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chrisant_lou New user 34 Posts |
What do you think about using stooge in mentalism act?
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Jheff V.I.P. 402 Posts |
Since there seems to be a lot of confusion over the term "stooge," let me just define it, so far as I'm concerned, for the sake of clarity. A "stooge" or "instant stooge" is an audience member who is let in on the secret of the effect during the performance and secretly helps the performer achieve the effect. An "assistant" is an audience member who has pre-arranged with the performer to aid in achieving the effect.
As a mentalist, though I do ultimately stress what I'm doing is merely for entertainment, I still want to keep the door open for some who will think that I may be real. So I do not want to take the risk of being "caught out" with stooges. There are far too many other really strong effects that can be done without stooges that it's not necessary to ever use one. Another point is that the stooge is usually a stranger. The performer has no idea if that person will explain exactly what was going on to friends and family after the show. Also, the use of stooges, or assistants, is a very easy solution that many audience members will use to explain away what the mentalist does. A mentalist must prove, fairly early in the act, that anyone can be used and that no one is an assistant or stooge. And this is yet another reason not to use stooges. If the performer will be going to great lengths to prove that stooges and assistants are not used, then it doesn't make sense to actually use them and risk getting exposed. Assistants, on the other hand, can be used at the right time and for the right type of performances. I don't regularly use assistants (or stooges) in my act, but for special routines that I'll do once, or rarely, such as TV appearances or that one special show, I certainly would consider a routine with an assistant. Since assistants should be people you know and trust, you can be sure that the person will not "spill the beans." - Jheff
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