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omnibozo Regular user Boulder, CO 151 Posts |
In a full show of mentalism, how much comedy do you use? How much is planned (whether it is supposed to look adlibbed or not!) and how much do you sieze the moment and respond humorously to a situation that arises?
And speaking of humor... who is that good looking guy whose photo keeps showing up with your posts? |
Mark Strivings V.I.P. 290 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-04-05 01:08, omnibozo wrote: I will virtually never turn down a free chance at humor that happens spontaneously. That's the best kind! I try to allow for the possibility of those moments in my routines. I don't try to build them in intentionally too often, especially in mentalism. In magic, yes, much more often. I find that it's somewhat difficult to create humorous situations. At least more difficult than with magic It's kind of the nature of the beast. For me, the best and most effective use of humor is that which seems to naturally grow out of my interaction with the audience. I work in a fairly conversational style and that seems to work well for me. I have to be on my toes at all times and sieze those situations that can create a unique and funny moment whenever they arise. Sometimes they come fast and furious. Other times they are relatively few and far between. That's part of the challenge. I find that it's mainly when my audience and I aren't really flowing together that I have to force it a bit more to open things up. It doesn't usually take too much, but there are no hard and fast rules, to be sure. Comedy is such a personal thing. What works for one definitely won't work for another. It's so seamlessly tied into the persona of the performer and their ability to connect with the audience and offer a unique point of view. This is a topic which I am keenly interested in hearing from others on. What's your experience gang? Oh, and that guy in the picture. He needs a shave. Mark
Mark Strivings is the owner of the largest all-mentalism mail order supply business in the world, "Mental Connections", carrying materials not available anywhere else. For complete info, drop Mark a line at MarkyApril@aol.com
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Phil Lawson New user 47 Posts |
Comedy is what Magic is all about.
The Harlequins in the historic courts of England undoubtly used magic to support his comedy. You may as well perform to yourself if you are not going to have fun. My advice to anyone who struggles is to have a laugh when doing a routine and to relax. Treat them as people. Take time to get to know them, chat to them, make a fool out of them (politely of course). Another point if you are still struggling, is to adjust a trick. Make a mess of a trick, really look like a fool and let everyone have a laugh at you, of course you find the card or whatever in a comical fashion. Have a few prepared lines and have a theme for a trick, but I agree ADLIB it`s far more interesting for you and them. So often I see magicians talking into their chest and not making strong eye contact. Grab their attention. You may be better at a **pass** then that french guy (can`t remember) but if you can`t draw everyones eyes away and draw them back then you are not doing your job. Buy some body language books instead of buying another video ie, the hand that you move faster, the eye will follow it. It is noteable that Jay Sankey does entire stand up routines without magic. Comedians hate magic, or is it magic hates comedians? The reason for this is that most magicians have a skill to make people laugh as well as amaze them. But amazement does not arise if you do not make them laugh, they are merely confused and want to work out how it is done!
The magic researcher
https://themagicresearcher.wordpress.com/ |
Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4694 Posts |
I have found that a Mentalism routine has a slight advantage over standard Magic routine, in the fact that almost all the effects require volunteers to assist on stage.
Because of this, the opportunities for humor are vastly increased. My technique is to choose volunteers that I suspect will be entertaining when their with me in the spotlight. There's something in their eyes and through their body language that tells me that we are going to have fun. Of course, I also have a few patented techniques guaranteed to produce the natural-born 'hams' hidden in the audience. Once they are on stage, I put most of the focus on them. They are unpredictable, but I have a lot of faith in my quick wit to keep up with them. I find that most of them possess a great sense of humor and can usually come up with better lines than I'll ever dream up. The humor comes totally impromptu, and in my opinion, far stronger than any scripted and rehearsed joke. Also, this ensures that my show will be different each time it is presented. The tricks may be the same, but the route we take to arrive at the destination will often be wandering into uncharted territory. There's no reason for mentalism to be stiff and boring. Yes, we're reading minds... but our brains are filled with wonderfully funny things. It's our job to bring them out...
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
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