Reviews of products by Mel Mellers
1 ★★★★★ reviews
Commercial Gems Volume 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brian Reaves (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 18 January, 2023)
Mel delivers some great jokes here and two of the routines are easily doable in a pinch. The Q&A Teapot routine requires a little work and probably will fly by most non-British audiences who don't see teapots very often, but the other two are fun. I wouldn't call any of them mind-blowing or incredible finales, but these are nice asides to have ready for the right audience and situation. Mel's sense of humor is evident here and I can only imagine how much fun he must be live. For the price, you're getting a couple of great routines and one you probably won't use as-is, but all of it can be adapted to your performing style, I think.
The Travelling Trickster
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 11 November, 2022)
If you enjoyed Karrell Fox’s concepts and routine ideas, I believe you’ll enjoy this ebook. I found little to no overlap with the content on Mel’s DVD’s.
In fact on his DVD’s as enjoyable and entertaining as his routines are, I found their success to be highly dependent on his own very unique performing persona. Not so much with these writings.
Highly recommended.
Magical Mentalism Tour
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 11 November, 2022)
Since Karrell Fox, I have not seen an author deliver such consistently practical ideas. Mel does.
Commercial Gems Volume 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 05 April, 2022)
This booklet is the third in the series, and it doesn't disappoint either.
The first item mind reading teapot left me completely cold. It wouldn't fit my style, persona, or personal likes. But it is clever, well-thought out material.
#2 is PUNCH LINES, and it's worth the price of the booklet to a good comedic performer. Technically, it's a yawner, but if you're doing magic to learn techniques, you won't like any of Mr. Mellers' books.
Finally comes YOU READ MY MIND AND I'LL READ YOURS. Technically not that tough, but will require some courage to do. And once you learn it, you'll have an effect that is really solid. And I can't imagine a lay audience unraveling it at all.
It's a good solid book.
Commercial Gems Volume 2
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 05 April, 2022)
This booklet has one problem. There's so much good thinking in it.
The POCKET POWER is so stupidly clean and clever it almost makes you just blow past it. As I've said before, I read Mr. Mellers' to get ideas on HOW to think, not what. And this trick isn't new. But the premise is, and it makes great sense.
#2 in the booklet is the BREAD KNIFE CARD STAB...and much as it kills me to say this, "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS!". It's a brilliant idea. A super easy way to do a knife stab. And he gives you an excellent reason to DO the knife stab. His supplied script gives you enough info to see which way to go without giving you a complete script to just copy.
#3 TOSSED OUT DECK - with some clever handling twists, and VERY clever presentational twists that really make this look like a fun trick to do.
Commercial Gems Volume 1
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 05 April, 2022)
Conflicted on this booklet, since there's not a single item in it that I will do - and there's only 3 items.
But each item is nice. The problem is that I already do a version of the Gypsy Thread, although oddly enough, he and I picked the exact matching premises.
The Six card repeat isn't really my cup of tea, and again...I already have a version. HOWEVER...he does have a cute bit with this trick that could be applied to any other trick with counting, so I'll say this one's a plus.
Finally, the final trick "Scattered" just isn't something I'd do. But I do appreciate the thinking behind the trick, and I'm sure if I actually saw the trick, it would fool me completely.
So why a 5 star? Because I don't necessarily want to learn a new trick, or a new line or script. I think the big value of reading magic books is seeing how the author thinks. And this booklet does that perfectly.
Pickpocket
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 05 April, 2022)
First off, understand that I love Mel Mellers' work. Not necessarily to learn a NEW trick, but to learn about NEW presentations. New ideas for how to make the tricks entertaining. Different approaches.
This booklet is no different. It's basically a SINGLE trick explained in a decent fashion. But, it's a trick you probably already know at least 1 if not more ways of doing.
Mr. Mellers' method is not new by any means, but the presentational aspects of it are!
It's a clever idea...and that's what I paid for.
Gag Book Volume 1
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Stefan Leenen (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 March, 2022)
Sorry, but this is not a Gag book, it is a book full of insults. If you like to insult your audience this is your book.
Pickpocket
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Howard Hughes
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 04 June, 2021)
Liberally based on the classic Cards Across plot, Mel Mellers has developed this wonderful adaptation using a pickpocket theme.
Whilst it can be performed with playing cards, having blank cards with named objects on them (to aid and support the pickpocketing theme) takes this effect out of the realms of a standard card effect and also dispenses with any traditional handling. Here, three items chosen by the spectator are the actual ones that transpose.
As a stand-up routine, with Pickpocket you only need the help of one spectator and there is plenty of room for byplay and laughs, if that’s your thing. Alternatively, of course, it could also be played seriously. If you’re already familiar with Mel’s work then you know the premise here is for the former!
Mel Mellers strives to always have easily understood plots and Pickpocket is no exception. The instructions are clearly written and aided by photos. In his introduction, Mel speaks of how the routine was actually inspired and came about as the result of watching a cruise ship performer having to improvise routines. This observation alone is, in my opinion, worth the price of the pdf in as much that performers should be aware of their audiences, circumstances and be prepared for all eventualities.
This is a wonderful adaptation of a classic plot with absolutely minimal props. Highly recommended - be natural!