Narcissus by Chris Philpott

Narcissus is the brilliant child (or perhaps grand-child) of the genius 100th Monkey.  The routines presented with Narcissus are meant for close-up performances and incorporate your spectator’s cell phone cameras.  This is Chris Philpott’s third DVD using the 100th Monkey principle (the first being The 100th Monkey and the second being Babel).

I am sure that if you are reading this review, you are familiar with the 100th Monkey principal and as such I will only describe it to say that you have specially printed cards that allow the spectator holding the card to read one message when he is holding it and then read a different message when they see a picture of themselves holding the card.  Now, with Narcissus, every performance leaves the spectator with an amazing souvenir to accompany their memory of an incredible moment of astonishment.

With your purchase ($59.95 as of the writing of this review) you get 2 DVDs and 12 pre-printed cards. The first DVD is a 90 minute instructional DVD taught by Chris Philpott.  The recording is no frills and it looks like it was shot in his house.  It is the creator’s stream of consciousness when he discusses each of the presented effects.  He explains the issues with the trick and shares his various experiences.  In 90 minutes I would say he covers everything!  But, if you disagree, you are also provided with a 65 page pdf instructional manual which is equally informative.  On the second DVD there are numerous files (over 130) that you can print your own cards at home.  The 12 pre-printed cards are printed on a heavy card stock and are excellent quality.

Basically, the 5 effects are the same in principal, but significantly different in storyline and presentation. To sum it up, you have a spectator look at a card and read it.  You then take a picture of them holding the card and then the message on the card has changed.  The Fortune Teller is the first trick and you learn your fortune after reading incoherent gypsy language.  Unhypnotized is an effect where you inform your spectators that they have been hypnotized by living in our society and you break the spell so the word they read when they were hypnotized is different when they see it on their phone.  The Pledge is a trick where you can incorporate playing cards and predict what the spectator will choose.  I Want to See My Future reveals a spectator’s fortune and it may or may not be funny depending on your audience.  No Art is a trick invoking a Harry Potter spell which enables a spectator to see something that was not visible before.

The story lines are very strong and they all have different feels to them. Some will evoke stronger reactions than others and you have tools to play in so many different arenas. If you register the product with Philpott by email, he will send you a dropbox link to download additional files and routines.  My favorite is the Heckler routine in which you show someone a card to be red out loud that says “I am so awesome” and it morphs into something quite different using adult language.

My biggest issue with Narcissus, like with 100th Monkey, is that different people see the same card differently.  This is dependent on light and the individual’s eyesight.  To address the light issue, there are different cards for different lighting situations.  You need to do your own check before busting out the cards or your spectator’s might immediately see the reveal and that busts the trick.  The simple answer to this problem is that you just need to give it a shot and test it out until you get a sense of what will work and what will not.

Just like its predecessors, Narcissus is totally awesome and highly recommended!

This stellar effect is available at your favorite Murphy’s Magic dealer.