"Dunninger's Delight" DVD by Kenton Knepper
Suggested Retail USD$25.00
Available direct from WonderWizards
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Dunninger's Delight", Kenton Knepper's take on the "card to impossible location" plot, is one version of the classic that really does appear to be impossible. Not because of the location the card eventually ends up at, mind you, but because once the deck is given to the spectator, the performer never touches it again.

Here's the way the best version of "Dunninger's Delight" goes:

A spectator calls out any number and any suit in a deck of cards. The spectator is given a deck and told to make sure their named card is in the deck. They verify that it is there, of course. The performer explains that, sometimes, this takes a try or two to do, and A bit of magical gesturing and the like and the performer asks the spectator to locate their card again. That quickly, it's gone from the deck. From then on, the card can be found anywhere you'd like (following the traditional rules of the plot, of course).

My first big question with this was the obvious one and is typical with so many of the well-worn plots: Do we really need another "card to impossible location" routine? In this case, the answer's a fairly resounding "yes".

What sets "Dunninger's Delight" apart from other entries in this theme is the hands-off approach. Once the deck is in the spectator's hands, you likely will not touch it again. Done appropriately and well, you have no interaction with the deck whatsoever. That single feature makes "Dunninger's Delight" something special.

But the careful reader will notice I'm hedging things a bit. That's simply because, as we can expect from Knepper, there's a lot of psychology and human behavior at work here. At times, as we all know, that can fail. In the case of "Dunninger's Delight", though, no failure is catastrophic. Blow the first bit with the spectator naming a value and suit? No worries; Knepper has a way of recovering from that, although it does add a bit more performer interaction with the deck. Can't get the spectator to do the dirty work for you (unknown to them, of course)? There's a recovery there, too. And, again as we can expect from Knepper, the recoveries are simple, sound, and still allow you to wring a good amount of impact from the effect.

To be honest, I've run into the first problem much more than the latter (I think I'm slipping in my linguistic skills as I get older) which leaves me with a version I dearly love doing and still keeps me away from the deck when the magic happens. And yes, Knepper teaches all of that on the disc.

Okay, so you've got an idea of some of the work here. The rest is done courtesy of a specially-gaffed card, printed by USPC for the effect. The deck itself is ungimmicked and ungaffed, so you're open to doing other things with it. The set-up itself is a breeze, resetting it can be as simple or complex as your own personal "impossible location" is, and there's little else to ever discuss when it comes to what your venue will require for this one. As for the work you'll need to put in, it's all about the presentation and your audience management skills; any sleight work is extremely light as the routine, the gaff, and the spectator do most of the lifting for you.

Don't let that "presentation and audience management skills" thing get to you. Knepper does a wonderfully thorough job of teaching everything you need to know about those two subjects to pull off "Dunninger's Delight". While I certainly wouldn't say any beginner can whip this one out and start working in Vegas, I can say that Knepper does put this easily within anyone's reach.

All of this makes "Dunninger's Delight" a slick piece of work, if not a total mindblower, and easily worth taking a look at it if you're even remotely interested in a clean, a very clean, take on the classic.

"Dunninger's Delight" by Kenton Knepper
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
A little gutsy (if done as advertised; other versions taught are for the more timid of our number) but packs some power with a simple handling, a straight-forward plot, and a flexible climax.

Practicality: 10
There's a gaffed card involved; other than that the deck is ordinary (though you will have to take into account that gimmicked card as far as the meager set-up goes). Reset is as quick and easy as your chosen "impossible location" allows (though doing this repeatedly could introduce issues). This is an extremely practical piece of work.

Quality of Production: 10
The video is great, the audio great, the navigation great... the production is well done.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Knepper does a fantastically thorough job with teaching his routine which, considering some of the psychology involved, is almost mandatory. You'll have no problem learning any aspect or variation of this routine.

Presentation: 10
It's "card to impossible location", but an exceedingly clean rendition of the classic. Master the full version and you've got a completely hands-off variation that will hit them hard.


Shane

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