So this is something that I've had running through my head for a couple of months now.

Before I start, there are 3 things I want to clarify, namely, the meaning, the form, and why I'm posting it.
The meaning: I'm bipolar and have suffered through several deep depressions. This act draws from those experiences. (so yes, it's dark)

The form: I didn't want it to be a magic show. I wanted it to be an act that uses magic to convey a meaning. This is a very short stage piece. (<5 minutes)

The reason: There is very little chance I will ever finish this and perform it, which is why I don't mind posting it on a public forum. However, I do want the routine to be finished in my mind and I am looking for suggestions. Currently I only have a rough idea of the feel of it and some of the parts.

Now that that's out of the way...

Curtains open. On stage is a bed, a mirror, and a small table with a bottle of brandy and a glass, and a bird cage. In the bed lays the magician. Music starts (Chains and Things by B.B. King) The magician gets up, carrying the blanket still draped around him. He is wearing jeans and a t-shirt obviously slept in. He looks overall messy. He pours the brandy into the glass and gulps it all down. Grimacing, he pulls the blanket around in front of him blocking him from view (the glass is still in his hand and can be seen above the blanket. Both blanket and glass drop (the glass shatters on the ground) and the magician has disappeared. (the first lyric of the song begins with, "woke up this morning") At this moment the magician again gets out of the bed. In a similar fashion he goes to the brandy, but notices the glass is broken. Taking the bottle, he pours some into his closed fist, then shakes it out to reveal a black silk. From the silk he produces another glass, then proceeds to pour and drink. He sets the glass down (with the silk on top of it) and walks over to the blanket still on the ground from the earlier disappearance. Picking up the blanket, he again pulls it over his head as before, but this time when it drops the magician is wearing a black suit (black pants, dress shirt, and tie). Picking up the silk, he produces a comb from it and looks into the mirror while combing his hair back. Looking closer into the mirror trying to fix a cowlick, a hand reaches out of the mirror and pulls him into it, hitting his head against it. Reeling back disorientated, he again pours and drinks more brandy. Pouring again, he then covers the glass with the silk, then throws it into the air producing a crow. After putting the crow into the cage, he sits down on the bed with his head in his hands. Looking up, he sees the bottle and stands up to head for it. As he takes his first step, he learns that his leg is chained to the ground with a thick, loud chain. He reaches down and tries to remove it but is unable to. Standing up again he finds that his opposite hand is now chained as well. With a panicked look he reaches out for the bottle, but the chains keep it just out of reach. Stretching as hard as he can he gets close, but before his hand can touch the bottle is pulled across the table away from him and falls to the ground, shattering. Defeated, the magician sits back down on the bed with his head in his hands as the curtain closes to the last notes of the song.

This is a very rough idea. There would be a lot of changes before this was ever performed. I don't really know the feasibility of using a crow (or any black bird) as apposed to a dove. I'm not very sure about the ending because it doesn't end with a bang. But then again, I'm not sure if I want it to. ("This is how the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.")

I don't know how well this syncs up timewise with the song. (whether things would have to be added/removed.)

So...any criticisms/suggestions?

Pretty cool and whacked at the same time.

I love it!

5 minutes is not enough time to do that justice, though. Ham it up. Play it as if it were a silent one-man play, rather than a magic show. (It will build drama.)

As for using a crow; are you prepared for a new full on pet? Crows and ravens are very trainable but not exactly the most docile of birds.

I was that guy..locked in a hotel room with the spirits both literally and figuratively.
I totally can relate to it....you must add a woman or two.

Oh yeah. The magician wakes up in bed with a woman, but as he stands and turns his back, she disappears! (I see the opportunity for a really nice levitation/disappearance trick, with an assistant, here, with the bed and bed sheets.)

Smile and Nod... Crows are very intelligent and sometimes trainable. They do have a mind of their own. Great concept... should be fantastic if you manage to pull it off. Remember... 'A sick mind is a terrible thing to waste'.

Ray

Don't like the idea of broken glass underfoot. Everything else grand.

Thanks for all the support guys! I do like the idea of adding a woman. Maybe have her sit up on the bed, the magician throws the sheet over her, and pulls it away to reveal her gone.

Good point on the broken glass spartacus.

Personally, I really dislike the ending. I don't really think I want a grand finale ending (I want to keep the inconspicuous nature of the magic) but I think the current ending just isn't fitting. Any suggestions/ideas?

Thanks again.

I like the idea, but I'm more of a happy ending kind of guy. This is probably not what your intention is, but if it were me I would add a vanish of yourself at the end, and a reappearance with a group of friends on the other side of the stage or something like that. Probably not the best way, but in your real life how did you get over the depression? ( This is retorical. That is probably too personal for the internet.) I would end somehow depicting that.

Do you have a method for all this?