Product description : A new take on the classic Professor's Nightmare routine with custom built laughs and gags. Well, it's kind of PN since it uses 3 ropes and part of the routine is the same, however, the climax and the feel of Cody's routine is completely different from the classic version everybody used to see.
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $40 and you can find it Cody's website which is just there : http://www.codyfisher.com/store/.
What you get : You get a very well shot DVD which has a live performance of the routine in a cabaret situation as well as crystal clear explanations on how to perform the routine. No special effects, no explosions or whatsoever but a clear, concise and to the point DVD.
The pros and the cons : Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.
THE CONS :
You will have to supply your own ropes (ungimmicked) as well as a break away wand. If you want to perform it exactly the same way as Cody does, you will have to use a new piece of rope every time.
The « feel » of the routine suits very well a cabaret situation, however, it would be hard to this for kids (or you will have to adapt the patter).
This is not a con for me but I know some people don't like making fun of the audience, you're not doing that in this routine but you will have to choose somebody (who will be on stage with you) who is not easily offended. I know, it sounds hard but don't worry, Cody gives you tips about that on the DVD.
THE PROS :
I just realised my lastest sentence may be a little too strong, you're not making the guy who comes on stage looks dumb at all. It's a very funny routine and both the audience and your « assistant » will laugh from the beginning to the end.
The live performance really sells everything I think. I know Cody is a top pro magician but when you see (and hear) the reactions from the audience, your only wish is to go out and perform 3 Ropes and a 1000 Laughs.
This is a professional routine which is given to you, you can completely reuse the same script and kill with it. But I think you will have to adapt it a little bit so it would suit your personnality.
The price isn't expensive enough when you consider the time and the efforts that Cody has put into this baby, again, this is a professional routine, don't under estimate it.
Jokes built in the routine aren't language joke and by that I mean that those jokes will work in every language. Again, you will have to adapt some of them to you, the situation and your language but you can see when Cody is doing them so you know exactly the perfect spots to do a gag.
You also have a pdf on the DVD with the old routine Cody used to do called « Sweet Dreams » and I think it's very cool to see how the routine has evolved through the years, it also gives you more ideas and spark your creativity.
The DVD is well produced, as you would expect from The Magic Estate, and you get all the informations needed in order to perform the routine.
You will entertain people for like 10 minutes with nothing but ropes, how good is that ? Isn't this the definition of « Packs Small Plays Big » ? ;)
The magical effect at the end of the day is as strong as the laughs you will get, so it's funny AND magical, what do you want more ?
Overall rating : This is a must have for every close-up magician who wants to included a cabaret piece in their show, it's easy to do, quick to reset and very effective on the audience ! This is definately something I'm working on right now and I'm sure I will get a lot of uses out of it, 4/4 hearts without any hesitation.
As for the difficulty level, there is nothing very difficult about this trick so you can completely focus on your presentation, which is great ! 1/5 stars.
Similar products : Maybe if you combine Cody's presentation with some highly visual stuff from Richard Sander's « Fibers Optic », you will get a perfect show. But honestly, I think the strengh of 3 Ropes and a 1000 laughs is its simplicity !