I recently received an email message from Looch announcing his latest release "Here's to you Mr Robinson". Having enjoyed his pervious works I had to admit that the notion of this piece didn't interest me at first.

This wasn't because I was sceptical about the quality of this work, far from it. It was simply down to the fact that this was advertised primarily as a parlour/stage effect.

Those that know me well understand that I very rarely perform in these conditions, I'm fact the sole reason I invested in his previous works is that they were designed strictly for close up work.

However based upon the standard of his pervious work I reasoned that it was worth the punt. Even if I got one idea, subtlety or otherwise from it in would be content and would have had my monies worth from it.

So, after taking the time to work through this I'm happy to report that my investment was worth while.

Not only is the format of the book very aesthetically pleasing, the writing and instruction are delivered in a crystal clear fashion leaving no questions unanswered.

Looch writes that this routine was released in limited numbers several years ago and since then it has been honed to perfection. The dedication and thought that have been invested in piece is very evident.

If I was ever to perform in a parlour setting then this would certainly be something that I would consider using.

Although some construction is required Looch has provided you with all of the resources needed and both the costs and preparation involved with this process are minimal given how large this will play!

There is a saying that the sum is greater than the whole of it's parts, for me personally the sum of it's parts were much greater than the whole and I mean that in a positive way.

I say this because I personally found so much value within the core principles and techniques that connect together to create this true work of art. The principles and methods within each part are so highly versatile that they could easily form the basis for routines in their own right.

In fact I've paid far more for other works which only detail a fraction of what is contained within this routine and that's a fact.

To summarise -

Those that perform parlour or stage would do well to pick this up, this is certainly a routine that is worthy of the title "packs small and plays massive".

All close up workers will find great value within the countless components used to build this routine, some will go further to rework this for use within a close up environment and others may even use this as a stepping stone to venture into a whole new performance arena.

Either way, you will not be disappointed.

THIS JUST IN!

Looch shares another sack of gold with us from the vault of his UK home.

Can we all agree that thrillers, (true) crime, detective-esque themes, shows, and games are VERY popular, right?

From Nancy Drew to Sherlock Holmes, from Cold Case Files to CSI, most people love unsolved mysteries and solving crimes. We could even say for sure that everyone finds this plot interesting. Or has at some point in their life;)

'Here's to you Mr. Robinson' is a crime/thriller themed performance piece that is totally customizable. There are some easy to obtain props you'll need to put together to get started but, Looch has done most of the work for you with print ready materials so all you need to do is get some things printed on your way to grab/make a few of other items (for authenticity). You'll have authentic looking crime scene artifacts, criminal mug shots and official looking police psychological profiles from police notebooks, etc. It really is simple to put together and once set up, you'll always be ready to perform. This piece is designed for most mature audiences Looch's instructions are crystal clear. He goes above and beyond simply teaching you a "routine" and there is no doubt that many of the readers will be able to incorporate some of Looch's ideas and thinking into different areas of their own work and shows.

I often see on the forums that many cats are interested in incorporating a P.I. (Psychic Investigator/Psychic / Intuitive Detective) themed routines into their current sets or are interested in a specifically themed venue/performance persona. They will also benefit from this work.

The plot is simple to follow the performer expertly walks the audience safely through the mind of a criminal, more specifically, the twisted mind of 'Gerald Robinson'. (See what he did there!)

After some questioning, the participant unknowingly appears to have some criminal tendencies. In fact, the participant mysteriously seems to know (and openly share) information about Mr Robinson and his crime spree that only the police and Mr. Robinson (or someone close to him!) would know anything about. After exciting twist and turns, we find out exactly what happened, per the police report, and shockingly discover that the participant was in-fact one of Mr. Robinson's accomplices!

'Here's to you Mr. Robinson' shows us that Looch's experience with parlor and stage, as well as the ideas he shares in those arenas, are just as powerful and insightful as his Close-Up/ Intimate mentalism work.

Priced for the worker too;)

Check it out!

http://www.looch.co.uk/products

password: warhead

Tell'em Raux sent ya!

I've always been interested in incorporating a 'criminal/crime' themed routine to my show so when I read the 'blurb' on HTYMR it immediately caught my eye.

Ordinarily I don't pull the trigger and purchase until I've read reviews or had an effect recommended by people I know or if I the creators previous offerings. Suffice it to say I like Looch's stuff and I purchased HTYMR. I'm glad I did.

HTYMR is a performance piece involving you and a participant delving into the psyche of the criminal mind, specifically one 'Mr Gerald Robinson', hence the title.

Via a series of 'phases' in the routine the performer builds up a criminal profile of the participant demonstrating that they have a very criminal mind indeed. In fact the participant is able to divine information about Mr Robinson's crimes that only Mr Robinson himself, or someone close to him, would have been privy to. The upshot/finale is that the participant themselves is revealed as being one of Mr Robinson's accomplices.

The phases involve various props. You have artifacts, mug shots, police psychological profiles, police notebooks, etc. I like the physicality of the props and the way Looch incorporates them into the routine. Their inclusion is logical (and integral to the various methods at work) and they provide an air of authenticity to proceedings. The props and stuff are things you'd have to print out and prepare for yourself which will take a while but is worth the effort.

For me, the value of HTYMR (or other effects like it) is in how it sparks my own creativity. Before I got to the end I had loads of ideas as to how I'd put my own spin on it.

For example, TV shows like CSI (pick your city), Criminal Minds and The Mentalist are a perfect lead-in to the routine. I'd give it more of a 'roleplay' feel with me playing the role of the Lead Investigator and the participant playing the role of a 'Forensic Psychologist' brought in to help 'crack' the case. At the end, rather than the participant being revealed as an 'accomplice' of Mr Robinson as in the original routine, I'd reveal the participant to actually BE Mr Robinson.

All good stuff just as I've come to expect from Looch.

Regards,
Lar.

Looch presents a very interesting application of mentalism with a surprising finale. The instructions are clear so that you can try the routine by yourself with a little bit of imagination. Nevertheless there are weaknesses you'll need to compensate for (e.g., not every participant you are inviting on stage is going to have a coat on; no mention has been given on the handling of the 4-way-envelope; the method for the last phase with the notebook is very questionable). However, for those experienced in mentalism, this is a very nice way to present their skills.

THIS JUST IN!

Looch shares another sack of gold with us from the vault of his UK home.

Can we all agree that thrillers, (true) crime, detective-esque themes, shows, and games are VERY popular, right?

From Nancy Drew to Sherlock Holmes, from Cold Case Files to CSI, most people love unsolved mysteries and solving crimes. We could even say for sure that everyone finds this plot interesting. Or has at some point in their life;)

'Here's to you Mr. Robinson' is a crime/thriller themed performance piece that is totally customizable. There are some easy to obtain props you'll need to put together to get started but, Looch has done most of the work for you with print ready materials so all you need to do is get some things printed on your way to grab/make a few of other items (for authenticity). You'll have authentic looking crime scene artifacts, criminal mug shots and official looking police psychological profiles from police notebooks, etc. It really is simple to put together and once set up, you'll always be ready to perform. This piece is designed for most mature audiences Looch's instructions are crystal clear. He goes above and beyond simply teaching you a "routine" and there is no doubt that many of the readers will be able to incorporate some of Looch's ideas and thinking into different areas of their own work and shows.

I often see on the forums that many cats are interested in incorporating a P.I. (Psychic Investigator/Psychic / Intuitive Detective) themed routines into their current sets or are interested in a specifically themed venue/performance persona. They will also benefit from this work.

The plot is simple to follow the performer expertly walks the audience safely through the mind of a criminal, more specifically, the twisted mind of 'Gerald Robinson'. (See what he did there!)

After some questioning, the participant unknowingly appears to have some criminal tendencies. In fact, the participant mysteriously seems to know (and openly share) information about Mr Robinson and his crime spree that only the police and Mr. Robinson (or someone close to him!) would know anything about. After exciting twist and turns, we find out exactly what happened, per the police report, and shockingly discover that the participant was in-fact one of Mr. Robinson's accomplices!

'Here's to you Mr. Robinson' shows us that Looch's experience with parlor and stage, as well as the ideas he shares in those arenas, are just as powerful and insightful as his Close-Up/ Intimate mentalism work.

Priced for the worker too;)

Check it out!

Tell'em Raux sent ya!