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TheHillusionist New user 68 Posts |
Hi there fellow magicians.
I'm a close up magician and have mainly done table-hopping for the past few years. I decided that I wanted to start my own show just under a year ago. I didn't want to just jump in to performing without proper scripting, routining, etc so I've actually been working relentlessly to come up with a quality show that compliments my personality, skills, etc. That being said, I'm pretty well known around my city for my table-hopping and close up stuff but am pretty nervous about a large, sitting crowd. I'm always being asked to do shows so here I am .. I'll give it a whirl. I like to have a ton of audience participation, illusions, mind reading and little bits of comedy. I suppose what I'm looking for here is some constructive criticism on what I've come up with. Crowd: 25-35 peeps ages 35-55. 30 mins Setting: Private room in back of a club with buffet. A comedian will also be doing a 15 min. piece. My opener: 1. A vanishing candle, silk, appearing/vanishing wine bottle piece 2. "Silent Treatment" (Jon Allen) 3. Bank Night (to establish a rapport) (Do a bill change with some clever patter afterwards) I get in to a few Torn and restored effects (a card and a sugar packet) I then go in to a magazine test followed by a 2 person PK touch I have a lovely silk to egg routine as a nice gag I have a killer ring and rope routine ending with Nest of Wallets I throw in some cool card tricks in between, including a nice rising deck, a Chicago opener type effect, one using an impression device (Psypher), etc I'm extremely nervous. Any words of advice, wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Magically yours, TheHallusionist |
ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
That is a lot of effects for 30 minutes. Cut it down and focus on making the show cohesive, each effect leading into the next rather than a "for my next trick" type of vibe.
Consider making Silent Treatment the opener. Good luck, you might also get more help posting this down in the Table Hoppers & Party Strollers area. |
TheHillusionist New user 68 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 5, 2016, ThomasJ wrote: Great advice. Thank you so much. The last thing I want is a "here's my next trick". Perhaps I can start a new post on the proper way to formulate "segue's". So far I think I've overthought my effects and underthought my transitions or "segue's" to have a nice flow from effect to effect. I'll have a peek at this thread: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=27 |
ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
Http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=106
This might give you some ideas as well. I didn't read thru it all, but he posed a similar question. |
MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3501 Posts |
Make sure your first trick gets their attention AND because you are nervous, make sure it is almost impossible to mess up.
After a good response to the first effect you and your audience will relax and have a good time together. |
TheHillusionist New user 68 Posts |
Thanks Mike.
I'll be starting off with Silent Treatment. Its's not as quick and flashy as I like my openers to be, but I just love the flow of it. ANybody do this to music? Or complete silence? |
ThomasJ Special user Chicago 999 Posts |
There's a lot of fun you can have just using non-verbals and letting the audience become involved if you play it more funny than serious. I don't do the effect myself, but I think you'd have more fun with it done silently rather than to music.
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CrossMagic New user 34 Posts |
Yeah just voicing what ThomasJ wrote: One thing you can't script is audience interaction, and you may find that general conversations in between effects and even during can end up taking longer than planned. But they help keep everything flowing. So as strange as it sounds for a Magic Show.... Cut out some of the Magic and make sure it has everything. Remember... A cake isn't just the sponge.... Aaaaaaabsolutely no idea if that makes sense but I know what I mean!
Regards, Cross |
drmagico Loyal user 252 Posts |
I agree with the comments so far. If you only have 30 minutes I would keep the number of effects to no more than six. Silent Treatment done silently is a great opener. Remember they have to get to know you to like you. If you bombard them with and overwhelming number of effects there is no time for you to talk to them without something happening. There needs to be periods of relaxation so they can absorb everything. Be yourself and let your personality come through. Howard
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TheHillusionist New user 68 Posts |
Yea, I try to keep the effects/stoty lines, etc flowing. For instance, after my opener (Silent treatment - no music) and a vanishing wine bottle routine to music ... I start off my show with some silk work with "the very first trick I learned" type patter. I then begin talking about how I used to have stage fright and magic shows were tough so that I can introduce the theme of "Awkward Situations". I give a few funny situations I have been i.e:
i.e - Have you ever been in a awkward situation and just wish that you could change places? Transpose to another place right during that second? I know I have many times. Just today , I was waiting in line, stepped backwards onto someone's foot, turned around with open hands in apology, cupped both her boobs. “Yesterday, I was looking for clip on sunglasses to go over my prescription glasses. Asked the pharmacist at CVS if they sold "strap ons”….everybody in the line was in hysterics”. (Of course this is only for my adult stuff). This leads in to a cool cards transposition effect where the cards change places. After that I'm able to segue into: “Speaking of awkward situations…….can I get a male and a female up here?” …. “I see that your parole officer is with you...that’s wonderful” French Kiss: “Now I know you may have significant others here or at home, but I want to do a “chemistry test” with the both of you….just to test you compatibility for fun .. you game?” (of course the cards change places when they touch meaning that 2 adults have a connection...which can be very funny if they're 2 oddballs who work in the same office). I then segue in to somethin like: Segue: “Aww… you guys are so sweet. Sweet like sugar! Can we agree that not all relationships are sweet?” …( Here, can you inspect this bag of sugar packets and make sure they’re normal)? I perform Osterlind's Sweet Low...telling a tale of how relationships arn't always sweet and ppl can get torn apart (pouring the sugar in to my had, etc). I usually then segue in to a love story in high school about a girl I had a crush on. I write "Roses are red...violets are blue" on a card and ask a spec to finish the poem. I then tell how she ripped it up. That's when I used some magic to repair the letter and give it to the girl who really deserved it .. .I do a version of torched and restored. I then get in to some mentalism effects. But that's some of my storylines, segue's, ideas...lot's of funny stuff in between also. But like I said, I'm rather new to stand up /parlour type stuff for 35-55 or more spec's at a time. So I hope I'm on the right track. I'm trying to let my personality come through and connect with the audience instead of being a trick monkey. |
TheHillusionist New user 68 Posts |
Quick update..
My gig absolutely rocked. I worked very hard to make it more about having fun and letting my personality shine than showing tricks. I got 4 gigs from that one performance for the next few weeks. Some highlights.....TRU TEST (Kranzo) went very well....all my card stuff was well received. I did a "Clip Line Delux" type routine where my prediction was "Goldfish". (I hid the goldfish in a little bowl at back of room).....absolutely killed. Osterinlnd's Sweet N Low, a T&R effect (storyline about a girl I had a huge crush on ripping up my love poem in high school) and Ring & Rope (Nest of Wallets) were all hits. I used a ladies wedding ring (risky I know .. was super careful)but made it that much more magical...no chatter about how I must have 2 duplicate rings. What did I learn? I was about to do my silk stuff and before I could start I heard...."I bet he has one of those thumbs"...so I was quick on my feet and vanished it without a TT. They had no clue about TT's in bank night, Sweet N Low, etc. BEWARE peeps....they know. lol I had a ton of funny stories. I was following a comedian and I felt I matched his wit and humor. I started off with bank night....the vanishing wine (I literally drank a glass of wine...that I poured from my vanishing wine bottle.....then did my rendition of an adult misers dream.....then of course the vanishing wine bottle gag....which killed. I concluded by getting the crowd around the pool table and followed the advice of one of the posters who suggested I have a spec spread all the cards facedown on the pool table, have another spec hold another deck (ID) above their head...and yet another spec shoot a pool ball to land on a random card. Folks went cray cray when the only card facedown was the same as the on the pool ball landed on. The people wanted more and more....so I stuck around and performed some card stuff (some ACAAN, ambitious card, Quick As A wink, etc)....all well received. They all lined up for my business cards. My confidence is through the roof, which is nice because I was god awful nervous before the show. It was sure as hell a lot different from strolling but Im glad I prepared as much as I did and took the plunge. Turns out I love performing in front of a crowd. Thanks to everybody who helped me out with advice. I appreciate it. |
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