I love the tie in between the orange tree mechanics and the cups loads - very nice I enjoyed it a lot.

and your audience did aswell - not a "frosty" reception as I would expect

Thank you for all your kind words.

I got the idea for the script when seeing a photograph of Robert-Houdin performing the cups and balls (in Fechner's edition of Robert-Houdin's autobiography). I was wondering why he would do that, given the disdain he expresses for the trick in his 'Confidences' (where he was wondering why Bosco would still perform that old feat). I was also wondering why he later devoted so much space in the 'Secrets of Conjuring and Magic' to a trick he did not think was fit for the enlightened audiences of his time.
So I imagined a late endorsement of the trick by Robert-Houdin. From there the script grew, including the idea of connecting the final loads (oranges) to the orange tree...
I later read in Fechner's biography of Robert-Houdin that the photograph does not show Robert-Houdin performing the cups and balls. He was posing for one of the illustrations in the 'Secrets of Conjuring and Magic' - for an illustration depicting Bosco.

There are more historical inaccuracies in my script (Robert-Houdin did not invent the coin lock for toilets - John Nevil Maskelyne did). I think they are unnecessary and when left out may make the script a bit tighter.

Thank you again,
Tilman

Very, very good, Tilman. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The historical bit reminded me of Ricky Jay's routine. Scholarly but at the same time superbly entertaining. Thank you for sharing this wonderful magic.

Fortasse

Agreed.

While the routine was well suited for the specific venue, IMO it would play poorly in most venues outside the intellectual elite it played for. IMO for the general public, it was to slow and relied on lengthy historic references not to mention the end phase was interrupted with patter taking away from the final loads. Seven minutes is a long time. However, with that said, for the setting and audience that you performed for I felt you hit a home run. Still.. I would receommend adjusting the ending to improve your final revelation so next time you could hit it out of the park. This is my opinion based on my own taste and preference regarding the final loads in a routine.

Overall, I congratulate you.. a job well done.

I know I may be reading more into this than others who posted before me on this one. Reading the above posts I can see that. With my opinion, I mean no disrespect to the brilliance and thought in the construction and purpose of the routine for the designed audience. Performing for intellectuals is hard business for some entertainers, for others, its near impossible. You did a good job!

What I enjoyed most about watching this video was the lesson/reminder that we have to be able to adapt our magic to suit (and properly entertain) our audience - regardless of our likes or dislikes. This means we need to know and understand who we are entertaining, what to use, how to best present it, and force ourselves to grow when we come up short for one reason or another. Sadly, from what I've seen, many magicians have a hard time doing this and I congratulate you for doing it quite well and proficiently.

Thanks for posting your routine.

Excellent pace, very logical patter throughout the routine. Congratulations on a job very very well done.
Steve

Very well done. I especially like the pouch being at your side instead of in front.

Tilman sent me a preview of this about a week ago. I really like what he has done with this. Regarding the pace -- you adjust that to fit your crowd. An audience of physicists is really more accustomed to sitting still than an audience of six-year-olds.

Also, this was an international audience of physicists. For many of them, English is a second language, and their skill level when it comes to humor will vary. The slower pace gives them a chance to keep up and not feel embarrassed because they didn't "get it."

The pouch at the side -- perfect!

Excellent!

OUTSTANDING.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Very Very Nice!

If you think this routine is funny, you should see his version of The Neutrinos Through the Table.

He also does a really nice production of Schrödinger's Cat. He pulls it out of a Klein Bottle.

All while doing a Mobius strip. Which, of course, leads into the Afghan Bands.

His patter on "Approaching the Event Horizon of a Black Hole" simply spaces everybody out! It's hilarious.

I thought that Möbius strip was accompanied by the Afghan Band.

Now I feel like a lout, for missing the umlaut.

What instruments did the Afghan Band play?

BTW, Bill P. I am bringing a Cups & Balls item to WMS that I bet you have never seen.

That was really wonderful. I liked how slowly and methodically he worked. Many times, magicians present the cups and balls too quickly, myself included. Great job!

I cheat. I have a special program called "Accent Composer" that does all of that for me. It is a godsend when you do the kind of translational stuff I do. It does umlauts, ß, ¥, £, ¢, and all sorts of other characters that you find in "farn" languages.



I think they played a rebabi, a güzli, and a taxi horn.

I look forward to seeing your cup things.

Posted: Feb 26, 2010 11:11am
Tilman is a very nice man. I met him at the Magic Circle Centenary in 2005. That was one of the most wonderful conventions I have ever attended.

I saw many old friends there and met several new ones -- Tommy Wonder, Billy McComb, Johnny Thompson, Ali Bongo, Richard Stupple, Bob Read, Hans Moretti. The acts were great, too.

Some of those are gone. But I have my memories.

Thank you very much to all of you.

Mr. Muggle and Bill, thank you for taking the time to give such careful feedback.
I wish I could claim that I'd given the pacing of this routine (in this particular performance, for that particular audience) as much thought as you suggest.
The truth is, I feel naturally drawn to this kind of wordy presentation. Adapting to the audience and the circumstances is something I need to do when I can't perform in this way... I am still learning how to do that.

Bill, while we only talked briefly at the Centenary, I remember that you introduced me to Anderson's term 'part-time pro' (as opposed to 'semi-professional'). I also remember how you emphasized the standards that should come with that label (not less than a professional in any other regard than time...). It was a very interesting conversation.

I wish I could do the neutrinos through the table (I studied philosophy, not physics...). I can do the Mobius strip, though...
Since I moved to Holland from Germany, I've come to be a greater lout with respect to the Umlaut, than should be allowed.

Tilman:

You are an invertebrate punster.

You don't have the backbone to avoid a play on words.

That reminds me -- Will Rogers said that he had the best writers in the world -- the United States Congress. Every time they told a joke, it became a law. And every time they passed a law, it was a joke.

Philosophers have a similar situation. Whenever they tell a joke, it just may become a religion.