I would like to preface this review with the observation that the opinion of magicians is of far less importance than the opinions of the lay audience and the firm conviction that it is often unfair to criticise a trick which one has not personally performed for a lay audience several times. That includes my opinion (maybe especially my opinion). That being said it is human nature to do just that so with the proviso that my opinions are uninformed by experience of these tricks and very possibly wrong ...here goes.

Transposition of a torn bill:
Spectator 1 is given a bill, spec 2 on the other side of the auditorium is given a different bill with an end torn off. The torn piece is moved to spec 1 – spec one opens their hand – their complete bill is now torn with an end missing (matching the torn section) spec 2 has a complete bill. Easy to do* lovely effect, stage or conceivably close up.

Thread:
Magician puts thread in his/her mouth and pulls it from his/her eye. Nice effect – certainly different.

Drawing to impossible location:
3 specs are asked to draw an image with their eyes closed. The image is then burned and found to be restored not once but twice. There are some nice touches here but I initially found it hard to believe that anyone would fall for this – hence my point about the opinions of magicians being of lower (much lower) value than the opinions of the audience. Wayne says he has not been performing this long (only three years). He says it is a goer so I believe him. Three cheers for the audience! That said the initial effect is burning the paper. Outside of outdoors or a proper theatre stage I cannot think of many places you could perform this (he does present a non burn version). The venues I work, (hotels, golf clubs, restaurants) would have the fire alarms going nuts.

Helium:
A helium balloon sinks when the audience hold their breath. I would be interested to rework this effect to combine it with a similar effect by Michel Huot. – Very nice, stage, parlour, I am going to try it close up and stage.

Coin to can:
A signed coin goes into a sealed can. If you think you know this watch Wayne’s handling – super smooth.

Influence/ Houdini’s influence:
Spec chooses a card, the spec finds the matching card from a ribbon spread deck (E.g. 2H, 2D). A close up trick though maybe it should be possible to raise the cards off the table and make it play bigger. In my view (see proviso’s in paragraph 1) this Most of my venues do not have large open spaces of table. The method is clever.

A Single Needle:
Houdini’s needle and thread trick using a single needle. Extremely fair, super clean but personally I prefer Scott Alexander’s version from his first Penguin Christmas lecture using multiple needles which is safer and I feel is theatrically more interesting – but again I could be wrong, though Wayne would seem to agree since he says he uses a multiple needle effect for parlour /stage.

I found the lecture slightly frustrating. Wayne clearly has a lot of performance and staging tips which are super useful. Sadly most of these came out as a result of questions from the audience rather than being scripted into the lecture.

I realise that the mechanics of the trick may be what most interests most people, but for me the mechanics are part of the effect, not all of it. I may not want to slavishly copy Wayne's routine but I do want to learn more about performance. Wayne's performance style is very different to that of most performers (close I thought to Joshua Jay's) and I appreciated that.

First and foremost I would like to say I didn't buy this but I went to P3 Magic Theater and saw the lecture myself live. I can say with all honesty that out of all the magic lectures I've seen in my lifetime (around 20) Houchin's was my favorite he teaches some of his best selling effects here such as Thread, Sinful, a single needle, and soooo much more! You're really getting a steal for what you pay here. The advice he gives for performance and presentation alone is worth the price of the entire lecture. One of the things I enjoyed from this was Drawing To Impossible Location. Several spectators make abstract drawings with their eyes closed and you take one of them and burn it to ashes and it reappears intact where ever you like TWICE! If there is one thing you buy from Penguin Magic, buy this. I highly recommend it. I may even buy it myself!

I used to be a regular Penguin LIVE subscriber but this is actually the first LIVE lecture I bought in about a year (not including the Scott Alexander one that penguin generously gave away free). At some point I decided I had so many lectures I hadn't gotten around to watching and the At The Table series was almost as good for way cheaper and the Tarbell series was giving me tons of great material regularly also for really cheap, so it just didn't make sense to stay subscribed.

However, when I saw that Wayne was going to teach Thread and A Single Needle, both of which were on my shopping list for a while, I realized I had no choice but to buy this one, and wow am I glad I did.

Wayne has a very unique style. I love it. Its not my style at all, but maybe it should be. I will try toning down my energy a little and talking to the audience more and seeing how that works out. Also, his magic is so squeaky clean. There's nothing funny, no awkward movements, nothing to hide. Every little movement, every sentence, every everything has been clearly thought out. I think Luke Jermay is the only other lecturer I have ever seen give so much thought and attention to every single aspect of every trick. It really makes the trick so much more performance ready. I'd like to not have to learn from my mistakes when I can learn from mistakes of someone else who already made those mistakes. It hurts to mess up, why would anyone want to?

That dollar bill trick is awesome. It will definitely go into my show at some point. I need to make it fit my style and I need to get the material he uses. The two more common items he used to use don't work that well, I see why he stopped using them. But wow, that's a great trick.

The post it note trick is a good trick but there's something about it that bothers me. I have to put my finger on it and then I may use it in a different form. For now I'm keeping the brilliance behind it in the back of my mind as its a clever idea that may be useful in creating something totally different.

The thread out of the eye trick, wow, just wow. Perfect. As soon as I make it fit my style it will be in my show.

The helium balloon trick, interesting. Not my thing, and seems too short. May be useful as part of a longer trick.

The coin in soda can is so well thought out. Every little motion has been worked out so it looks perfect. It will take a long time to make it look so good. I would've liked to also get notes detailing every step as its hard to practice it along with him in the video.

A single needle is perfect. Every little bit has been thought through and perfected. However, it only uses one needle. At the same time the Tarbell lesson that came out that Friday taught needle swallowing with much more needles. Its a tough call. I'm really torn. There's also a bonus method for doing the trick with toothpicks if you pay attention. I may end up learning both and performing both until I learn which one gets better reactions.

All in all, phenomenal lecture!

The except part is directed to Penguin. Everything is mic'd could you please turn up the volume? The audio is very low, and this happens a lot. Other than that Wayne is great, Dan is always great, these lectures for the most part always have great value, the technical stuff however has to be worked out by now, if it wasn't for that I'd sign up for the subscription, which is a great value!

I saw it live and it was a pleasure to watch!
Wayne is such a confident performer, everything he showed and teached was rock solid. Another point is that the audience was very attentive and asked the right (much) questions. He performed Thread, a single Needle, Coin in Soda Can, Drawing to impossible Location (!!), Torn Bill Transposition, a interesting Card and photo effect based on the plot of influence. You get a lot for your money! Entertaining lecture with a great performer. Thank you Wayne Houchin & Penguin.

Well first I need to see how I can hack my way into giving this 7 Stars! Because everything about this lecture is beyond! I have only watched it not even half way but I know this is not a regular lecture. Only thing is I'm gonna work this matieral. So I need you not to buy this lecture. Well done all!! Please let's have him back for a second part at some point!! What a great thinker

Well worth buying this lecture. I have purchased quite a few Penguin lectures and this is in my top 3...easily.
Simple direct magic at its best. BUT and its a big BUT, it's not the tricks alone that make this easily 5 star it's the ideas he Wayne discusses and more importantly the way he conducts himself that anyone can learn from. That side of the lecture is a masterclass.
As for the one bad comment about not being pro material..... What rubbish! It may not suit certain pro's repertoire or character, that is true, but to say you couldn't use any of them in a pro gig is none sense. They are all workers in the right hands, in the right setting. From a lay mans point of view each would get great reactions.

Wayne Houchin is awesome! I saw his Strange Ideas lecture live last year, but wanted to watch it again and have it to reference back to so I purchased the video through Penguin. Even if you saw his lecture live, it's a great value as he gives you some great inspiration in this video lecture that I don't remember from his live lecture. His presentation style is so calm and confident, and he is interviewed at the end. I've gotten a few of these penguin lectures, but this was my favorite.

This has to be one of the best Penguin Live lectures ever.
Wayne has offered a great set of tricks that are fully workable, play for small or big audiences, pack small and deliver huge. I think anyone who gets this will find at least two effects that can go straight into their repertoire. The range is so varied and the teaching so thorough.
Although some might be familiar with some of the effects, nuances and detailed insight are offered by Mr. Houchin and elicited by a much involved audience son that no stone is left unturned. If some others were not familiar with Wayne's work, this would be a great chance to fully acquire premises, methods and presentation related to some staple effects (Thread, Coin in Soda Can, Single Needle).
While I seldom appreciate lectures where the performer talks about previously independently published effects, as most times they simply happen to hint at and bounce people back to the DVD/download, by simply watching this lecture one can get all they need to go out and perform (after a good and wise deal of practice, of course).
Personal favorite? Drawing to impossible location. Simple and versatile, it's an awesome way to get the audience involved.
One trick I didn't really love was Influence, as I think there are other premises, methods and presentations that could work better. Still, it's solid and I'm sure many will dig it.

Having seen some of Wayne's work previously I was very excited to see he was the next guest on Penguin Live. Those that have purchased any of his previous work know what an excellent teacher he is covering everything you'd need to know and his thinking behind it all. Great teaching aside he's just a joy to watch and the almost 4 hour lecture flies by. In terms of the effects he teaches, as you can see from the description there's great variety and almost certainly something to fit anyone's repertoire. Well worth the purchase, one of the most enjoyable lectures I've seen.