Truth or Consequences
Finally, Kurotsuke done right. I have always been a fan of Kurotsuke, the black marble mentalism trick. You probably know the standard routine.
The mental magic trick involves five people reaching into a bag and retrieving marbles. All are white except one marble is black. In what is supposed to be a captivating demonstration of psychological intuition and audience engagement, the mentalist uses his uncanny ability to discern, without any visual cues, who is holding the black marble among the participants.
I love that it is small to carry but fills the whole stage. But every presentation I have seen leaves me feeling flat, there are no consequences, the mentalist knows who has the black marble, so what? It took me years to come up with a premise and build the right tools to make this simple trick a fantastically fun routine, that is captivating from the onset, with consequences, humor thought out, and a funny ending.
Instead of marbles, Truth or Consequences features Lego bricks.
This mental magic feat delves into the realms of perception, suggestion, and the subtle cues that people unknowingly emit just like the original effect but with humor. The mentalist supposedly employs a variety of psychological techniques, including reading body language, microexpressions, and even subtle verbal suggestions to deduce who is lying and who is telling the truth. By honing these observational and psychological skills, the mentalist creates an aura of mystery and mind-reading prowess, leaving the audience astonished, intrigued, and laughing.
“This is hilarious. Just the introduction of the Lego bricks makes this interesting for those of us who have seen this effect thousands of times. Everything about this I like.” – Jeff McBride
“I love this; so good and so original.” Ross Johnson
“Innovative… really smart and exceptional. The addition of consequences makes this really interesting.” Larry Haas