One of the best comedy routines I have ever made, and I build most of my own magic, is from a book by Wally Reid: Magic on Stage. It is a man-eating plant. Basically it is a case, with drop-down sides, that houses a plant made up of assorted silk plant "greenery" but the buds on the plant are seven pairs of chattering teeth. After a huge build up about having imported this plant, the box is opened and the cloth cover pulled off---at that moment the teeth chatter so strongly that the box actually moves a bit on the floor. Very funny.

Now that sounds like my kind of plant!

Why am I reminded of "Little Shop Of Horrors" ?

Little Shop of Horrors. Exactly! I thought the same thing when I made this up. In fact the "feed Me" sound effects and music would be pretty funny tied in with this by a creative magician and sound man, after getting rights to use the sound of course.



Instead, I talk "seriously" about how difficult it was to locate this plant and get it across the border into the US. I also read a phony letter from a person, one of the few living and left, from the excursion that went in and got the plant. The letter is pretty dramatic, silly and all hogwash of course explaining the dangers and the awe of finding a forest of these plants.



Then I talk about the plants hypnotic quality, like the Venus Flytrap to a fly. so people are told to hold hands, and if anyone seems to, in a zombie like daze, start wandering towards the stage.. please hold them back... etc, etc.



Then with great excitement and hype, I open the box which is, seriously, kept under lock and key. I drop the side doors, then do a bit more buildup and rip off the cover. It then starts chattering, shaking and walking. They just roar. Yet if it were not handled as a deadly serious issue going in, I think it would be less effective. They like the great drama followed by the silly plant.

quack

Awesome idea, I love it!!!

Magicduck

Thanks for the post! Years ago, I saw a man-eating plant and had totally forgotten about it. What a great bit of business!

My take on this:

"Do you want to see a picture of a man-eating plant?"

Then I show them a photo of some guy eating a salad.

Ha!

That reminds me of a school assembly when I was little. One teacher was saying about when GM crops first came around and they made these man eating tomatoes. He told a big long story and eventually out of a padlocked box he pulled a tomato and ate it. Dude, we were appalled!
James

I will save on bandwidth and ask if anyone has a source for the Man-Eating plant.

Thanks in advance

Candini

Your site gag sounds like fun..ever considered (signed) card to the teeth?

I like the man eating chicken...

Harris

I use Axtell's Man Eating Plant: http://www.axtell.com/plant.html

Well-made, and it looks awesome!

Lyndel

Thanks Lyndel, I had no idea Steve made it. I checked but darn: It's a puppet.
I was looking for the original with the chattering teeth.

Hi there
I bought one of these from Taurus Magic in England .....I don't know if Derek Lever still is making them His version was covered with a cloth with weights in it to stop the teeth until you took off the silk.
Derek

I have Axtell's man eating plant and it's fantastic. Are you a ventriloquist Lyndel?

Connor

No, I just play one on stage...

Actually I have always admired vents, but have never been comfortable enough in my own vent skill to perform it live.

Until I am, I guess I'll continue to Milli Vanilli my way through my routines...
:shrug:

Lyndel

Thanks Derek. I probably could make one but the actual case/box would be difficult to get painted like I want.

When I read the name of this post, it hit me. "Man eating plant!" Sounds really dangerous. I'd love to see it.

Then I thought, what if this were something along the lines of a sideshow exhibit, where one pays a dime to enter a booth and get a look?

When they walk behind the screen, what do they see?

A "man eating a plant." There is a big guy sitting at one of those cloth checker board covered tables with a big bib on eating a large salad!

Now that would be funny.

Mark.

Here's aLink to that plant: Man-eating Plant

I do have one!