"Time Machine and Touches" DVD by Kenton Knepper
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available direct from WonderWizards
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Time Machine and Touches", a new DVD by Kenton Knepper, finally and fully explains one of his pet routines for the first time and with so many additional bits and pieces that this quickly becomes a mind-altering piece of hypnotic theater until it suddenly becomes impossibly magical.

I'll be the first to admit that, upon hearing the explanation of this in "Wonder Words", I was skeptical of it being as good as it sounded. It was a neat idea, sure, but a full-fledged routine? I just couldn't see it. Having watching this video, though, it's easy to see that this is a very special piece of magic that crosses the border between hypnotism and magic and does so quite craftily.

The basic effect is quite simple to describe. The performer pulls a Kennedy half dollar out of an envelope along with a business card. The spectator is asked to think of a year and write it on the card (you'll need it for verification in case they really do go under and forget it) which the spectator seals in the envelope. They are given the coin to hold in their hand. The performer then takes them through an imaginary trip (courtesy of a "light trance"), back to the country and year they are thinking of. When they return from the mind-trip and open their hand, the coin has transformed into one from their country and they verify the date as being the one they selected.

Now, if that were all you get here, that would be cool enough. A coin changing to match a selected date and from a different country? Well, that's just slick. But that's not all you're getting here. Knepper has also included his technique for making a spectator apparently forget their own name and his use and refinements on Banachek's "Invisible Touches" theme, with no gimmicks whatsoever but plenty of sneakiness.

Why all the extras? Knepper has thrown everything into the pot here, but they are all ingredients you can pick and choose from to make the "Time Machine" routine more palatable to you and leave it as a theatrical buffet for the audience. Go for broke and do it all: have the spectator forget their name, have them feel touches along their arm and their head while "under" that the audience plainly sees you didn't do, and then go into "Time Machine" as the climax to the whole experience. Or play it tight and leave everything out but the core routine. It's mix-and-match time, allowing you to create the act you want from all of the options you're given.

The end result, no matter how you do it, is a simply excellent effect that goes from hypnotism to magic in a single smooth stroke.

Things you need to know...

First, technically this is a very easy routine to do. None of the piece are challenging at all when it comes to moves (because there practically aren't any). Unlike other such works, the psychological bits are minor and easily accomplished just by proceeding with the routine and following the presentational pieces. There are a couple of "dual reality" moments, but they are nothing difficult or outlandish; they flow easily as part of the routine.

Second, there are some gaffs and gimmicks in play, but they are minor. You'll need a very special coin, but they are commonplace items at virtually every magic shop worth its salt. Knepper explains several ways of accomplishing one piece of the routine which do involve other items, but their purchase is entirely optional depending solely on whether or not you wish to use them.

Third, while the ad makes it sound as if any country and any date can be chosen, that's not the case. There's a good bit of limiting here. If you're thinking of getting this while under the impression the spectator can choose Lithuania as their country and 814 BCE as their date, think again. Still, the selection is freer than you'd probably expect and certainly appears to be much freer than that to an audience, so it all comes out as mind-blowing regardless.

Fourth, the presentation is pretty much bullet-proof as-is, and changing it away from hypnotism would be a chore that, in the end, may not work as well as the original. You really need to stick to it unless you've got the experience and the know-how to turn it into something else. However, if the magical transformation of the coin isn't to your liking, that's easily changed with a little bit of thought. Me personally? I like the magic tossed in almost in a Hitchcockian manner; it suits my style and my humor. But if you don't like it, it's conceivable that it could be changed without too much trouble.

Really, I don't see changing anything with this one. It's an obviously powerful piece of work. Oh, I might drop the name-forgetting sequence (not my cup of tea, that bit) and stretch out the "touches" piece (I love Knepper's thinking there; it's so sneaky it's almost cruel), but in the end, "Time Machine" is so well structured that any major changes would probably be more of a detraction from its strength than an augmentation of it.

At the end of the day, "Time Machine" is something else, a powerful routine with an engaging and interesting theme that settles the spectators into one line of thought before derailing them with a magical moment they can't explain. Of all of Knepper's work I've seen, this is one of my favorites. Whether you get it for the routine or for all the excellent pieces surrounding it, this is one that's a keeper for anyone even remotely interested in the theme.

Color this one highly recommended.

"Time Machine and Touches" DVD by Kenton Knepper
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
One of Knepper's routines taken to a whole new level with a variety of extra pieces of work that make this a mind-altering experience for a spectator. There is just so much good material on this disc that, even if you don't like some parts, the rest make it easily worth having. Chances are, though, most of it ends up going into many a repertoire; it's great stuff.

Practicality: 10
This is more for platform/living room work than close-up or casual performances and in that venue, and with minimal props or requirements, it's as practical as it gets.

Quality of Production: 10
It's a single-camera shoot, but very well done and without the usual problems one sees with that kind of production. You'll have no problems at all here.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Knepper, as usual, covers all the bases, from the mechanics of things to the psychological bits that make them stronger. There's no shortage of explanation here on any part of the routine.

Presentation: 10
It's all about trance states and hypnotism and, really, the routine pretty much belongs in that category of effect. With all the bits and pieces, the touches, in place, though, this truly comes across as the real deal for everyone involved.


Shane

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