talkmagic.co.uk

There are many posts on themes such as "what/who is your favourite magician/trick etc.

I would like you to think as an audience member though. What do THEY expect/enjoy watching? You know the ones I mean, the timeless ones that will always get a good reception. It doesn't matter if you don't do, or even like them. It shouldn't be about what magicians feel should be the best magic, but what the audience feels is the best.
I suspect that the same question 20 years ago would have resulted in just stage magic being chosen. Nowadays I would think that some street magic would be included.

I am splitting this into 2 parts.

A, ANY magic genre.

B, YOUR magic genre.

My thoughts on A:

Cups and Balls.

Stage Levitation.

Street Levitation.

Sub Trunk style escape/transformation.

Sawing in half.

Torn and Restored

On B, which in my instance would be Childrens Magic:

Hippitty Hop Rabbits.

Drawer Box.

Change Bag routine.

Sliding Die Box.

These are a few to start with, but would be interested in your thoughts.

This is also where age may make a difference in peoples answers.

Something that gets the audience involved, is always a good effect, or a torn and restored card.

And btw i dont really understand your post

fave effect for any age i found is glass through table. but then i do get the whole table screaming 'we believe' at the tops of their voices and then I belt the table so hard the cuttlery tingles!

its the screams that i like best.

mind you, the simple knot off the rope/knot back on the rope and then untied is starting to become a firm favourate. I could fool adults but the 10 and 11 year old kids were another matter - they start backtracking too early!

Anyway, found a few ways around and its settled down to become really strong magic and an excellent opener to establish credentials.

I think the reason street magic and mentalisem are so popular now is because they are cheap and accessible for the audience, I mean, any one can open TV and see a 30-60 minute show of Blaine, Criss Angle, etc. but I think any one of those people, if they will go to Vegas and see one of the grand stage show (McBride, Burton, P&T, Z&R) will just say "f**k David Blaine"".
It's a whole different kind of magic, I mean street magic and mentaliem on TV is mostly: "Hay wana see something wired" *trick* *people going "omfg"* "see ya". It's nothing like stage shows that are not only magic but really a full show, it's a mix of dancing, music, magic, acting, the whole lot, and it really is an experience to remember. I remember myself when I was 14 or 15, I think, and I was in Vegas and a saw Lance Burton and it was amazing, it was so good all I wanted was to go and see it again, I also saw McBride's show on tape and few years ago, and it is just as amazing, maybe even more, and you just can't compare the experience you get from it to Blaine making a coin vanish or Criss Angel eating razor blades.

I think that most lay people have a vary low comprehension of magic, because very little of them actually saw a live show, or saw magic at all except for children's magic shows, and Criss and Blaine on TV. all they know is what they do, and ofc the eternal "stigma", if you will, of magic that consist on cutting a lady or making her levitate, pulling bunnies out of stuff, and making bigger and bigger things vanish, and ofc all is done with mirrors, smoke and IT (and since the Masked magician maybe more methods).
So these things might be counted as classics by lay people but sure not as the things that will make them exited. Also it all depends on presentation.
Take McBride for example, except for his card manipulation (that really rocks I must say), he does very simple known things like zombie, mouth coil, sword basket, lady levitation (nice method btw, didn't figured it out until a saw a bcc show a few month ago where they talked about the Hindu priest levitation), silk production, etc. But he does it in such a way that no matter how many times you saw that trick before his show can still make your heart skip a beat.

If I'll have to pin point things that people like, well when it comes to stage it's always livestock that takes the cake, any crappie show that have a few doves that get shot out of the magician's arss get a very loud round of applause.
But really any crappie thing can turn into gold in the right hands, take for example Criss Angle's take on buzz saw or even sub trunk, just by a few changes and a good act and those oldies became an exciting act.

If you look on close up magic, it really depends on the spectator, there are 2 kinds to my taste: the ones that come knowing it's all slight of hands and they come to see how good you are, or if you can fool them, for those people things like cups and balls are the best, because it shows them that you can fool them more then once, and that you are really good at what you are doing. The other kinds are the ones that come open minded, and they basically love any thing done well, but mostly the "miracle" kind of tricks.

If I look into my own kind of magic which is mostly kid's shows, it really depends on the age and on the kids themselves. eventually if you are a good kid's show performer no matter the age, it comes to performance and humor, the magic tricks are just the aid to get their excitement (and their parents to pay for the show "we want to see a bunny damt we don't pay you that much for half an hour so you can tell knock knock jokes" ^^).
Younger kids like colorful magic that goes with humor about the magician (like putting the magic wand in my back pocket with it poking out and go "where is that wand?") also I sometimes find them liking my balloon animals and hats more then the magic show, because it's a gift they can take with them. for mid age kids I find sucker tricks to go well, and ofc doing magic as much as I can with "an assistant from the audience" that make the kids even more involved. Tthe older kids (+11) will always try to challenge you, so they are toughest crowd, they always want to see the most expansive magic tricks you own and even ones you don't, so to deal with them I built a sword box for a head (screw the magic shops that sell it for +100$, I made mine for about 30$ and it is a charm, never even chipped ^^), also it's hard to satisfy them with jokes, jokes like "where is my magic wand" will get frowns not smiles, so some times I let a dirty joke slip out (not a direct one ofc a subtle one), like with an egg bag (in Hebrew eggs are like balls.. catch my drift?).
Again like I said, in kid's show like in all kinds of magic, the trick doesn't matter, if you know how to present it and make a big act out of it the crowd will love it.

Man I wrote waaay to much.. I need to find something better to do with my free time.

Wow, thanks iummydd, brilliant post.

I think you are spot on with the difference between TV magic that is shown nowadays and stage shows. I have only seen live shows when I have been to the Blackpool Conference a couple of times and enjoyed every minute of it.

think that most lay people have a vary low comprehension of magic, because very little of them actually saw a live show, or saw magic at all except for children's magic shows, and Criss and Blaine on TV. all they know is what they do, and ofc the eternal "stigma", if you will, of magic that consist on cutting a lady or making her levitate, pulling bunnies out of stuff, and making bigger and bigger things vanish, and ofc all is done with mirrors, smoke and IT

So these things might be counted as classics by lay people but sure not as the things that will make them exited

I think that is true, but do audiences sometimes expect them to be in the show, and do magicians sometimes get too "comfy" using these effects?


On childrens shows, you mention balloons. Childrens tastes and demands change all the time and over time we may change routines entirely. If you do balloons as part of a show though, this is going to be one constant part of a show. I know the " pulling a rabbit from a hat" would have been deemed a must for childrens performers, but I wonder what percentage of childrens magicians do that nowadays.

PS.
Cordenadam, to answer your query, I define a "classic" in magic, as something that has been enjoyed by audiences through many years, and that they would be more likely to expect a show to contain. Hope this helps.