(Note to critics, I did a search and didn't find any reviews of this DVD, for those who will rush out to see if they can find one and if they do complain that it is a repost just mellow out)

Title: Magic Dave Bish Bash Bosh!
Media: DVD 1 hour 25 minutes
Arena: Kids shows
Distributed by Murphy’s Magical Supplies

I’m running a bit late with this review because the DVD Bish Bash Bosh! By Magic Dave Allen ended up behind some books and I just stumbled across it. I’m glad I did. I enjoy performing kids shows and feel that I have a better than average grasp on what it takes to put on a successful show. I also find that most other kids show performers are greatly lacking and do not understand what makes a show entertaining and that they are in the field because they don’t want to work but have to make money somehow and figure it is an easy way since there are always kids having birthdays and even the hackiest of the hacks can make a couple hundred bucks a weekend. The problem is that those that basically suck at performing kids shows have no clue how bad they are and they have plenty of pals around to tell them how great they are in exchange for the hack to tell that person how great they are at whatever arena of magic they are infesting with their presence. That being said Magic Dave Allen is an outstanding kids show magician.
Why is he good? He understands what is funny to a child at various ages and how to make a presentation entertaining to as many people present, who often ranged from the very young to adults, and doing so in a solid character. Magic Dave’s character is not over done but it has an amusing look to it. His delivery is clear with good timing and he has control over the audience the entire time and maintains that he is a funny adult doing magic not an idiot doing magic. Unlike many performers I can promise you there is no seven year old thinking “Geez this guy is an arsehole” which I’m sure is thought hundreds of times at birthdays across the US, Canada, and the UK. If a child crosses the line they are suppose to sit behind they are told immediately to stay behind the line, if they are getting too out of control he takes back the control in a way that isn’t intimidating or insulting, it is his show and the kids know it. This is so important but not stressed enough. I’m sure a lot of you just act like overgrown four year olds and think you are entertaining, you are not, and you are acting mentally challenged. Magic Dave doesn’t have to scream, yell, act like he is deficient; he just does a solid show. It is so nice to see a real professional at work and Magic Dave shows us again that the Brits have it down.
Is his performance perfect? Performance wise it is darn close there is only one issue I had and that is Magic Dave is very prop heavy as in he clearly spends a lot of money on props where I’m old school and learned to do magic shows without benefit of magic shops or, as many have now, access to the props do it all routines. Magic Dave doesn’t do the routines as the out of boxers do, thank goodness, but this fellows show is expensive and could be intimidating to a new performer out there. If you make a lot of money they god bless you go buy the props and all that, if you are not yet able to purchase them do not think you are any less of a performer. Magic Dave applies thought to his props and he isn’t churning out chunks of magic he is putting on a show where one routine leads into another with logic and an eye to performing basics. I never again want to see those magicians who come out and does the canned routine and finishes then goes into another canned routine and one has nothing to do with the other. Magic Dave does use puppets and I love puppets but he doesn’t over kill with them since he is doing a magic show not a puppet show though to be honest a good puppet show will often out do a magic show. Magic Dave has some Axtell puppets and they are top quality.
Now for the DVD itself. The quality is tops, beautifully shot and clear and the sound is excellent. I understood what Magic Dave said and that is impressive considering I am often lost when an accent is in the picture unless the sound is clear. They used the tried and true method of showing a performance piece with real children and then Magic Dave (I don’t know Magic Dave so I’m not sure if calling him Dave is okay) explains the routine and why he does certain things during the show. His explanations are clear and to be honest with you the real value is more in the ‘why’ then in the ‘what’. Everything on the DVD is prop based and often very expensive props but again the goal is to learn how to perform for children more so, in my opinion, than what to perform for them. I do want to say that Magic Dave does perform some of the prop routines in the proper manner for the first time that I’ve seen. Again his use of them makes sense because he is Magic Dave who is a Magician not Ranger Rick the Magical Ranger because if he was Ranger Rick then they routines wouldn’t be correct, got that? No? Then you are in the majority. Magic Dave is in the minority, bless him.
Magic Dave goes over the equipment he uses such as his amp/speaker, what he uses for music, back drop, all that fun stuff and then performs around ten routines explaining eight of them, make sure to check out the bonus act. If there was one thing I’d like to have seen and I realize this would have added another hour to the performance would be the games that the UK magicians like to toss into the mix. I have not seen a really good DVD on games and I think that American magicians, such as myself, are interested in that aspect of the UK methodology. The Brits (Magic Dave, if you are not English I apologize) do the full party thing where they might spend a couple hours or more at an event while we Americans are more hit and run types. Interestingly Magic Dave doesn’t get into the differences at all on the DVD which I think actually may be a good thing since the hacks here are the main ones who want to expand their bad shows to include ruining games as well.
I really enjoyed this DVD. I liked Magic Dave, I thought his performing was above average on every level, and I found his explanations to be clear and adding value. His use of puppets while not original with him is top notch and he explains the type of magic you want to perform with a puppet and his kid control, or kid control for you members of a certain organization, is where it should be. Again the routines are not based on anything really original but on available props, again that is fine, but the routines are done right and that is a bonus. I know this DVD came out three years ago but if you can get it and want to add to your knowledge base it is a winner and congrats to the UKers for continuing bringing out some of the best dang DVD’s on the market.

That would be easier to read with paragraphs my friend.

There are paragraphs friend, just not with indentations, or spacing in between them.

I had to cut and paste and the spacing vanished. I apologize.