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im going to a restaurant satand at a drop of a hat my friend has asked me to be a derren brown for his birthday there. i told him i'll never ever be like the great derren for one!!! but have been rushing to try and put a few effects together but unsure the order i should put them into. like openers and closers:

the lists i quicky picked out are

stigmata
a coin bend routine i created
nailed by sankey
strange travellers
homicide by nyman
haunted key
pk pen
symbolgic
free will
spoon bend effect
heirloom
b.i.p. book

what do you guys think
i hate short notice !!!!!!

DO YOU LIKE HARRY POTTER

OR

ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF IT..!!!

jking but really please answer that question...

i love harry potter and the author is sexy!!
but wouldn't it be funny to ring the doctor and say you've got a case of the hogwarts all over your stumpy toes, and if he has any remover

russellmagic wrote::lol: i love harry potter and the author is sexy!!

Its amazing almost magical how sexy someone becomes when they have a couple of hundred million squillion pounds

I've actually had warts, and they came from something resembling a hog, and no its not funny

I wouldnt do Stigmata in a resturant....People are eating! All though is Free Choice the same as Free Will with the wooden disc because i use that all the time.

sorry it was free will. its a great effect.

The list lookks good, but a few tips for you:

You will be competing with the wait staff to get access to the tables, and you will have people who are hungry, so you need to time your approach to the tables. This may sound obivous, but you could be half through Strange Travellers and the starter arrives. There you are with 20 cards on the table (I recommend putting 10 of the cards in their hands).

You will also only have time to do a few effects per table. 'Nailed' if done properly will take a few minutes (might best over coffee).

You will need something pretty visual for your first effect, unless you have a serious gift of the gab!

Not familiar with all of the effects you have listed, but a couple of thoughts for you.......restaurant routines need to be flexible! Sometimes the meal comes and you need to get out, others the meal is delayed and you need to stay longer to tie the table over so they don't notice their food delay.....the effects chosen (I am sure all must be suitable or you likely wouldn't have chosen them) but you need to ride the flow of the evening and run with the moment.......if the restaurant is busy you will have to cut back and shorten your routine in order to hit all tables, a slow night will be the exact opposite. I also like to vary slightly what I do from one table to the next....that way if you have people leering at you either one table before or after theirs, they are going to see some different effects.........I usually run with a couple of different sequences, and alternate them from one table to the next......that way if I have time to hit the tables again, or if I need a longer routine, I always have some other effects ready to go.....just a couple of thoughts.

Sorry, I somewhat misread your post.....sounds like you are going to perform for a specific table/group and not roaming the entire restaurant.....some of what I said will still apply though....you need to be able to adjust based on the timing of the service you recieve...and if all goes well, they will no doubt be asking for an encore after supper, so save some effects for after.

And don't be afraid to PM if you ever need help in this area....I love working restaurants, small groups, etc

thanks for the replys, great help. i am looking to do some magic at the bar. sort of mingle in the crowd. openers are always a tough one. what would you guys suggest. i thought stigmata would grab them as a shocking effect and quite quick.

I always use something simple and visual, that does not require a lot of thought on their part.......I use foam balls, silk vanishes, magic paddle (not sure the actual name but stars appear and disapear), torn and restored napkin, etc.....doesn't require spec involvement other than their eyes. Simple fun things work well for me to open up at a table.

Brainwave is a nice opener. You approach with nothing, ask them to imagine a deck of cards, select one mentally, and then you can introduce the deck and do the reveal. Same goes for an ID.

Hmmm, moodini, that mention of magic paddle (sure I know which you are talking about) got me thinking of a sankey effect with a knife and 2 coins that appear one by one on the knife then dissappear and are then replaced by a banknote. Similar workings, although likewise I forget the name of the effect. It would be very suitable for restaurant magic. Also the introduction of money into the routine may subtley move them towards tipping you.
Good luck tonight Andy

DrTodd wrote:Brainwave is a nice opener. You approach with nothing, ask them to imagine a deck of cards, select one mentally, and then you can introduce the deck and do the reveal. Same goes for an ID.

I agree that it's a good visual effect, but perhaps a little TOO powerful for an opener?

I did have an idea about a Colour Monte opener, where instead of the 'you owe me' card, you substitute a 'OK, we'll watch the Magician' card—then approach a table and ask 'If I can do a trick you've never seen before, will you let me entertain you for 10 minutes?' or somesuch.

About 3 years ago we were approached in a pub whilst sitting minding our own business by a walkaround magician.

We knew he was in the pub, and I was dreading him coming up. But he got our attention by asking if anyone had a lighter or a match... a friend lent him a small lighter, at which point he set fire to what appeared to be a cigarette, which transformed (cleverly) to a deck of cards. He handed back the lighter and said 'Thanks! You want to see something else really weird?'

A brilliant intro, and I was hooked from that moment onwards. The rest of his act was mediocre, but I thought the introduction/opener was fantastic. Unobtrusive, natural, and a great link to his next effect.

Closers...
I think a real misconception is to always go out with a bang, but being honest, I always like to have an 'encore' ready but never delivered... i.e. my LAST effect is a teaser, with a crescendo. Let them WANT more, and if you're asked to just do 'one more effect', decline.

I find this much better than going out with a big amazing lights and glamour effect, as you leave the audience in a more euphoric state of excitement.

For table hopping, you could consider leaving a souvenir—a business card for example—as part of your finale.

These are just my thoughts, and I'm not saying they're wrong or right, more of an observation.

Good point siege, it is well worth knowing at least one trick that you can do with business cards. It gives you the opportunity to leave a card or two on the table without even asking or appearing like you are giving them the card which they could decline. Signed playing cards are often kept as souvenirs, as are business cards if used in effects.

The out to lunch principal is handy for this although there are many other things that you can do with a stack of business cards....even good ol' ambitious! That would also save you having to get your bikes written on if you are one of the many that is not too keen on having them signed.