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Persona by David Jonathan
David Jonathan’s latest offering is a personality test in a packet of cards. The performer asks the spectator five questions and spells their answers by moving one card from the top to the bottom of the packet. The last card spelled to is given to them and said to contain the word that describes their personality. The other cards are revealed to be all negative words. When they look at the card they landed on, it is the only positive word in the packet.
This is very similar to his trick “Profile” but self-contained within a packet of cards. I liked Profile, but I like this more because the cards now make sense within the presentation. It’s a smaller amount of cards to choose from so it may not be quite as strong as Profile, but I prefer the practicality of this.
The cards themselves are very nicely made and you get two sets. One set reveals one positive personality trait out of a bunch of negative ones, and the other set reveals one negative trait out of a bunch of positive ones. It totally depends on how you want to play it, but the method is exactly the same either way. You also get a fantastic packet trick wallet to hold both sets. This is genuinely the best packet trick wallet I’ve seen. It’s not those cheap flimsy plastic things. The one provided is thick leather (although I’m sure it’s faux leather) and it looks and feels so good. You also get a crib card that has the instructions of the personality test on one side and the secret info on the other. This crib sheet is used in case you don’t have great eyesight and can’t see the markings which brings us to a very important point: the markings.
All of the cards are marked. The markings don’t tell you what the card is (because that wouldn’t be helpful for this routine.) Instead, the cards tell you a different piece of information that makes the entire trick work. The cards also have a marking that indicates the order the cards should be in, the force card has an easily identified marking to make sure they get the correct card, and the cards have a one way design to help you make sure you are turning the cards over in a way that they can be read easily by the spectator.
Phill Smith is the incredible designer behind the markings, and they are awesome. My only complaint is I find them a little hard to see. I’m not usually one to struggle with these types of markings, but it took some practice for me to be able to recognize the markings quickly. It’s funny, but on video, the markings seem crystal clear, but in person, it’s a different story. David says they were purposefully designed to be a little harder to read because the spectator is staring at the back of the cards the entire time. You definitely don’t want them to be seeing a big marking staring back at them. There is NO WAY a lay person would see them because even I struggle to see them and I know exactly what it says and what to look for. Once you get more familiar with the markings and the information on them, it becomes much easier, but I think some people can just see these types of markings and some people can’t regardless of eyesight. I should mention that the markings are actual words. There’s no code or cipher you’ll need to read them, but I fully understand why they include the crib.
In addition to the items, you also get a 48 minute tutorial. It begins with several performance videos followed by an introduction and credits. Then we get a break down of the props, the method overview, the markings, the routine, the final questions, the A**hole presentation, more ideas and tips, tips on the markings, the crib version, and final thoughts. As you’d expect with a David Jonathan release, the tutorial is top tier and covers every little detail and answers every question you may have before you’ve even thought of it.
Overall, I think this is a solid release with a solid method. I don’t think it’s the most amazing trick ever, but I think it’s fun in casual situations. It's also self-working which is a huge plus. There's nothing to memorize and practically nothing to remember at all as you perform it. You can also decide how many questions you want to ask; three to five questions seems to be ideal. I can see myself using it when the time is right, but it won't be part of my professional repertoire.
It's available for $24.95 here:
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