Chris Congreave Lecture Review

Chris Congreave brought a brilliant mix of sharp comedy and seriously deceptive magic to the Surrey Society of Magicians, kicking the evening off with a run of very  funny jokes that grew increasingly bold (and, at times, pretty edgy). A couple of magicians near me were even spotted hurriedly scribbling down a “ventriloquist” gag - always a good sign you’re in the hands of someone with strong material.

From there, Chris moved into a superb routine with dollar coins, and what really stood out was how clearly he taught it. He didn’t just show what happened - he broke down the thinking behind it, sharing practical, experience-led advice on timing, audience management, and misdirection that you could immediately picture using in the real world.

One of the highlights was an intriguing, almost self-working card effect called “Die Another Day” - a proper fooler that hit hard with minimal apparent effort. In fact, it was strong enough to prompt me to pick up Chris’s book More Commercial Killers. He also showed us an updated version of his classic, MaC Sandwich which also available in MCK.

After the interval, the session shifted into more technically juicy territory, with lessons in some genuinely deceptive card moves, including the Jinx move, along with a routine involving a Marmite tin – half of us loved it, half of us hated it!

Overall, Chris was a fantastic lecturer: funny, clear, and packed with practical takeaways. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and one that left plenty of us buzzing with ideas to try, a few new notes in our notebooks and a whole new magic book for me to read.