OPUS ( Mona Lisa ) by Nefesch – A Review
Opus (Mona Lisa) by Nefesch
Murphy’s Magic
$24.95
Opus (Mona Lisa) by Nefesch is a coincidence type effect, or, a prediction effect.. depending on your spectator. To clear this up.. there are two possible endings; one allows the spectator to recreate a masterpiece.. the other allows the spectator to create a ‘jumble’ of cards that perfectly match a picture of a ‘jumble of cards’ you placed on the table before the effect began..
The spectator is handed four black credit card sized cards. You tell the spectator that the face of the cards contain a picture that will take on a significance at the end of the effect. The spectator is asked to mix the cards thoroughly. He is asks to change the orientation of some of the cards if he wishes. Finally, the spectator is asks to lay the four cards on the table to form a square.
Everything is left to the discretion of the spectator.
Yet, when the pieces are turned.. all four form a perfect recreation of a picture of the iconic Mona Lisa!
This is quite the coincidence, considering all the decisions were a result of the spectator. There is a possibility the cards will form a totally unrelated picture.. with half a head in the top row and the second half in the bottom row.. But when all looks lost, the magi asks the SPECTATOR to remove the one card in an envelope on the table.. (from the beginning).. and it is found to be a perfect image of the jumbled picture created by the spectator.
OPUS comes with five credit size cards.. four are the required four pieces to form the painting of the Mona Lisa. The fifth card is a picture of the jumbled face of the Mona Lisa. Nothing else is needed. Unlike effects with multiple out, OPUS has only one possible out aside from the forming of a perfect picture.. and that out is in plain view the entire time.
I like that the spectator does all the work. I like that the spectator discloses the only other out, if necessary. Of course, the spectator doesn’t realize the out is an out… he assumes it was your intention from the beginning. In the event the completed face of the Mona Lisa is the outcome, the out is never mentioned.. and the spectator is left with a perplexing coincidence.
OPUS will require a little work on your part, memory wise.. I don’t think I’m revealing too much when I mention the position of the cards on the table are known by the magi before they’re turned. The final position of the cards is NOT totally under the control of the spectator.. but I’m sure you’ve figured that out. The question is – does the spectator THINK the final position is his. And the answer is.. Yes. (I wish there were such a thing as true magic.. but I’ve discovered ‘true magic’ needs a little help from time to time.)
I like this… I can definitely see myself performing this during walk arounds. It’s a little magic.. and a little mental.. It’s also something that you can perform almost effortlessly once you grasp the orientation of the cards. There is NO math.. just an understanding of whether you are creating a coincidence or a prediction once the cards are positioned by the spectator.
At a little over 50 minutes, the online instructions are thorough. I had to watch it twice to get a good grasp of my part in the miracle, but that’s to be expected. Watching it twice to learn an effect I’ll actually use is NOT a big deal. There is another learning curve once the basics are understood, and it involves a minor sleight… but it’s just that… minor..
If you like this type of mental magic, I would definitely recommend OPUS go on your ‘to get’ list. Or better yet.. just forget the list and buy it now. That way, you can be performing it next week and getting the kind of responses that make magic so important to us…
Available from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of quality products…
Watch a video performance at: