Finally Making a Stage/Stand Up Show

[Zenn_Darkfire]

Ok so up to this point all of the shows I have done have been mainly kids shows. I have done two stand up shows but they were for special needs adults (so they were basically variations of my kids shows). I have also done three fundraiser shows. I want to start performing some stage/stand up shows. I don't have any gigs like that at this moment so I have plenty of time to rehearse and get everything down. Right now here is a list of the effects I'm planning on working on plus a few I'd like to include in the future. I plan on incorporating a lot of comedy into my act.

Here is what I plan on doing (in no particular order)

- Dresscode (I deff want to use this as my opener)
- TnR Newspaper (after watching Penn & Teller do it,I deff want to include it into my acr)
- Miser's Dream (if I am performing for a mixed audience_
- Toilet Paper Balls over the head
- Fiber Optics
- Liquid Metal
- Comedy Rope Escape (some time during the middle of my act. this is the rope escape in Mark Wilson's complete course)
- A rope stab with a whip (a method I came up a few weeks ago)
- Cut and restored rope
- A zip tie/pipe cleaner penetration
- The Vanishing Bandanna
- Bill in Kiwi with a Bill Switch (this would be my closer. During the start of my show I would ask for a 50 or 100, and do a bill switch changing it into a 1. At the end of my show I would tell that person I have a consolation prize for them and let them select a kiwi. I would then end with their bill in the kiwi they chose)

Here are a list of effects I want to include eventually

- Cups and Balls
- CD Manipulation
- A sleeving Routine
- Balloon Swallow
- Razor Blade/Needle Swallow
- Card Manipulation

I would love any thoughts, ideas, or comments anyone have to offer

Thanks!

~Josh

 

[jakubr]

Sound really good, good luck with it! For bill in kiwi, remember to give kiwi to one of the spectators, before you change the note. This will make effect look much more impossible. Looking forward to see how you get on with the show!

 

[Zenn_Darkfire]

Sound really good, good luck with it! For bill in kiwi, remember to give kiwi to one of the spectators, before you change the note. This will make effect look much more impossible. Looking forward to see how you get on with the show!

Thanks... what I was kind of planning on doing was changing the bill at the start of the show (ask some for like a 50 so I can make it into a 100 but "accidentally" turn it into a 1) At the end of the show I would call that spectator over and ask them if they would like a consolation prize. I would take their dollar and hand them a bowl full of kiwi (which I would have had on stage the whole time, just covered) and allow them to choose any kiwi. I would then finish with producing their bill

When I finally get a stage gig I'll letcha know!

 

[jakubr]

I see what you mean. The only thing is, that if you offer him kiwi, after you've changed the bill, they might think you somehow put their in there. If they get kiwi before you did anything to bill - it's much more impossible to them. There's no way you could make their bill to get into this kiwi. And all you do is you switch the kiwis as at the end of the show you take the kiwi back from the spectator.

I know it wouldn't quiet go with your patter idea, but it's just a thought. I think it would look more impossible.

Anyway I hope to see some video once you start rocking with your show!

 

[Zenn_Darkfire]

I see what you mean. The only thing is, that if you offer him kiwi, after you've changed the bill, they might think you somehow put their in there. If they get kiwi before you did anything to bill - it's much more impossible to them. There's no way you could make their bill to get into this kiwi. And all you do is you switch the kiwis as at the end of the show you take the kiwi back from the spectator.

I know it wouldn't quiet go with your patter idea, but it's just a thought. I think it would look more impossible.

Anyway I hope to see some video once you start rocking with your show!

I'll have to try both and see which gets a bigger response. I saw a magician who basically did the same thing I mentioned but instead of letting him choose a Kiwi at the end, he handed the guy a bag of cookies from his case. it got a killer response and that was with something that the magician chose, not him. Thats why I thought having a bowl of fruit their the whole time, which I never go near would be more impactful. Esp if I let him choose any kiwi.

I'll let you know which one I end up doing!

 

[drew.dickelman]

For razor blades, I suggest you get Dan Sperry's Always Remember to floss. It can be both close-up and stage, and it's awesome. Great version of it.

 

[Zenn_Darkfire]

For razor blades, I suggest you get Dan Sperry's Always Remember to floss. It can be both close-up and stage, and it's awesome. Great version of it.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm actually looking at the DVD Geek Magic because it contains both a balloon swallow and a razor blade swallow lol

 

[Justin.Morris]

In terms of time, I have a 45-60 minute show that I offer, and I have 10 effects, of which I only ever have time for 7-8. You can get through 12 effects if each one was only five minutes. I would say that less is more with a show. Take your best effects and work them to create full routines. Then use your other great material to replace part of your act so that you have some variety when a client books you again. Don't worry about trying to cram it all in.

Great list of effects tho. You can do very well with that list.

 

[Zenn_Darkfire]

In terms of time, I have a 45-60 minute show that I offer, and I have 10 effects, of which I only ever have time for 7-8. You can get through 12 effects if each one was only five minutes. I would say that less is more with a show. Take your best effects and work them to create full routines. Then use your other great material to replace part of your act so that you have some variety when a client books you again. Don't worry about trying to cram it all in.

Great list of effects tho. You can do very well with that list.

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I wasn't planning on doing all of them haha those are just the ones that I felt would work in that type of show. Anything else you'd like to add? Thanks again =]

 

[vipermagic]

Crazy I was just about to post a thread like this!

I've been wanting to start a sort of parlor/platform show. Mostly for myself just to see if I could do it. I have plenty of material, I just needed help on how to go about blending different elements to make them work.

 

[Justin.Morris]

Some thoughts about a few of them that you may want to reconsider:

- Toilet Paper Balls over the head
Make sure your presentation works with this. I had a corporate gig once where the guy I was doing it to was not happy about everyone laughing at him. I didn't plan very well to make him look good at the end. With kids, you can just give them five bucks, not with adults tho. He ended up just not having the energy that I was hoping for. Probably just a bad volunteer, but I haven't used it in my show since, because my presentation needs work. So just make sure you have an age appropriate presentation, because this can be a great piece (as you already know).
- Liquid Metal
For groups larger than 25, this really becomes difficult. People cannot see the bends from more than six feet away. You can make it work if you are wandering through the group, but not a good one from stage. Banachek has some nice stage presentations you can pick up in his works.
- A zip tie/pipe cleaner penetration
Not sure, but this sounds tiny too. Is it possible to do this on a larger scale with larger items? Not sure what the premise is, but it could work.
- The Vanishing Bandanna
I love this effect. I've seen it performed really well, and really poorly. It also gets hashed as one of the most unoriginal/worst effects, because it eliminates you from the effect. Basically you are just a post handling the props. I still throw it into my show every once in awhile, but I'm still looking for a way to make it my own.

Effects that will work really well:

- Dresscode
I'm trying to find a way to do this with a dress shirt, without having to tuck it in after. Great effect.
- TnR Newspaper (after watching Penn & Teller do it,I deff want to include it into my acr)
As long as it's not a repeat of their routine , this would be great. I just met an older client for lunch who was looking to book me for a show, he recalled a time when he saw a magician tear a newspaper into pieces, and bring all the pieces back together. "I must have been 15 when I saw that" he said. Obviously it made an impact.
- Comedy Rope Escape (some time during the middle of my act. this is the rope escape in Mark Wilson's complete course)
Great visual for stage, and will fit nicely with the other rope effects you have. Blend them into one seamless routine with the escape as the climax.
- A rope stab with a whip (a method I came up a few weeks ago)
Sounds very cool.
- Bill in Kiwi with a Bill Switch
Great effect. I have some thoughts about doing a bill switch- would the person sign the first bill? Then if you change it, what effect will that have on the audience? That you palmed one bill out and brought another one in? Is that the effect you are going for? If you want to go for the effect that the bill itself changed into a new one, then the first bill cannot be signed (thus making the signature disappear and confirming it is a new bill altogether). Does that make any sense? It might be better to make it turn into a blank piece of paper (like you removed all the ink) and then light it on fire (via flash paper?). Just a thought. Either way, great effect for a larger group.
- Cups and Balls
Great. A little dated imo, but find a way to make it your style (for example, don't use traditional props)
- CD Manipulation- Card Manipulation
Great if done well.

Also just another random thought, Make your show able to play a room up to 400-500 people. Once you start getting more shows, some of them can be quite large (I had a family show for a Zirka festival of all things, that was over 500 people- and that pushed the limits of my show (and perhaps didn't work), so now, I've grown my show to be able to play for that size of a room). So much better to make your show a good size sooner, rather than having to turn down those shows if they come (which I probably should have done in hindsight).

Hope some of that helps! Good luck!

 

[JohnShack]

This list is a great one, I have been doing stage/ parlour shows for the past 4 years and thus far I have only done bill in lemon(kiwi) Once, The only advice I can give here is either your presentation for it needs to be rock solid or the method for getting the bill inside which I am assuming you are using carl cloutier's version needs to be rock solid. Obviously you need a good presentation either way but if you are starting the effect and then doing other things in between and closing with the climax of the effect I would use TONS of comedy. There is a book called "Stand up comedy - The Book" which offers some great insight on doing call backs during a routine. If you continue to refer to his 50 dollar bill and joke about it it could build to an awesome climax. I would also suggest possibly doing fake reveals throughout the show as a running gag sort of thing.

Granted when I first started doing these shows I rushed my magic and didn't build it much so I may have to ring back in the bill in lemon ha. I actually did 15 effects in 30 minutes my first time.

Hope that helps a little bit,
John

 

[D ICE R]

The only thing I want to mention / ask is there a story behind the effects or is it just an random assortment of effects.

 

[Zenn_Darkfire]

Justin - Thanks a bunch! Yeah I wasn't sure about LM... I've seen it done on stage before but I wasn't positive. I'll look into Banacheks stuff. The zip tie/pipe cleaner escape I am talking about is either doing Mac King's version or Joe Monti's, both which perform this for huge crowds. I am not too worried about that one lol As for the Vanishing Bandanna, this is one of my most talked about effects so I am deff planning on using it.

yeah I deff think that the rope escape will play really well with the rest of the rope effects I mentioned. The whip stab is a lot of fun and I think it could play really big. As for the TnR newspaper... I wouldn't even DREAM of performing it the way P&T did... I couldn't even if I wanted too lol I'll let you know about the Bill in Kiwi, it seems to me that everyone thinks it NEEDS to be signed, however every time I have seen in performed w/o a signature it still kills. I'll letcha know what I decide

John - Love the idea about referring to the bill throughout the show, I was deff planning on doing that! Also thanks for the book recommendation, I'll have to pick that up

DICER - Well right now there is no story, as I am still trying to narrow down the act haha. But I'll make sure everything flows

Thanks guys! =]