David Penn’s Mystery Solved is and superb product and a notable step in the evolution of the signed card-to-box routine. The product’s name, Mystery Solved, pays homage to John Kennedy’s Mystery Box, a small wooden box that for years was the card-to-box standard. The mystery that was solved was how to transform the opaque box into a completely transparent one. This is indeed one of the answers to that question.
Penn credits several magicians, including the card-to-box routine creator, Bruno Henning and more recently, David Regal, for his amazing contribution, the also mostly see-through, Clarity Box, which uses a different gimmick.
With Mystery Solved you get a clear box, a few pieces of material which allow you to create different customized gimmicks necessary to perform the illusion and an excellently produced one hour and twenty minute DVD. The box itself, which is completely see through, measures 2¼ inches wide, 1 1/3 inches tall and 1½ inches deep. The gimmick requires some simple art-and-crafts work which may take up to 20 minutes to create and install. It is possible to create and affix the gimmick within 5-10 minutes, but I was not satisfied with my first attempt and worked on it until it was perfect. You will need a scissor (or razor) and double stick tape and you will be ready to go. You can customize your gimmick to be red card, a blue card, a billet, a dollar bill, etc. The DVD is very detailed and contains a studio performance, a live performance and most importantly, a clear step-by-step real-time demonstration on how to create and install the gimmick. The packaging is an attractive black box with form fitting foam that you can use as protection during transport.
Penn shot the DVD in London’s Shard, the tallest building in the EU. The Shard is a glass skyscraper which is symbolic of the see-through nature of Mystery Solved. Penn presents the product very well and in addition to the construction and history of the illusion, he displayed his hand made prototype, the method in which it is currently manufactured (sonic welding — don’t ask me?!), and he explains how to handle and display the box with the correct orientation in relation to your audience so that the method is not revealed.
It is important to note that this illusion not only has angle considerations, but when the card is poured out of the box, the box must be held in a certain way to avoid detection. The box cannot, absolutely cannot, be handed out to spectators after the card is removed from the box. After the card is produced, within a few seconds, the box is put away in a pocket, to avoid exposure of the gimmick. Although this may weigh on your mind before trying out this trick, the heat is focused on the Mercury folded signed card and not the box. Of course it would be great to be keep the box in plain sight after the illusion is performed, but the method is so convincing that this concern is almost completely irrelevant. In fact, I watched Penn’s demonstration of the production of the card from the box so many times and I swear that the card in Penn’s hand was the same card that was in the box. It is so fair looking that it should not be questioned.
Penn teaches various slights and moves, among them, the essential Mercury Fold, and also a few routines to perform with Mystery Solved. Penn cleverly demonstrates how to do the Mercury Fold with an Omni Deck, which makes it very easy to follow, for beginners. He suggested that a spectator may hold the box during the trick, before the card is removed from the box, but many performers may not feel comfortable allowing spectator hands on the box due to the angles issues and the unpredictability of even the most obedient and seemingly compliant spectators.
The DVD contains a lengthy interview with Mentalist, Peter Turner, who presents some great ideas for using Mystery Solved in a mentalism routine, although the suggested routines are not performed by Turner.
This product is great for any close-up or walk-around set because it can be repeated over and over and has a split-second reset. The price is very fair and the promotional video shows what you get. The numerous endorsements I believe accurately reflect several magician’s reaction to the product, but calling it the Holy Grail is a bit over the top. This is a wonderful product that will astonish and fool.