"Protons" DVD by Chris Priest
Suggested Retail USD$30.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Protons", a DVD by Chris Priest, is a sponge ball routine and that's like calling Stonehenge a pile of rocks. It's amazing, energetic, entertaining, engaging, and will be the dream routine for many a worker.

Yes, all of those lovely adjectives to describe an effect that pretty much everyone looks down on. Ask someone nowadays about a sponge ball routine and you're just asking for a look of derision, a sneer of smugness... and those truly "in the know" will take that look as saying more about the owner of the countenance than the venerable balls of sponge.

Every worker -- every true close-up worker -- knows the value of a good sponge ball routine, which is why so many of the true masters of close-up perform the venerable routine (on a side note, look through the lens of history at our past masters... I'll save you the trouble: yes, they played with sponge balls, too). The reason for that is really about the audience: sponge balls can be the quintessential fun routine. A good routine will be short, fun, laugh-laugh inducing, and engage the audience even on a small scale. For the worker who spends time strolling or table-hopping, the requirements of a sponge ball routine are small: the balls, an odd gimmick or so, and you're ready to go all night.

The sponge balls, then, pack small, play big, and are all-but-guaranteed to be entertaining.

But you'll notice I referred to a "good" sponge ball routine.

And here we shut the door on the whys of a sponge ball routine and open the door to Chris Priest.

I don't know Priest, never heard of the guy, but it has become an axiom in magic during the day of the net that if somebody you never heard of suddenly comes out with something killer it's because the guy is too busy working to be around "the internet magic community" much, if at all.

And Priest is a worker, that's for sure. Watching the performance segments of this pretty much shows it: he's got that polished gleam about him that only comes from constant work with a routine for live audiences.

His routine, "Protons", is just as polished and as much of a worker. In short, this is one damn fine act.

Yes, it's sponge balls, and we all know that there's a limited amount of things you can do with those... things. Needless to say, I won't go into a whole lot of detail here. You've got the usual run of productions, vanishes, multiplications, transpositions, and all of them look gorgeous. You've also got the less seen penetrations and a climax that's a great one. At this point, I'll just point you to the video here so you can get an idea of Priest and his routine in action.

But Priest scored with me because of his handling of a certain gimmick that continually sinks magicians and laymen alike. It's a gimmick you can pick up at almost any shop for a few bucks and that I have sworn by for years (well, ever since Scott Guinn blew me away with his use of one). Experienced sponge ball workers should know about it, but they seldom do. I hesitate to mention it for a number of reasons, but the main one is that you need to watch Priest in action with it and experience just how clean a professional use of it looks: I'm not going to spoil the surprise for you. I'll just say this much: his wonderfully structured routine plus his use of gimmicks equal one powerful, entertaining routine.

As for whether or not this one's for you, it's all about the props. Priest's routine is easy (and he does a beautiful job of explaining things) so it's not a question of skill or lack thereof; it's all about the sponge balls. Do you do a sponge ball routine and you're looking for something different? Then Priest's "Protons" is certainly for you -- it is decidedly different. Are you a worker and you've been thinking about adding a sponge ball routine to your set? "Protons" fills the bill there, too, quite perfectly. Never touched the things but you're looking for something quick and entertaining? Look no further than "Protons". Really, about the only folks I'd warn away from this one are the strict beginners and non-workers, and that's more for the price of this disc than anything else: for the money, I'd point to any number of good sponge ball resources out there that are cheaper and will probably benefit them just as much.

All in all, "Protons" is a phenomenally great routine that deserves a serious look by workers and sponge ball enthusiasts. This is one of the best routines out there to date.

"Protons" DVD by Chris Priest
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
It's a spongeball routine but, oh brother, what a sponge ball routine! This one has it all, from the usual appearances and multiplications to penetrations and a very cool climax. Using one gimmick that most magicians aren't even familiar with and another which everyone is, Priest has created one of the best sponge ball routines out there.

Practicality: 10
Priest is a worker and this routine shows his demands: packs small, plays huge, resets instantly... This is an extremely practical routine.

Quality of Production: 10
The production values here are excellent: great audio, great video, and simple navigation.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Priest does a fantastic job of teaching not just the individual moves used in the routine but the entire routine itself. He covers every base (sometimes twice, just for good measure) particularly the timing and spectator issues. You'll have no problem getting this one down.

Presentation: 10
It's all about engaging spectators and keeping them engaged (anyone will tell you that's no mean feat). Priest's routine, though, does exactly that with an energetic, entertaining, fast-paced routine that is something to see.

Shane

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