a sensible size - not too big so the crucial move can be accomplished with ease and without detection. You get cards (and a printable pdf) that provide you with two different forcing methods, pre-show or in-show. (The cards are very nice.) I agree with Alex Ng and Henry Harrius that pre-show is much better if you have the opportunity. However, as Nique Tan suggests in his review on YouTube, you might consider performing this without the extra reveal of the spectator’s chosen fruit. I’m not sure that is necessarily an anticlimax, but the surprise factor when the audience sees a fork and a paper ball when they imagined they were seeing a knife and a lemon is a very strong effect by itself. You get an artificial lemon which is beautiful and realistic but probably more realistic if you are buying lemons in Hong Kong! (When I lived in Kenya, lemons looked like limes!) In the UK, lemons are usually very yellow with green on them and no leaves attached. This doesn’t matter at all. I think the artificial lemon would fly by any audience and it is useful to keep handy in case you run out of time to do some shopping. You can use a real lemon or (as Henry Harrius points out) you can use a latex lemon that squashes flat in your pocket if your clothing means that would be better. This trick is not at all difficult to do. The instruction video is about 38 minutes and is very clear and thorough without being burdensome. Switches and ditches are very clearly demonstrated by Alex Ng in slow motion and full speed from several angles. Alex has a strong accent but he is not difficult to understand and, if I remember correctly, there are English subtitles anyway. I think it is important to position this effect in the right place in your set. Nique Tan says that it doesn’t work well as an opener in the environments in which he performs (corporate events) but I think it would work as an opener in a stage or parlour show. Although the trick is easy to accomplish, the impact of the effect relies heavily on the presentation, especially using words and actions that draw the audience into your journey of the imagination. You are provided with a pdf of Alex’s script. Most of that provides a good framework and makes sense. However, there is room for improvement and adaptation to your style and personality. Alex begins by describing magic with a swear word. I think that is totally inappropriate and unnecessary. I think there is a much more sophisticated way of presenting, this focussing on the power of words to create a sense of reality, e.g. what great writers do in novels, plays and poems to make us believe we are in the scene, seeing, feeling and hearing the things being described. Highly recommended nevertheless. Price: reasonable for what you get.
