please help with review Portent by Alain Choquette

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

I have heard about the effect; Portent by Alain Choquette
Is here someone who works allready with it?
You do not have to tell the secret offcourse but is it workable?
Is it realy works as advertised? (see below)

The magician enlists the aid of a volunteer from the theater audience (no stooge - the volunteer is truly a random choice - you can throw a ping pong ball out into the house if you choose). The assisting spectator is given a jumbo deck of cards to examine. It is important that the spectator verify and confirm that it is a complete and ordinary deck (in no way does the magician use a forcing deck, rough and smooth etc.).

The deck is thoroughly shuffled by the spectator. She removes one card (any card at all-this is a totally free choice of any one of fifty two cards) without showing it to anyone. The magician never touches or handles the cards in any way.

The performer steps up to the microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen. I call your attention to the top of the theater. Many of you noticed an envelope hanging down from the center of the ceiling above your heads when you entered the hall this evening. That envelope contains a prediction I made this morning. It will now be lowered slowly. When it gets down to your level, anyone sitting near it stand up, take the envelope and bring it on stage. Please keep it in view at all times."

The envelope, which has been hanging on a rope from the top of the hall, is slowly lowered. Anyone (no stooge) takes the envelope and brings it on stage. The magician never touches or handles or even approaches the envelope - it always remains in the second spectator's possession. For the first time the first spectator announces the name of the card she selected. The second spectator opens the prediction envelope (it is not gimmicked in any way). The prediction is removed and read. The magician can be standing on the other side of the stage. The prediction can be a handwritten message, or even another card from another deck. The prediction is 100% correct. No funny stuff. No moves.

Please advise (you can even email me on richard.stooker@wanadoo.nl)

Richard

[Guest]

Im also very curious about this effect, I saw it today at Hocus-Pocus.com web.

[Bob Farmer]

This effect requires an off-stage assistant and a special stage set-up. It's perfect in a theater setting, though the instructions do provide alternatives if the proper setting is not available. It's not quite as clean as the ad implies.

[Guest]

Ditto on what Bob Farmer says. Unless you have a big stage performance that you have complete control of all the pieces or doing some TV show then you are not going to be happy with this.

Don't think you will go from venue to venue and do this.

Greg

[David Fletcher]

I have altered the ending and I perform this regularly. No assistant.

Please email direcly at dfmagic@optonline.net

[Guest]

I do agree. Portent is the perfect demonstration that advertisement is always the most powerful illusion which can be obtained !.. ;)

[Guest]

Thanks to everyone who have helped me.

Sincerely,

Richard Stooker