"The World-Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy" DVD
by Paul Potassy
Suggested Retail USD$99.95
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Add my voice to the legions already talking about Paul Potassy's "World-Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy": this is one of the best DVD sets I've ever had.

I'll save you the spiel about how good, how masterful, Paul Potassy is. If you've seen him perform, you know it already; if you haven't, then look him up and learn more about his 70 years or so of performing around the world for an impressive array of audiences. And no matter what you read, no matter how much reveling in his ability to perform and entertain, it will still fall short of watching Potassy actually go to work.

This DVD set, three discs in all, captures his performances perfectly and teaches his magic -- his time-tested, audience-engaging, power-packed material -- in such a manner as to live up to Potassy's own almost legendary status among performers.

The DVDs at first seem organized a bit strangely. "Volume One" is made up entirely of Paul Potassy's act, being performed in front of an audience, and an long and in-depth interview with Potassy by Max Maven. It isn't until "Volume Two" that the workings of Potassy's act are brought to light, and "Volume Three" covers Potassy's close-up work in both performance and instruction. This staggered manner of presenting Potassy to an audience of DVD-viewing magicians is not what we're used to, but in Potassy's case it's almost mandatory. Potassy's act is something to be seen in its entirety, without interruption and without distraction, and the layout of the discs do that. Thankfully. By the time you've seen the act, heard the story of the artist, the workings are as they should be -- stuff to be savored as much as the performance itself.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on the contents of Potassy's cabaret act since that's not a venue I perform in much. I'll say this: it's all wonderful stuff, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and entertaining stuff through to the core. From his opening with the "Sympathetic Silks" to his "Encore Card Stab", it's beautiful magic in its appearance and its simplicity. For my money, "Sing Sing" is worth the price of the discs, as is his "Pickpocket" routine. Those two pieces are enough to make me want to take up platform work right there. The rest? Brilliant and more than worth looking at if you work platform.

"Volume Three", Potassy's close-up work, is more up my alley, and Potassy killed me in more ways than one with some of these pieces. "Billfolding", Potassy's visual bill change, had me thinking he was using a tip -- he wasn't. All sleight of hand and gorgeously done. "Card in Glass", a card revelation where a selected card is stuck inside a upturned glass while the rest of the deck falls to the table, is something I'll be using almost immediately. "Potassy Brainwave" is his handling of the classic, but made more powerful with some simple re-working of the gaff and with the added repeatability of the effect; yep, this one I'm in love with. "The Cards Across" is simply gorgeous; a sleight-based routine that is funny and engaging. "The Card in the Cigarette" is definitely a must-do -- it is what it is, but Potassy's thinking on the psychology of it is just too sneaky to pass up.

The last piece taught, "Ten Cards to Pocket", is something else. As far as the close-up goes, this one is worth the price. Period. In it, ten cards vanish, a bit at a time, and wind up in the performer's pockets. There is no describing how good this looks, how clean, or how entertaining it is. Potassy's use of psychology and subtlety is so well-blended here I'd say this is a masterpiece of magic. That it's hilarious to watch is a bonus for both the audience and the performer.

Now, throw in Potassy's thinking on card manipulations (done with Jeff McBride) and the classic force, and you've got an idea of everything you'll find here.

What you won't have an idea of is just how good Paul Potassy is as a performer or how wickedly devious he is as a magical thinker. For that, you'll need to get these discs. Should you? Not if you're a casual hobbyist, no; Potassy's work is sometimes strikingly simple, but other times you'll be working yourself in areas you're probably not used to technically. But if you're a serious student of magic, or a worker looking for new material or ideas, or you just need to see a master at work, then yes, this is absolutely a collection you need to seriously consider.

"A master magicians reveals a lifetime of secrets" indeed.

"The World-Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy" by Paul Potassy
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Potassy's material is incredibly effective stuff, whether its his cabaret/platform material or his close-up work. Potassy wrings the most entertainment possible from his material which brings new meaning to the term "time-tested". This is powerful stuff.

Practicality: 10
Potassy keeps everything so simple in terms of the work involved that it's astonishing. The platform stuff is relatively small, certainly easily managed, and his close-up material is about as practical as it gets, with little set-up or reset involved in any of it. This is definitely workable magic.

Quality of Production: 10
Everything about the production of this disc is perfect. Audio, video, navigation... there's not a thing to improve in any of it.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Potassy teaches his material as only someone who has performed it for years possibly can. Every detail, every nuance, is there and laid out perfectly.

Presentation: 10
Potassy's style is remarkable, all comedic without being "comedy magic". No one will be able to perform this material as well as Potassy does, presentationally speaking, but the built-in fun is there to be had.


Shane

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