Last week, I was performing a show for about 30 fifth graders. I was causing something to move by itself and all 30 kids were looking at closely with their mouths open. Suddenly, one of the dads who showed up early to pick up his kid yelled out "he has a motor up his arm!"

WTF?

Deal with it. That's part of being an actor playing the part of a magician.

Like Jim said, kids are always going to be yelling out things (good and bad), and you just have to be on your toes and learn to deal with it on the spot.

Sometimes stuff will happen and you might not have a response, like what happened to you at this particular show. However, next time you're hopefully better prepared to deal with something like this.

Once I was performing more than one show at this venue, and some child attended both shows. So during my second show, the child yelled out, "He's going to do this (insert trick name here). When the child said that, I yelled out, "Spoiler Alert," and that got a big laugh from the adults.

And sometimes your best lines will come from your audience. Once I was performing and some kid asked another child what I meant when I said this one word. The other child said, "Look it up in Wikipedia," which got a huge laugh.

Gerry

Good advice! I was just shocked that it was the father that was a spoiler this time.

Was he right? Did you have a motor up your arm?

He was pretty close!

Sounds like he said it as a joke. He probably had no idea what you were doing.
Best to laugh and move on with any answer they shout out.

Tom

I think that Tom has "been there before". --I have, too!

I would have responded with something like: "Yup! 75 horsepower!!!

When planning or developing a trick, it's important to "brainstorm"! E.g.: What can go wrong? How will I handle "that"?

If I'm doing the Serpentine Silk, and, somehow the "motive power" fails, I might ad lib: "Looks like the battery needs charging!"

I would have said "Yes I do, your wife loves it too." "It is a lot stronger than the one she uses when you are at work." It is even funnier when someone makes what sounds like a really outlandish explanation and they are not too far off. I had that happen many times. One time I had a guy yell out "He has a surgical incision in his hand that he hides the silk in and then closes it" after I used a TT.

I find it best to ignore hecklers. Do not stop your routine, do not acknowledge, do not retaliate...

I love how Joe Rogan owns hecklers in his comedy shows I take after him. But he also performs for mostly drunken adults and in bars and comedy clubs. So he has them a lot more but still not all the time, and when he does it is usually just one out of thousands that he embarrasses. I actually rarely ever had any, just the occasional obnoxious little kid or teen who may shout out who thinks he knows it all but actually has no clue. That makes it even funnier. Most shows I do are high-class people and those who pay to see good magic. You mostly get hecklers at "free" shows or bars and venues like that.

Or as I said kids shows once in awhile that is about it. But I filter out those types of venues that have those types of people so I usually have no issues. It also depends on your performance style as well, and whether or not people feel "challenged" instead of entertained and amazed. You can also ignore them as well and if they continue on have them removed. But I tend to stick to venues that have people that are very appreciative of my magic not just free shows, or free for them anyway and paid by the venue; where people can just show up to cause trouble. Way back when I first started I did any show that I could get. then later on I was able to be more selective after establishing myself. But most of the time all goes well anyway.

For more years than I care to count, I've opened with a "SOFT" SUCKER ROUTINE. It plays for all ages, but is especially good in a high school. As the routine proceeds, I'm always one step ahead, and, the audience realizes that I'm going to fool them, BUT, NOT make fools OF them!

The second routine is an explanation and demonstration of how THEIR OWN MINDS, are what fools them! At the finish of this "illusion" routine, they are "ready" to be entertained!

If the performer's PRESENTATION, does not create an "adversary" situation, there is no reason for heckling to start.

That is a good idea.

Unfortunately the guy who did it was a late comer to the show and just walked in on the trick.

Frankly he was a jerk who should give a partial refund to the host. Kids can make guesses but an adult who does this is probably mad about something else and is acting out (as a child) or he is so desperate to look smart in front of a bunch of 5th graders that he just went for it.

Not every problem is a performer problem. (But we should ALL question whether we ARE the problem.)

-Mary Mowder

I may have also looked at him with an evil eye and said, "I can make you disappear." Should get a great laugh from the kids. that is the "clean" version I have several books with "outs and one-liners" which is good to have, but most of the time I make up my own stuff because it rarely happens anyway and I have yet to even read the books lol. I think there is a section on the Café about those also maybe in the "Now That's Funny" section. But usually you can make light of and defuse any heckling situation. There is no need to make it serious, if you don't the audience won't. It could even turn into some great comedic entertainment.

Even though it is an annoyance and disrupting the show. Usually that is what a heckler wants, for you to get mad. So instead why not make him look like the fool that he is, and be the laughing stock of the show? Then he will get the attention that he seeks, and then some.

I'm with the people who say he was just guessing or joking. Even if he wasn't that would be the best way to treat it.

“A motor? That’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?”

"Well Sir you have a "motor-mouth" that's for sure."

Kids will say anything to get attention.

I’ve learned a long time ago to just ignore whatever anyone says. Hey, they may be right or they may be totally wrong!

"Yeah, and an automatic transmission in my shoe."