talkmagic.co.uk

Me i am magic according to the people booking me or watching me!

if the person in charge says oh we had a guy here the other night who had this box and the box done this and then it done this and then it done this then you are doing something wrong

if they say

we had a guy here the other night and he had a box and then he would do this waving or whatever and in the box would be this and then he would do etc
they are remembering what you done not what the prop done

I'd say its mostly the audience, if you've got a relatively cyncical audience i.e. one that thinks they're clever than you they will not be impressed easily. If you've got one that simply enjoys the effects and all the bits running up to it then they can have a lot of fun.

Of course you have to be good enough to let your audience enjoy what your doing and if you've got some particularly impressive effects some of the more cynical types can be one round but human nature is unpredictable at best and I guess with practise I'll learn how to work them better and force them to like what I'm showing them.

Definitely the performer and not the props. The use of props often leads to a performance that is more a demonstration of things bought from an internet retailer than a genuine magic routine - there are exceptions of course.

I pride myself on knowing that if I arrive at a booking to find I left my box of magical goodies at home by mistake, I could still entertain for a good couple of hours.

The best magic always happens when there are no props around. IMHO.