I'm working on a cups and balls routine using this theme and already have the cups, balls and wand picked out. However I'm debating the final load. I'm considering...
Mini liquor bottles, shot glass with liquid, mini beer can (8oz). Any ideas? Also any routines using a similar theme already out there? I still havent worked out how I'm going to produce the liquid filled shot glasses without spillage.

You might want to let us in on your patter. would have a lot to do with what the final load would (could) be.

How about for a big finish you sell Buicks all over the close-up mat?

TW

And be sure to invoke Ralph, the fraternity god of the porcelain throne.

Wayne Dobson has an effect out called Gin and Tonic where the final load is a can of tonic water, followed by a small bottle of gin, with no loading in between the two productions. It's a nice item!

http://www.merlinswakefield.com/shop?pag......ry_id=25

Why not use all three?

How about a a lobe of cirrhotic liver and two onions.

Or kidney stones.

Not exactly practical, but it's doable... pour out a full beer from a cup you'd been doing the routine with.

As for routines with the same theme, I adapted the "sobriety test" premise from Mark Jenest's Jiggernaught and incorporated it into a one-cup routine. It played really well. I was working a table at a party (long story) with wandering guests, and sometimes people who'd seen my set earlier would come back and say "Oh, I think my friend here needs a 'sobriety test'!" The gentle teasing that can come with that makes for a fun time.

I didn't have the soft load described above, though, I just ended with a pair of limes. I'd been researching ways to try to add a bottle production to it, but never got around to it. I was also working ungimmicked, and the trick would have certainly benefited from using a chop cup.

I can post the general plot here if anybody's interested...

Thanks for the input. andrew, I wouldn't mind hearing it

Ok. Very quickly before I begin, this is framed as a sobriety test, so it is a bit of a challenge being put to the spectator. Just so you know, though, the challenge is actually quickly overcome by the spec, and in explaining how "other people" have failed the challenge, the routine then moves into a flurry sequence that finally culminates in final loads.

Only the presentation is described here, but the moves are standard, you should be able to figure them out.

Performer pulls out a cup and a single ball. "What we're going to do is a simple sobriety test, involving this cup and this ball. Sometimes the ball is going to be under the cup--" [ball is placed under mouth down cup] "--like this, and sometimes it's going to be placed in the pocket--" [by this time, the cup's been lifted, and ball's been placed in the left pocket. "--like that. Easy enough?" [ball is removed from pocket] "So, sometimes under the cup, sometimes in the pocket. Your job is to figure out where it is. Pocket or cup, cup or pocket. Ok?" [performer's been holding the ball in the left hand and moving it in a closed fist back and forth between the pocket and cup. When spectator says ok.] "Great! Ok, let's begin." [Left hand opens and is shown to be empty, cup is lifted, and the ball is found underneath.]

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Notes on Phase 1: The response to this is sometimes more muted than I'd like. It's meant to mimic a lot of chop cup opening phases, such as Don Alan's. That said, I was trying not to be a Don Alan clone so I might not have set this up as well as he does. If I solve this, I'll let you know. I'm sure it's a scripting thing. It does get chuckles from people who are paying attention.

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"Ok, you sir. Are you ready to go? Alright." [performer places the ball under the cup and does a heavy feint, making it seem like he's still holding it in one of his hands.] "Where would you say it is now? If you had to guess." [spectator usually bites on the hand reliably in close-up or parlour. More notes on this later. Performer opens his hand up and shows it empty.] "Man, you really have been drinking, haven't you?" [This reliably gets laughs.] "Come on, where is it? That's right, it's under the cup. Good for you!" [Performer then places it into his pocket.] "And where would you say it is now? I'll give you a hint." [Cup is lifted to show nothing underneath. Spectator usually says it's in the pocket. Ball is removed **cough cough you're now one ahead cough**] "Excellent. Well-done. Let's hear it for the mostly sober Mr. Brown."

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Notes on Phase 2: For the feint, people will bite on this hard if you're in close-up and parlour. In stage, though, I've found that they don't reliably go for the feint. I don't know where you're planning on using this, so I just wanted to throw this out there. The feint is a good moment, and it should serve a couple of purposes -- first to make any extraneous motions that you'll need for the False Transfers later to seem fair, and second, to keep people from wanting to try to bust you. It's also a funny moment. Credit goes to Mark Jenest for doing something similar in his routine.

Incidentally, I count this as a phase even though technically no magic happens. Done briskly, it's a good sequence. After all, it represents the sobriety test proper, and it helps to establish things for later.

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Performer continues "See, if you've not been drinking, it's easy to know when the ball is under the cup," [ball is placed under the cup] "or when it's been put into the pocket." [ball is returned to the pocket] "If you've been drinking, though, then sometimes it's a bit more difficult." [cup is lifted to show the ball's returned. Ball is removed and placed into the pocket.] "The more you drink, the more it seems like there's balls all over the place." [cup is lifted and the ball's returned again] "In fact, you'll get people who are sure that the ball is under the cup" [ball is placed under the cup] "when it couldn't possibly be under the cup because it's in the pocket." [cup is lifted and shown empty, placed on table. Hands are shown empty before the ball is fished out of the pocket. "And then they'll think it's back in the pocket," [ball is replaced in pocket] "when it couldn't possibly be back in the pocket because it's under the cup." [cup is lifted and shown that the ball's there again]

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Notes on Phase 3: Lots of magic here in this flurry, and all the choreography you'll need to get into Final Load position without too much trouble. Every now and then you'll get asked "How many balls do you have?" Jokes tend to write themselves at that point.

Incidentally, that final sequence there -- ball disappears from under cup, ends up in pocket, ball is replaced in pocket, ends up under the cup -- in order to set up for FL can work just as well in a conventional one-cup routine with a wand. It flies on regular audiences, and because it's different than many of the standard final load sequences that I've seen (perhaps others have seen this strategy before, but I've not) it has the potential to also take in magicians, if that's of any importance. Maintaining the flurry-like speed to the end helps.

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"But my favourite thing is when the guy is really soused. When that happens, I like to change the nature of the test. Like, I'll put the ball under the cup" [performer puts ball under the cup] "and I'll stop asking them if it's under the cup or in the pocket. I mean, you can hear it there." [cup is shaken mouth-down, and depending upon the cup and **cough cough ball cough** there ought to be a rattling noise] "So instead of asking where the ball is, I'll ask what it looked like. And I always get the funniest answers. They always tell me it was this small" [performer makes gesture with thumb and index finger to symbolize about an inch diameter] "and that it was red with a little bit of cloth on it. I have no idea where they get that from!" [cup is lifted to show a lime.] "And it's usually at this point when I'll tell them they're cut off, because otherwise [insert ending line for Mark Jenest's Jiggernaut as you reveal the second lime]

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Notes on Final Phase: It usually helps if people aren't too close to the cup at this point, because when you're relaxing, hands in the pockets (you can probably guess why) and trying to explain about how you're changing the nature of the test, if they're really, really curious about what's under the cup, they might reach out and lift it, showing the lime prematurely. That messes up both the timing of the reveal and the ability to get the kicker. I'd been meaning to try out a "Now, no peaking!" to keep them from looking, but hadn't before putting the routine on hold for a while.

Mark Jenest's routine is up on Youtube, and you can get the final line from him there. I just feel weird putting it here in this script as it's not really mine.

The use of a challenge as a premise that is then overcome and then explained afterwards, I've not seen before. If you've got a challenge routine that you want to do, but don't like the idea of the spectator losing, this offers you the best of both worlds -- you get the spectator invested in the moment, they don't lose, and yet they get baffled as all git by the ending.

Finally, with the information here, this routine should be completely doable with a chop cup. I was working ungimmicked, which presented new obstacles and some extra sleight-of-handiness that I'm not overly fond of, but overall it did its job well in terms of getting them interested in the adventures of the little ball so that the limes have a chance to gobsmack them.

Hope that helps.

Nice!

Thanks, Bill. It's still a bit raw, but even in this form it played well.

I realize this is an old post, but if your still looking for ideas..... If your premise is that they may have had too many, you could produce a can of coffee, the Starbucks mini shot cans should fit nicely under a cup. YOu could also do a bottle of pepto bismo for the next morning or a can of v8........... with the line, you have had too much. Coffee won't sober you up (show coffee), that's just a myth. Coffee and achohol just make for a wide awake drunk... You should have had a v8 (show v8). Just a thought.

For silent prop a box of alka seltzer or plastic bottle of aspirins

I've never cared much for TW (or him for me) but I gotta give it to him. That was damm funny.

Jiggernaut by Mark Jennest is a wonderful alcohol related one cup and ball (olive) routine. Easy to carry, instant reset. Not a full cups and balls set, but may be nice to have in your arsenal when C&B aren't practical.

Sammy

An old post, but as I read it, I kept thinking of a final load:
Encase a latex nose into a cast, acrylic ball.
When produced, say something to the effect of "The problem is, when tested I can never actually touch my nose..."

Maliki. In a Medieval feast setting I had great success in using as a final load, some object swiped from the Royal personage. Once a glove, another time the Queen's necklace.

My best effort was overhearing the newly crowned King of the West complain that he couldn't have ice cream at his feast. Nuff said? Lemon Sherbet is 12th century.


For me the impact is the unexpected result after the crescendo built up of previous moves or effects. Not limited to C&B, but effective since many expect a potato or such.