Stage Magic

[Robert//Livingston]

Hey everyone!

I've been very lucky in attaining gig's where I can perform this amazing art. I've just been asked to open for a Battle of the Bands at a local highschool. There will be a stage and I'll have about 25-30 minutes to do my routine. The audience will range from 12 year olds to 17 year olds, with a few parents.

Here is my routine (as of now)

Open with a member in the audience shouting out any number and showing that I predicted that exact number by throwing them a business sized card that says "I predict that you will choose the number ____ at the beginning of the show ~Livingston"

Next I'll get five volunteers to come up and perform The Gypsy Mind Reader (Mark Wilson's course.. 5 volunteers place a small object they own into an envelope and then mix them up and hand them back to the performer. The performer then holds up one envelope to his head, correctly describes the owner, opens it, and takes it back to the correct person.)

Then Cardiography (Martin Lewis classic!)

One in a million (13 steps to mentalism)

Then I'll end with a Derren-esque costume change (that he did in evening of wonders with the gorilla costume) with a different costume that relates to my routine.

Please give any advice, I think this is a nice little routine that should get some reaction and it's packed full of great effects.

Thanks guys.

~Robert

 

[ZacEckstein]

A Russian Roulett Routine is good, and Andrew Mayne has a good one on DVD called Stain-Shiv. for 20 bucks. I added it to my show.

 

[emagician]

Hey man that sounds pretty good. Maybe this is just more of my style but I like to do a lot of visual effects that fire up the audience while I'm on stage. I'm not saying that mentalism can't, but make sure that you make your effects fire up the audience seeing as how you are opening up for a battle of the bands concert! Good luck man!

Best,
emagician

 

[Jv]

Smash and Stab works great as a closer!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

The routine seems good, I'm just curious how you're going to do the costume change bit. Derren ends the first half of his show with it, but it's the 'bang' I'd expect for the end of a show.

What do you plan to do with it?

 

[Robert//Livingston]

Whoa, Smash and Stab does look great... but so expensive!! If I had to pay for the product I feel I'd rather go with Dan Sperry's Cookie Cutter.

Also, I don't think a Russian Roulette would go well with High School students in the Bible belt.

emagician - thanks for the tip, hopefully cardiography will fire that up!

Christopher - After doing the one in a million, it will use an easel and I'll drop down the map to show the selection that I predicted again and then do the same switch derren uses by bringing the easel out to the other end of the stage and ending with the change with a "Thank you very much!"

 

[FOO:L]

your first effect is really really boring. im assuming a swami gimmick or something of the sort.

you must realize that when youre performing for an audience of 12 year olds to 17 year olds, it will not hit hard at all.

im very very doubtful that that effect can be dressed up at all.

i think you should take corindas one in a million, dress it up with some stage hypnosis then shift that to the front of the show.

that then sets the scene for everyone watching. that you can influence people and whatnot.

alternatively, you can look into max mavens(i think) routine where he has only an envelope, and gets the spectator to end up choosing a specific coin in their mind landing either heads or tails, which is the prediction in the envelope, with none of the choices feeling "magician-forced"

 

[D ICE R]

The biggest issue I have is with your psychometery routine.

Very rarely is it performed well because most people (magicians and mentalists included) perform it the wrong way. You should look into the work of TA Waters or Phil Goldstien on the subject. I will happily discuss the differences with you but no in open forum. So send me a pm and I will talk about the subject with you.

 

[Robert//Livingston]

FOO:L Thank you for your input. I will drop the first effect and start with One in a million. Although I don't know about the stage hypnosis.

First let me clarify something. I am doing a lot of mentalism in this routine because I feel it would fit together nicely with the effects I want to use. I am NOT an expert in mentalism, or even an amateur. I'm pretty much a beginner in it. So hypnosis (even though I'm delving into it at the moment) will probably not be in my routine until I have it down.

These effects that I have chosen are relatively simple, but pack a punch. I will be able to step up the performance and hopefully get some great reactions. Also, I will look into Max Maven's routine and check it out.

DICE R - I've sent you a PM, thank you for you're advice.


Line-up so far...

One in a Million
Gypsy Mind Reader
Cardiography
Costume change

This should be perfect for the time allotted. Any other input would be great!
Looking at a Russian Roulette piece now, that I could fit into later events (such as the school assemblies I've posted about before.)

 

[FOO:L]

naw, you just need to do a small pattern interrupt and even if the audience member doesnt get into that state, you just need to get them to put their hand over their eyes and ask them to relax there.

from then on its just talking. also, like corinda says, please please please write a script and go through it and even script little throwaway jokes you'll use. if not you'll just be explaining what youre doing at each point of time and that just gets bland. henning nelms book "magic and showmanship" has a couple of chapters on scripting and stage movement which is a very good supplement to corindas step 13.

 

[DannyT]

Whoa, Smash and Stab does look great... but so expensive!! If I had to pay for the product I feel I'd rather go with Dan Sperry's Cookie Cutter.

I'm the last person here to give advice on stage magic. I study it, but have never performed on it yet.
If you perform cookie cutter, you need to have Extremely Entertaining patter for this because no one wants to just watch you just eat cookies on stage. Yeah, there might be a razor blade in it, but that won't make it entertaining and you may lose the audiences interest.

Make jokes as you're eating, do whatever you can. I've seen stage performances with this trick and it was horrible. Just remember to keep it fun for them, as with any trick you do on stage.

 

[Luis Vega]

I'm the last person here to give advice on stage magic. I study it, but have never performed on it yet.
If you perform cookie cutter, you need to have Extremely Entertaining patter for this because no one wants to just watch you just eat cookies on stage. Yeah, there might be a razor blade in it, but that won't make it entertaining and you may lose the audiences interest.

Make jokes as you're eating, do whatever you can. I've seen stage performances with this trick and it was horrible. Just remember to keep it fun for them, as with any trick you do on stage.

actually...that is a very good advice!!!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Matthew Mello has an in expensive and reliable smash and stab style routine, Instinct. I think it's about $30 and can be learned rather quickly.

 

[Robert//Livingston]

FOO:L I think I see what you mean Magic and Showmanship will be my next purchase.

DannyT - Thanks for the advice! I don't plan on doing cookie cutter, I just said if I was going to buy a Russian Roulette type effect I would probably get it. It's inexpensive and looks pretty cool.

Luis - I second that!

ChristopherT - I'll definitely check it out.

Thanks to everyone who has read or posted in this thread. My gig is in a few weeks, so I have plenty of time to rehearse and script.