10DD wrote:I disagree. It's not 'easy' to successfully combine them and the example in my earlier post shows that it is possible. I've done something similar informally and the audience believed the explanations provided because everything was plausible and logical, there was nothing conflicting about it. There wasn't any mention or noticeable sub-text of magic in the script, yet something like a Poker Deal demonstration is a classic effect of card magic. Presentation is key.
Unless you have a video of the entire performance, I find that difficult to accept.
When I do mentalism I do not claim, like Derren, that I am using psychology and showmanship. I imply (never state) that there is more to it. And I will not sully that with tricks.
If you combine magic and mentalism you will get away with it, and you will entertain. But you are not a mentalist in the sense that Kreskin was, or the Paddingtons, or Uri Geller. You are a mental magician, like Derren. You have sacrificed true believability for a temporary suspension of disbelief, just for the sake of a couple of tricks. If you are happy with that, great. Many make it work. Many have risen to greatness doing that. But it is different from true mentalism.
My last mentalism show I walked onto an empty stage with nothing, and read minds like Psychic Sally, John Edward, etc, for an hour. The credibility would have been destroyed if I had opened with a card trick.