"The Lane" by Mickael Chatelain
Suggested Retail USD$40.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 6 Out of 10

"The Lane", an effect by the very creative Mickael Chatelain, is a cumbersome routine that is too heavily gaffed and gimmicked to be practical and not structured well enough to be as effective as it might.

Here's the basics of "The Lane", a card revelation. A card is selected, signed, and returned to the deck. The deck is handed to a spectator for safe keeping. A small round sticker is stuck on the card case, rubbed gently, and disappears and the hands are shown to be empty. The performer takes back the deck, spreads it, and the vanished sticker is found to be on the back of one of the cards. The card is turned over and it's the spectator's signed card.

Now, just to whet your appetite... "The Lane" uses no forces, no sleights, and is just a step up above being self-working (there is a handling, but it's so small a thing and so simple, it's not a sleight as much as it is just something to do). And that vanish of the sticker after it has been stuck to the case is as devious as it is pretty and oh-so-clean. As a nice touch, the stickers are easily replaced with other stickers in the event you run out or want to use something else, and any deck can be set up for use with "The Lane".

That's about it for the pluses when it comes to "The Lane". Regrettably, things get a little rocky from here. And it all stems from the methods involved.

Did I say "methods"?

Yep, I did. And there are several at play here. Now, to Chatelain's credit, this is a damned clever piece of work and there's a certain synergy about the parts here that make this an entertaining work to play with. But with all those methods comes all those gimmicks and gaffs and heat and problems of a practical nature. And therein is "The Lane" particular difficulty.

Here's the situation: Chatelain's methods have gimmicked or gaffed pretty much everything here. The result is the open, visible effect, but also problems with resetting (you'll need a trip to the bathroom here), transporting (that's a lot of pocket real estate you'll be losing, what with deck, labels, case, and the like all needed), and heat (everything is just too suspicious here by a length).

Don't get me wrong; the effect is pretty strong. For my money, the presentation lacks surprise (the sticker disappeared and a spectator is holding a deck... is there any doubt what's coming next?), but the "how" of it seems impossible enough to make up for it. But with the practicality issues and far too much attention being brought to bear on props, "The Lane" is too limited for most performers.

If you don't mind the drawbacks -- the extra baggage, the time-taking reset, etcetera -- and can deal with the heat dispersal, and find the plot entertaining and attractive, "The Lane" is a good piece of work and you may find yourself even in love with the thing. But if you're lacking in patience with any of those things, "The Lane" is going to leave you flat.

"The Lane" by Mickael Chatelain
In a Blink: 6 Out of 10

Practicality: 3
With so many gimmicks and gaffs in play, re-set is a definite issue. Likewise, you'll be giving up a lot of real estate with the deck, the labels, etc. This is one that is a one-off, a showpiece, rather than a true worker for most venues.

Workmanship: 5
What's constructed done well enough, but you'll have to do a lot of assembly yourself.

Documentation: 5
The documentation -- a DVD with captions but no voice over -- does a credible job of teaching the necessary construction and routine. You'll have no problem learning this one.

Effect: 8
This definitely makes an impression, and usually a very good one. The penetration/location aspects of this one are fairly solid and make this one worth a serious look. The weak spot? Too much heat and too little dispersal.

Presentation: 7
There are parts of this that look just so good it's scary (case in point: the label going bye-bye). These little pieces all add up to a solid, visual presentation. Unfortunately, the handling just screams gimmicks, and that always tweaks the curiosity and weakens the routine.



Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.