Hi,

I've been working restaurants, hospitality suites and cocktail party gigs for a while now. All the time I've felt my magic was very much "journeyman" status. I felt like a was doing unrelated tricks and effects with no real theme or purpose. A couple of recent books I have read have clarified to me why this is (thank you Michael Close). The magic I perform has not grown out of the performing venue.

I am therefore looking for advice as to tricks which use objects that may be found in such environments e.g with saltcellars, napkins, cutlery, drinking glasses, sugar packets, wet-wipes etc, etc.

Any advice on specific tricks, or sources for tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Also, can anyone provide an insight into the type of magic featured in "The Magic Menu" books. Does it fit the bill? (It ought to!) The tricks in the "Magic on the menu" section of MAGIC magazine seem predominantly playing card tricks. Not what I'm looking for at the mo'!

Thanks,

Martin.

I don't do any restaurant magic but when out with friends I will do a trick or two. My favorite when at a restaurant is stiring silver by Jay Sankey. It is on one of his best of videos. It uses a spoon and a ring, both of which can be borrowed.

I suspect you'll get a number of responses saying that it is out of order to pick up napkins and tableware that people will be using. I also suspect that all of those responses will be from our American friends who seem to be much more squeamish about this than we are. Dunno why this should be...

Anyway, that's all slightly OT. Off the top of me 'ead, there's
1. Metal bending (done as an aside in the above-mentioned Sankey trick)
2. Vanishing salt
3. Salt-cellar thru table
4. Vanishing wine-glass a la Ammar (I can't do it myself, but love the idea of it!)
5. Prediction/mentalism using the menu and a nailwriter?
6. Vanishing cig in napkin, though that really may be a bit much unless it's a table of smokers which is quite a rare find these days.
Plus any numnber of things with borrowed items...

Jay Sankey has some great restaurant effects. Lee Asher's The Ripper is also great. He mentioned restaurant stuff when he explained it at a lecture I went to.

I have "Magic Menu-the first 5 years".
It has several effects using availabe objects along with some very good info on performing in restaurants.

Martin Gardner's "Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic" might appeal to you also.

Try the Encyclopedia of Imromptu Magic by Martin Gardner. It has a wealth of things you can do with stuff you find on the table.

Or the video from Stevens titled Jay Marshall's Table ****. It's a compilation of many of the tricks in that book and, as Jay says, "many of the reasons Jay Marshall doesn't get invited to dinner a second time."

Hope this helps!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Could be because of health laws.

While it has been ages since I saw it (and I have virtually no recollection of the content), Steven's Magic in Wichita (KS) released a nice video on Restaurant Magic, featuring a number of performers including (I think) Mike Close, Dan Flesichman, and a couple other well-known magicians.

The closest thing to an organic restaurant trick on that set is mike close's judah shoe lace trick. There is some good advice and it is neat to see some of the best restaurant magicians around perform some of their stuff.