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Hi everyone,

so far I've been performing in walk-around environment, but next month I have a stage performance: I've 15 minutes to myself. I haven't decided on what routines to perform, but definitely one with ropes, one or two mentalism, and one effect from sankey where magi causes someone to have a memory lapse. Particularly the last effect would benefit from some nice suspenseful music at the background. Any ideas where I can get them from??

Worse come to worse, I am thinking of going through some crime thriller and getting the sound effect.

Hi Rana

If you've just got a month or so left then I'd recommend tha tyou make your mind up quickly about what you're going to perform and start rehearsing. The time will come around quickly and the transition from strolling magic to stage magic isn't as easy as it would appear to be.

I would also query whether traditional magic routines such as ropes would work with mentalisn routines and personally I'd recommend doing one or the other. I'm sure that others will have an opinion on this so you should get some interesting answers.

Finally, sound effects may distract the audience from the effect that you're performing so if you need music then just pick a piece of music that you think will suit and leave the sound effects out.

Good luck.

Well, this is what I found about the gig: it will be around 120 people, and that's including 20 odd kids. I have 15 minutes for the whole set, and this is what I had planned (before reading dat8962 reply). Basically I wanted something for everyone - my patter line would be along the lines of a journey through various aspects of magic...

Starting with

1) Production: rose and toss it to the spectators ( < 1 min)

2) Rope tricks: Sander's fibre optics (3 min)

3) Prediction: Three predictions of number, card, book. (3 min)

4) Torn-Restored Newspaper (3 min)

5) Sankey's Memory Lapse (5 min)

6) Mutiple Cards Revelation (< 2 min)

so far it's sixteen minutes. I thought as the Rope trick is extremely visual, that would get the spectators attention before I go into something that requires a bit longer attention span. Unfortunately my personality/ability suits mental effects that what appears to be sleight of hands.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Lose number 5. If it's the one I know of as Memory Lapse (where the spectator forgets one symbol out of those drawn on a business card), it doesn't really fit the rest of the programme, and it doesn't fit a stage environment (although I am sure it's possible to rig up a version using a different method that would be visible in a small stage/parlour setting).

Using music for that effect is a bad idea, in my opinion. Generally, if the performer has to talk, there shouldn't be any music competing with him.

Also, the timing seems off. I'm not sure how (or why) you'[d stretch that out to five minutes. Yet the triple prediction (which I think will be fine in a magic show, unless you're trying to convince people you really have psychic powers, or an amazing grasp of psychology) only merits a whistle-stop three minutes. Spend some time building up the impossibility of three different choices being predicted in advance.

Hi PartTimer,

yep that's the effect: I think it can be a super theatrical effect. Imaging spec. coming on the stage and sitting down: I show the pad; spec closes her eyes to visualize - at this time the music starts playing. I come down the stage and show the first couple of rows the pad.. then come back on stage .. music gets tenser; and with the music finale, I snap my fingers. In this case, music would get them to anticipate the magic moment.

I have to admit, I did an estimate of time: I should really go through the presentation and see how long it takes to introduce the effect: getting a volunteer to come to stage: all I know is I should be doing some mystical gesture for about 15-20 seconds.

Do you think it that sense, it would work? I can get the front row to say out loud what the drawings are for the people at the back...

Now I see where all the extra time comes from!

Sorry, but I still don't think the effect works, either in the context of the rest of the performance, or for a stage environment.

In many respects, I think Memory Lapse is best done 'one-on-one', because the effect only really plays for that person. In theory, it should work for others, based on the participant's reaction, but I just can't see it coming across right on stage. Do you really think that getting people in the front row to turn round and start talking to the people behind them is good theatre? It'll be disruptive, and likely to weaken an effect that's already slightly diluted for the reason I gave.

Of course, it might work just fine on stage; it's certainly possible to use other people's reactions to make effects 'play big'.

My real concern is that it will quite clearly be a trick, sandwiched as it is between things that are clearly magic tricks. I think that's aproblem not only from the point of view of Memory Lapse itself, but also for your act as a whole.

Many performers (including some of the great mentalists) mixed magic and mind reading in one programme. I'm fairly sure that this particular effect sits badly in a programme of stage magic. The prediction trick is fine.

I am also sticking to my guns about the use of music. How are you going to explain what is going on (you're on stage), while the music plays? If the music started after you've made your explanation (it is part of the process of forgetting, if you like), then I think it might be OK.

Before whipping out your favourite CD to play at a public performance, take serious note of what I said about copyright and legality at the bottom of this thread: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic25745.php

Don't bank on slipping under the radar. There are loads of legal cases brought by recording companies against "harmless" productions like school plays.

I would agree about leaving out sound effects. They would only make the effects seem ludicrous. You'd also land yourself with a whole new set of worries trying to get the timing right.

If you use music, I'd recommend having it only as you come on and off the stage, not playing as background music throughout. That would be distracting at best, and at worst might drown out what you're saying.