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chrislomas Regular user Coningsby, Lincs 129 Posts 
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Good morning all.
I hope this is the right place to post. If not, apologies. The military camp that I am based at is doing a "britains got talent" type show and ive decided to enter. However, I have just found out that it will be a stage show, and I have very limited experience with this. Now I have had an idea on what I can do for this to make a close up magician do something on stage. But I wondered if there is a tricks/tricks that maybe someone could recommend? Hope everyone is well Chris |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts
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Do only tricks you already have experience with. Not a good idea do anything new that you have never done before.
List your best tricks, and maybe we can advise you which would be good on stage. Study stage magic showmanship and how to act on stage before a mass audience. Remember your superiors will be there and you have to make a good impression on them as well. Get a copy of Henning Nelms book and Ken Weber's book and study them. |
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chrislomas Regular user Coningsby, Lincs 129 Posts
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Hi bill.
The effects I like to perform close up are; Thoughtwave knock 'em dead 2 nothing but the truth on the mark (small) extreme burn i have blank night by john archer but never used it. A variety of AC routines Obviously I have different card routines but none that I can imagine would be workable on stage |
Tally_NSA Loyal user Essex, UK 222 Posts
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Quote:
On Mar 21, 2016, chrislomas wrote: 1. If you don't have to do a set time, do your 3 or 4 best routines. Keep it short and sweet. 2. Get volunteers on stage to assist you. If you can get an officer up there, all the better - the guys will love seeing them baffled. 3. Let the volunteers' reaction be your key to reaching those in the audience who can't see very well. They will be human watching if they can't see the actual tricks themselves. 4. Don't over-think what you are doing up there. Treat it like a parlour routine, and remember your showmanship in "selling" the tricks. |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4855 Posts
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Chris, how long do you have to prepare? Is the show in a week or a month? Since you are not experienced according to your post, I would plan about 7-10 minutes at the most. The way to pick what effects to perform would be to imagine yourself in the audience and determine if you could see and understand the effect from that point of view. There's no point in performing if the audience can't see what you are doing. For example, extreme burn is a great trick but the audience in the middle of the room most likely won't be able to tell what you are doing.
Without larger props, mentalism and rope effects are great for stage.
Where the magic begins
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts
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If you don't have any props, Pop Haydn's Mongolian Pop Knot is an easy to learn, impressive rope routine that comes with a full script. The Video Download and PDF on his site is $15. All you need is a long piece of rope and some scissors and you have a great 7 minute act. www.PopsMagic.com
You could also probably learn a bill-to-lemon or orange trick... those play well on stage, and some are pretty easy to perform. Several routines out there of various methods. |
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chrislomas Regular user Coningsby, Lincs 129 Posts
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Ive got 5 minutes to fill. I was thinking of doing a 'difference between a magician and mentalist' routine. Thoughtwave and another trick still to be determined. Invisible deck type trick maybe. And got a few weeks before the event.
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
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A few weeks! Don't even THINK of attempting some new trick or routine!!!
Adding a new trick to one's act is simple (???) There are the three "steps": 1. Learn how the trick is DONE. 2. Learn how to DO it. 3. Learn how to DO it, SO THAT IT ENTERTAINS AN AUDIENCE!!! #3 DOES NOT HAPPEN IN AN HOUR, A DAY, OR EVEN A WEEK! MAGIC IS NOT INHERENTLY ENTERTAINING! The performer's PRESENTATTON is what makes the performance entertaining!
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts
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Chris... if you currently own an Invisible deck or Brainwave deck... I would recommend Cody Fishers "Killer Prediction" - it's a full routine that will easily fill the whole 5 minutes. The e-book is $20 on his site, and it fits the style of routine you are looking for I think.
A few weeks is enough time to put together a 5 minute piece. Just practice it daily... as much as you can. Have your lines beyond memorized... have them 2nd nature so the patter will just flow and you can concentrate on your audience and connecting with them. |
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Anatole Inner circle 1912 Posts
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I'm serious when I say:
How about "The Insurance Policy" trick? Comedy magic can be very strong. But I suggest you use a deck of jumbo cards to force the card. That way there will be better visibility for the live audience, even though--since it's a television show--there will likely be large-screen monitors strategically placed to insure good visibility for everyone. Yes, the Insurance Policy is an off-the-shelf trick that is as old as the hills. But it is strong enough that Gary Oullet chose Ken Mate to perform it on one of the "World's Greatest Magic" specials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWmUDKoGRdU Just keep in mind that you're performing for a lay audience, not an audience of possibly jaded magicians. (My apologies to any jaded magicians reading this.) I think I would do a simpler presentation than Ken did. Maybe just the gags that come with the trick. Maybe add one more trick to fill out the five minutes. Do you do a cut-and-restored rope? Professor's Nightmare? I know it's another off-the-shelf trick that a lot of amateur magician do. But Cardini did the Professor's Nightmare later in his life when he did cruise ship shows. The fact that the Suave Deceiver thought it was a good trick for lay people is a strong endorsement of its entertainment value. ----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez
----- Sonny Narvaez
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
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Quote:
On Mar 21, 2016, Dick Oslund wrote: Yes, Sonny, my friend, the very late (1960) George McAthy's INSURANCE POLICY is a good, solid, AND FUNNY, >>PROP<<. Here comes the but: BUT, it is a PROP. it's not a trick. It's simply a comedy revelation of a f*rc*d c*rd. I bought one in >>1951<<. It "fit" in my "cigar box act". That act, kept me working enough while in the Navy, that I could send my Navy paychecks home for four years. I still keep one in my prop case! I've featured the POLICY in my lectures (with a PRESENTATION that WORKS)for years! Here comes another but: But, it took more than a week to figure out that PRESENTATION! I respectfully emphasize, again, that there are three steps in adding a new routine or trick to one's act, and, #3 (see my post above) is the challenging one. The OP has NO PLATFORM EXPERIENCE. Going on COLD, before one's peers, is, IMO, foolish. ("...fools rush in, where angels fear to tread...") Far too many "magicians" (note the " ") in their "enthusiasm" learn "how it's DONE, and, perhaps, how to DO it, then, rush to show it, before they learn how to DO IT SO THAT IT E N T E R T A I N S AN AUDIENCE. Remember Somerset Maugham's 'SIX CARD TRICKS"!!!
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
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P.S.! I gave the late Gene Gordon, co-founder of the IBM, and, owner of a magic shop in Buffalo, NY, a dollar for the secret and method of the PROFESSOR'S NIGHTMARE, in >>>1959<<<. The EFFECT (what the spectator sees, or thinks that he sees) was great. But, I didn't like the "set up". IMO, it looked "contrived". I worked on it for a "few" years! FINALLY, when my friend, the late Karrell Fox, realized that the "move" for the late Gen Grant's "50/50" C&R rope, would accomplish the "necessary", he gave it to me, I polished up the PRESENTATION that I had in mind, and,I put it in the act in >>>1971>>>! It was an "INSTANT" HIT!!!!!!!!
The OP said that he had a WEEK to get "ready"!
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
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Quote:
On Mar 24, 2016, thomasR wrote: I KNOW Cody Fisher. we shared a cottage two years ago when we worked Rick fisher's Magic Week. His Killer Prediction can play very well. It would "...easily fill the whole 5 minutes..." HERE COMES THE 'BUT': I seriously doubt that the OP, who says he has NO PLATFORM EXPERIENCE, could possibly order it from Cody, receive it, practice it, and be able to PRESENT it, in a WEEK! BTW, I feel the same way about Pop's Mongolian Pop Knot.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts
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Dick... There is no way that either of us knows if he can learn either of those routines or not. He claims to be a close-up magician with limited platform experience. What that means, I'm not here to judge.
In so many posts all you do is tell people "you have to do these 3 steps" rather then encourage them with a routine that will work. Both routines I suggested (Mongolian Pop Knot and Killer Prediction) are available as instant downloads. So he could get them the day of if he wanted. Both routines are complete routines, and in all honesty pretty easy to learn. With dedicated practice time, either can be learned in a couple weeks and be performance ready. I recommended Killer Prediction after the OP mentioned Invisible Deck, which led me to believe that he has an Invisible Deck. Killer Prediction is a pretty simple routine to learn if you already have and know the Invisible / Brainwave Deck. I'm trying to encourage the OP to get out there and perform magic! We are talking about 5 minutes, not a full evening show. |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts
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Chrislomas, I suggest you Archer's Blank Night. Just do it straight like the normal "Just Chance" routine. Just number the envelopes while on stage. 1-2-3-4 etc. It will still get excellent reactions from the audience.
Then if you can palm a card, do a card to envelope, wallet, or pocket. Again, this is good reaction getting magic. Have the card signed. Yes, you can do close-up magic on stage. You have to tell them what you have and what you are doing. Finish with Invisible Deck. Practice what you are going to say. Start with, "Hello everyone", my name is Chris Lomas, and I am happy to be here today. I have several envelopes, and one has a very special prize in it. And so on. Good luck! |
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Anatole Inner circle 1912 Posts
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In a post above Dick comments: "Remember Somerset Maugham's 'SIX CARD TRICKS"!!!
He's referring to the Somerset Maugham story "Mr. Know-All" about an obnoxious ocean liner traveler (identified as a Mr. Kelada) who notices a fellow passenger (the narrator of the story) playing a game of patience (British for "solitaire"). Here's the relevant passage: -----quote----- There is nothing more exasperating when you are playing patience than to be told where to put the card you have turned up before you have had a chance to look for yourself. "It's coming out, it's coming out," he cried. "Then ten on the knave." With rage and hatred in my heart I finished. Then he seized the pack. "Do you like card tricks?" "No, I hate card tricks," I answered. "Well, I'll just show you this one." He showed me three. -----unquote----- I would bet money that Mr. Kelada started out by dealing 21 cards into three rows of seven cards each... ----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez You can read the whole Somerset Maugham story at http://www.sjgckurnool.in/pdffiles/Prose%20III%20Sem.pdf
----- Sonny Narvaez
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Posted: Mar 21, 2016 12:37 pm 
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