Does anyone know any comedy I can use for my cups and balls routine?

Anyone?

Hi alex,
I have a funny way for you to start your routine that I use all the time. Whenever you are ready to do the cups and balls, take them out and ask if anyone is thirsty. Then take out a bottle of Coca Cola and fill
the cups...!

slick

How about having the magic happen when you don't want it to? For example balls keep appearing under the cups, or you place a ball on top of a cup (for whatever reason) and cover it with another cup—then when you uncover it, the ball is gone and it's found under the bottom cup. You can keep going like this until the table is loaded with balls and you produce your final load.

Take a look at Gazzo's cups and balls tape. While Gazzo's humor is very much his own style, he will show you how audience interaction can be used to great effect with the cups and balls and this may spur your own thinking as to what is possible.
Jim

Bob Read published a hilarious routine for Cups and Balls based on the Vernon Routine— but, in my opinion, it was best for magicians, not the public— although many gags were good for the public.

I have been using the line (for over 30 years) "I would now like to show you one of the oldest tricks in the world. It's so old it's even engraved on the walls of the pyramids in Egypt. So you can tell...it's a fair old (pharaoh) trick."

Now that may not suit your personality but it sure suits mine.

Feel free to use it if you want.

If you have the chance to see Helge Thum from Fertigen Fingers do the cups and balls prepare yourself with care, this is the funniest cups and balls in the world.

Really? I will buy the DVD soon!
Can't wait to see it.

I think Tommy Wonder is very good and special.

Cups and Balls, a really old trick, we are all waiting for some breakthrough.
Sean is going to compete in FISM with his incredible routine, his is great, check it out.

I suggest:

Do the 3 lemons final load, then, the 3 cups full of lemon juice.

Michael Lam

Ammar has some humor in his routine

Ammar's humor isn't that good. It's what people laugh at when they know they're supposed to laugh. "Uh, yeah, funny. chuckle. chuckle."

VMC_Alex,

With an item like the C&B's it is the surprise and unexpected that make the effect funny for laypeople. If you would actually try it before 'real' people you will see, if you present it with conviction, that many will not laugh. If you present it like something has gone wrong or the balls and cups are fooling you they will laugh.

This is your personality that will come thru to your audience. The clothes you wear and how an audience preceives you are all factors, as well as the final loads.

Paul Gertner's Steel balls are a mystery, while Bob Read's is funny.

Although, I have never seen it done, a funny story could be used instead of a description of the moves.

Why, the C&B are so common at the FISM is because it can be a tool to gage the performer and his skill in magic. If you would research the history of the contest. It is the person with a very different C&B routine that usually wins the close-up competition.

Remember, what is funny to one person may not be funny to another. You must make that choice. Example: CWMoss comments and Prospero comments.

Ammar is funny with his cups and balls, but it's because of his build up from the beginning of his show.

Penn and Teller do a 'Cups & Balls' routine with clear plastic cups, so you can actually see what's under the cups before the normal reveal. It's presented as exposure, but is done so fast and so well, that you don't follow it anyway.

Apparently there is also one in 'Sankey Pankey', which finally produces 16 balls and an extra cup. I haven't seen this, but I liked the idea.

-- Topher

One young performer at our CAM convention had a great imagination: he did the balls and cups. His large baseballs were hollowed out and acted as cups and the small thimbles were used as balls , really small cups.
He not only produced large loads at the end but he stacked the three balls and produced a tall thin glass of wine twice so that he could toast the person in the audience with the first glass he produced. Needless to say he won the competition. (Crispo)
Darryl the Wizard

Just wear a funny hat or somthing and then everyone will laugh ( at you but hey they are laughing )

Does anyone perform the cups/balls to music if so where do I find good music for this effect

David Regal has an extremely funny routine on vol 2 of the Best of Regal. His final loads are not only large balls, but also another set of cups.

Any good routines for use with the cups/balls chop combination.

Ive used the Mendoza Routine with my own mods but am looking for some other ideas

Thanks
OTTO..

The Fertigen Fingers - The Movie has a couple of funny Cup and Ball Routines. One of them uses the C&B to teach Sex to a young couple. Another routine shows several variations on teh C&B, ie. C&B in old times, C&B by a newbie, C&B by a jaded professional magician, C&B by a Spaniard, C&B in the future.
-=> Rubber Dougie <=-

Oh!

And Tim Ellis (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!! Oi, oi oi!!)does an awesome Cups & Balls routine to the song "Runaround Sue". You used to be able to watch it on the Magic Unlimited website, but it doesn't appear to be working anymore. See what you can find...

-- Topher

Aldo Columbini is very funny he gets a good deal of humour from throwing and catching the cups.

I agree Bob read is probably the funniest it is written up in the book called the penultimate cups and balls. He still sells it if you contact him.

Gazzo's humour is in using jokes and lines not usually about the routine just funny stuff at the right time