Briefly I'll give you some background. I started in magic at age 5 and I turn 50 years old this year. I have progressively suffered with essential tremors my entire life. It always limited my magic even though I had a great love for it. I only did a couple shows a year, mostly birthday parties and parlor/stage and a lot of closeup. I was in my element and enjoyed myself while performing but I couldn't rely on my hands, so I simply didn't put myself out there much even though I practiced a lot at home. Several months ago I had the opportunity to do my cups and balls for Lance Burton and I could barely hold onto the balls my hands shook so much. And I honestly wasn't that nervous about performing it beyond my essential tremors. I was so ticked at myself and quite honestly had a pity party. I did some research and found a neurologist in Lexington. I have near rock stable hands now. We will still need tweak my dosages but it has given me a new lot on life. It is absolutely amazing. So many years of practice to no avail and now it comes effortlessly.

Ok, that wasn't brief. Anyway, I am piecing together a show to really have a go at this now. I love comedy but I don't want to do a full blown Mac King version of a show. (Granted I have never seen his show, I may be way off) I wanted to ring in some comedy along the lines of Copperfield's specials. So to my question ... how many comedy routines do you do in a show?

Here is the list I am whitling down and editing:

1. 5 card box -Comedy
2. Linking rings (Whit Haydn) -Comedy
3. Cups and balls –a little comedy
4. Egg bag
5. Poison? (Eric Samuels)
6. Shoe business -Comedy
7. Color Psychology
8. Thimple Thumb Tie (or Suit Jacket Escape) - Comedy
9. Pi Max
10. Cody’s Comedy Book test (I ordered this today after seeing a performance last night) -Comedy
11. Pitata Smart Scale with buttons or candies
12. Multi sensory bag with phones.
13. Cubesmith?
14. ISO app with bill in impossible location
15. Peek wallet/The Fox/Drawing Duplication/Pitata?
a. Truth coin
16. Kurotsuke
17. Wikitest?

Cups and balls definitely stays in. I can't do two book tests, Pi Max and Cody's book test. 5 card box is the greatest opener I have ever seen.

I will massage this list as I start performing it and see the reactions and of course I am not doing 17 routines.

But back to my question: How many comedy routines do you do in a show?

Forget how many comedy routines, that seems like a lot of routines period for a show.

How long do you plan to be on stage?

Here is a tip. They have to like you. Comedy will come much easier if you have that bridge crossed. Many things that are just mildly amusing will get outright laughter if they like you. Every routine you do should be designed to deepen that bond with your audience. It will also make the astonishment that much more fulfilling for them. Try concentrating on that more than comedy Not comedy and it will probably all sort itself out.

The more I put me into my shows the funnier
i was seen. Sometimes my laughs came when I wasn't
expecting them. Using a fabric softener sheet like a scarf
I tell the true story of when I put a whole box of bounce in the
dryer instead of one. Books that help my arts including comedy
include The Artist Way (by Julia Cameron) and Zen and the art of the Monologue by Jay Sankey.
My show fits me and is altered depending on my audience. These days I use
fewer parts.
Harris Deutsch
age 69+
Palms of Aluminum Foil

Sometimes less is more. Be relatable, let your character/personality shine and be the spotlight. Find a trick that really reasonates with you and make it a focal point of your show.

I would suggest you think about the flow of your show without the magic routines and then add magic routines. In other words, script a show like you are scripting a short movie or a story or a plot or a comedy routine and then figure out which magic effects work best. Watch a good comedy show and you will see that there is continuity and there are callbacks. One thing should lead to the next. It should have a beginning, and middle, and an end. There should be ups and downs and a conclusion that leaves the audience feeling special, like a good movie.

Hope that helps.

KJ

I think that one should build and script a show around the effects and routines you are planning on demonstrating. The magic is the determining factor, not an afterthought.

You need a set of routines that include a good opening effect, engaging middle routines and a strong ending. Then you build character and story around that framework, and from that you write the script.