I am interested in what you would consider to be the ultimate trick or routine for a family performer. Perhaps it is your favourite routine that you perform at every show. Are there any tricks that you perform regularly that work for almost any family type crowd?

To qualify it must be appealing to all age groups. It needs to have a plot simple enough and visual enough to entertain and amaze preschool age children. This probably rules out most mental effects. It needs to be cool enough and funny enough to appeal to children age 6-10. The magic ideally should happen throughout not just at the end. The magic needs to be strong enough to amaze older children and adults. Any humour involved would need to get good reaction from preschooler age, right up to adults without needing to be the sort that is on two different levels or risks offending anyone.

It would need to be able to be performed in almost any situation without angle problems or need for large cumbersome props or a table. Technically the effect would need to be quite versatile so it would work in the close quarters of an apartment living room or on a small stage in front of a few hundred people.

Certainly there is nothing in my repertoire that covers all bases like this. If I can find something that does I think it would be a great addition for any family magic performer.

Without a doubt, my routine called "Fantasy magician". Kevin James sells a version called Instant Magician.

I know some of the UK guys don't like it but it kills and everyone young and old loves it.
Ken

I thought I would do my best to answer my own question by selecting the routine from my own performing repertoire that is the closest to satisfying all the requirements. That is the Sketch-O-Matic marketed by Samuel Patrick Smith. It is a very funny and visual routine that goes down well with any family audience. The trouble is even though pre-school age children love to watch it and laugh at all the silly faces, when it comes to the actual prediction aspect they just don’t get it. I feel children need to be about 7 years old before they are suitability impressed by any prediction.

Wow Andy, you made me put on my thinking cap.

Requirements:

• Appealing to all age groups
  
• Simple Plot
  
• Visually Entertaining
  
• Appeal to children age 6-10
  
• Cool & Funny

My choices:

• Axtell Drawing Board (Make own tape. Very versatile)
  
• Vanishing Bandana (Just grossly funny)
  
• Instant Magician (Agree with Ken Scott)
  
• Miser's Dream (Everyone dreams money can be produced so easily)
  
• Laflin's Cartoon Silks (Colorful, Funny & Produced anyway you choose. A Kodak Moment!)
  
• Rabbit Production (Your choice. Emotional impact)

Gee... almost a whole 30 minute show. Add a warmup routine, a trademark skills routine identifying you as a magician, and a danger type effect and you have a complete powerful show.

Andy

Would like to hear your routine with Sketch. I have it and can not come up with a killer routine with it.

Ken

I perform Whit Hayden's Comedy 4 Ring Routine in every show. If you have a group of adults watching the show it's perfect and everybody loves it.

My Organ Pipes routine, which I start my show with, and Scamps routine, which although he's a puppet adults love as well.

Just like Dennis's a 30 minute routine.

Scamp does either a 20th Century Silk or Silks to Picture routine depending on which show I'm doing.

It's a toss up for me ... either the "Vanishing Bandana", or my Chalet Magic Wiz Kote, and one of the rare occasions/situations I get to use their "Recovery Table" with it. Reactions are incredible ... laughter to the point of tears on the part of almost everybody there, and total amazement when the shoe is returned from the previously shown empty box that's been on display throughout the entire show!

Steve Thomas

The Mongolian Pop Knot by Whit Hayden is excellent. Easy to carry.

Mago Mai

My whole act meets these criteria!
Phillip

The one routine that I have found that gets the best reactions from ALL groups is my version of the 3-D Multiplying Rabbits. For some reason, it gets a huge reaction, even bigger then the similar sponge ball routine that I used to do. Maybe because it is the rabbits, but everyone, including the adults love it.

I wanted to add the Wiz-Kote to the list because it is such a powerful "illusionette", however, Andy wrote "work in the close quarters of an apartment living room" and in such close quarters the smoke could easily trigger the smoke alarm, so it wasn't added. For stage yes, small room with a smoke detector, well...hmmm no.

I do a Billiard balls routine that almost fits those criteria. The patter is directed at young kids, but the magic impresses all ages. Packs small, I have played this to 1 person and 100 people with the same reactions. I recently did a show for about 50 teenagers and I did my routine (with similar patter— just without the silly voice/grossly overdone double takes etc.). It was the most popular routine in the act!

It is not the funniest routine in my repertoire, but I would describe 99% of the audiences that I have done this for as 'captivated'. Although it is not traditionally considered a 'kids trick' I would not be without it in my show.

I would say my C&B.