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Me and my freind are about to start out doing childrens birthday parties and small stuff like that. Anyway i was just wondering if you guys found it better to perform solo or with a freinds complementing each others tricks. For example I produce a dollar and then he levitates it or vice versa. Not that we will use this trick its simply an example. Thanks Guys

Penn&Teller seems to do it well.

I don't see why not if you can coordinate and choreograph it well.

Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod do an excellent double act. Not sure if that's the right phrase as it sounds more like a comedy partnership, perhaps a Dual Act is a better description? Anyway, they intersperse their patter with each other almost as though reciting a poem, one line each kind of thing and it's fascinating to watch. OK, their magic leans towards the darker side of things and may not be to everyone's taste but for two magicians working in tandem, they're hard to beat. See http://www.comedycv.co.uk/barryandstuart/index.htm for a bit more info.

I saw a very good double act once. One played the serious magician and the other played the bumbling idiot. They worked brilliantly together, the magician always saving the idiots mistakes. Very funny.

Not much experience, 3 or 4 "free" shows, but am scripting for both my son and myself. he is 11, but we started doing them together when he waqs about 8. Hope these comments might help. These were supposed to be childrens shows, but were more small stage shows, with more adults than children in the audience.

One problem I have, is I only see my son every other weekend. By the time we do other stuff together, we don't always manage to practice together as much as we should. Make sure you can both spend lots of time working on the script, practice, the script, practice etc.
You will need to decide how you are going to do the act. is one of you the assistant? If not, is one of you going to do more than the other? If you are both going to perform, is it going to be at the same time, or are you going to alternate? If so, can the other person set up the next effect without detracting from the performer? Can you do a running gag effect, to cut out any dead time between effects? Is it going to be a "straight" show, or are you going to add comedy, if so, who is naturally funnier?
Looking at your stage show thread, it is also woth thinking if one of you is more suitable for climbing in and out of boxes etc.

These and others, are what you need to decide BEFORE you start to decide what you are going to perform.
The first show I did with my son, we took a video and cringed when we saw how much time there was between effects. I have cut down the effects he does, concentrating on him being my UNhelpful assistant. For some effects, I act as if it's the first time I have performed it, with him reading the "instructions" out to me. Useful effects with these are my own made up scripts for Vanishing Bandana and Fresh Fish Sold Here. they are not that much different, but enough to have "ad lib" banter scripted in.

More or less, we have learnt what the strengths and weaknesses of our act and each other are. With him being young, everybody is on his side for making me go wrong. What you have to decide, with being honest about it, is where each of your strenghts and weaknesses lie. Then decide from there what type of act you can do, then spend the time working on it between you. It doesn't matter if one of you is better at scripting. I do ours. Once we start reading it through, my son makes most of the suggestions for changes. You will both need to feel ok with the other one wanting to change what you might feel is a wonderful script. Unless it works for you both, put it to one side and either start again, or start with something else.
DON'T buy anything yet. Use what you have, even if it is only a couple of card tricks. Work on those, not for a show as such, but to make sure you feel good on how you interact together and the style of the performance.

Sorry for the long post!