talkmagic.co.uk

I've been invited to present my magic to a major cruise line and they will decide if they want me to come aboard a ship and travel all over presenting magic every night. I'm really nervous (obviously by my previous run-on sentence) and ANY advice from anyone would be appreciated. Any words of wisdom or tips would be amazing. It will be table hopping after dinner. Please help as I think I'm going to p**s myself.

Hi Josh, I am guessing that you will entertain the same crowed night after night? I guess using different tricks are fine but do you have enough? My advice would be take plenty also use variations on the same trick so it looks like a new trick.

A friend of mine worked cruse ships for 3 years but he did everything on stage. The first year at the end of the cruse he lost half his props. Watch the other crew members near the end of the cruse lock everything away, not all the crew are permanent and hard to track down after the cruse is over.

I hope this helps.
TC All

It will be a new crowd every week. I'll only need 7 hours of material. One hour a night for every week. I never thought about things getting stolen. Thanks for the heads-up. I was thinking of progressing to "better" tricks night after night. I thought that would keep the audience interested and wanting to see more every night. Do you think it's a good idea?

I was thinking of progressing to "better" tricks night after night. I thought that would keep the audience interested and wanting to see more every night. Do you think it's a good idea?

If you are doing a build up over a week then you need to let the audience know that, something like it gets better each night. I would use a build up to the big one something like Scorpion, hype them up during the week on what you need to do to prepare for such a performance. Scorpion is just and example. I am sure you will come up with a grand exit.

Keep it simple but entertaining you don't want to seem to be boarding because after dinner they will leave and that's not good.

I hope this helps
TC all

There's a stage if I want to use it, so I was thinking of ending with the Lounge Suspension every week. Of course that all depends on if I can afford it before I have to go. Does anyone know any books that detail how to build something for a similar effect?

Lounge Suspension would need an assitant, do you have one? Unless you pull on the boat

Try a search on stage magic or stage props I was looking for somthing last week and found a site in the USA that sold plans to make your own props but I did not save it.

Hope this helps
TC all

I may have an assistant coming, but it's not certain. If she did come I would just plant her in the audience and "randomly" select her. If she doesn't come I'm sure I can convince someone to not tell what they've experienced. Pull on the boat? I don't get it ...

I heard that Hiding the Elephant has details on a suspension similar to the Lounge Suspension. Can anyone confirm or deny?

If it were me, I would try to mix up the material. Here's how I would do it:

Day 1: A close-up act. Show the audience that you can do more than just the 21 Card trick. Try to get the audience involved so they will tell people about you and want to come back the next day

Day 2: Another close-up act. By now, a lot of people will probably be talking about you so do another close-up act to prove to everyone you are a very skilled entertainer.

Day 3: Head to the stage to do a manipulation act. Perform something like Jeff McBride would with cards, billiard balls and what not.

Day 4: At this point, people will see you as very skilled. So, I would do a gambling act (poker hands, three card monte, cutting the aces, etc.) This can be your oppertunity to really tell a few jokes and make people laugh.

Day 5: A mental act. Dr. Harlan Tarbell himself said that the strongest type of magic is mental magic. This can be done from the stage, but if it was me, I would do it close-up.

Day 6: One more close-up act. Really try to make these effects as magical as you can to build up for the last night where...

Day 7: You perform the big, beautiful illusions on the stage. By now, people will believe in your skill so you won't get a lot of people afterwards saying "He does everything with trick boxes and such..." After you finish the show, thank the audience, say you really enjoyed the week and you hope they have had a wonderful cruse.

By mixing it up, you keep their interest and avoid them seeing things they have already seen.

Keep in mind that this is just how I would do it if I had every freedom in where I was performing and under what conditions I was performing. Talk to whoever is in charge a long time before the cruse and organize what rooms can be available for what times.

This list is also just what I would do, so it may be competly useless to you if you are interested in different branches of magic than me.

That was a bit of a long post, but if you got anything out of it, it was worth it.

Pull on the boat? I don't get it ...

Must be a brit thing< it meaqns get a woman pull as in pick up Date errr leave the rest to your imagination

mccabe14 seems to have sorted the routine out good idea

TC All

Thanks Mr. Deck and mccabe24. I think I can use your routine, mccabe24, and modify it to fit my style. Please keep the advice coming. I have to prove myself in two weeks. Not really an audition, I just have to impress some cruise line big-wigs. Shouldn't be a problem. I did the Balducci for one of the representatives and she was convinced I was highly spiritual even as I told her I wasn't.