talkmagic.co.uk

Just wondering if there'd be any comments if I described the routine I'm planning for my New Years' family magic show. As stated elsewhere, the underlying motivation behind this event is to encourage my nine-year-old cousin's daughter's developing interest in magic. Also to have fun.

The only trick that I've developed and practised over a long time is my 27-card variation, which is not a children's trick (due partly to length, and partly to the sophistication of the story). I'm planning to do it anyway for the adults in the audience, but the overall format I intend for the show is: (a) do a trick or two for the kids; (b) leave the stage and let the nine-year-old perform some tricks; (c) come back and do a trick for the adults to finish off.

So, what to do for the kids? Well, I obtained some spongeballs at the "magic for beginners" workshop I went to in November, and my plan is to start by saying "I thought I'd start off today with a bit of an exercise to get the audience awake, alert and paying attention to what's going on", which will serve to introduce some simple spongeball magic. This will involve the move where you place a spongeball in a spectator's hand, and it later turns out to be two spongeballs. (One thing I have trouble with, though, is that not everyone closes their hand in the manner that I would like, and I still have some things to learn about how to control this consistently.)

Let us assume that the spectator I will have decided on in advance is Robert (one of the adults). While his hand is closed, I will point out three identical business cards on the table, each of which has something written on the back. I'll ask Annie (she's seven) to read what's written on the first card, which will be something like, "Robert is holding a spongeball". I'll suggest to the audience that this is a very reasonable thing for it to say. Then I'll ask Annie to read what's written on the next card, which will be something like, "Robert has been turned into a toad". I'll point out that this is patently false, but that this is the point: only one of the three cards ever tells the truth. Then I'll ask Annie to help me mix up the three cards so that nobody (ha, ha) knows which is which.

What follows (as you've probably already guessed) is a Magician's Choice in which I'll make sure that Annie chooses the third card, which has not been revealed yet. Just before it's turned over, I'll say that if it's the card that tells the truth, she'll win a prize (something very simple so as to avoid sibling jealousy - a paper hat, maybe). When the card is revealed as saying, "Robert is holding two spongeballs", I'll say, "Well, unfortunately I'm pretty sure Robert is only holding one spongeball. But we'd better check, just in case". You know the rest.

I have another very simple trick planned to follow that one, involving a behind-the-back playing card force that will result in another kid (Kate) winning a simple prize. (All of the children in the audience will be girls, incidentally.)

Anyway, that's what I've been working on. Very simple tricks, but hey, I'm a beginner. The idea of combining a spongeball routine with a Magician's Choice is my own. I'm just interested in any comments you may wish to share.

Beginner or not, the important thing here is that you are THINKING!

And good on you!

The only way -- and I mean the ONLY way -- you are going to get any performing experience is to perform. And you are going about that the right way.

I only with I had your "savvy" when I was a beginner!

Adrian Morgan wrote:(One thing I have trouble with, though, is that not everyone closes their hand in the manner that I would like, and I still have some things to learn about how to control this consistently.)

At the same time you place the ball into their hand with your right hand close their fingers over it with your left saying "hold on to this ball really tightly - don't let it go", then withdraw your right hand and turn their hand over with your left. If they are standing psychologically they are unlikely to open their hand as the ball would drop, if they are seated at a table at the same time I turn their hand over I place it on the table and give their hand a squeeze when I say 'tightly'.

With the reveal ask them to 'turn your hand over and slowly open it' - that way the balls don't spring out of their hand.

The reply from Kevin is spot on in terms of making them close their hand. Do it for them and turn it over.

I put this routine out for the first time properly yesterday in front of a childrens audience at a school. I used adults for this because I thought that a) I might have trouble keeping a childs hand closed and b) they were 6/7 year olds and their hand size would be a problem.

It got a good reaction from both audience and participants.

If you are getting in to sponge magic I cannot recommend highly enough the Spongeball Toolbox reviewed and commented on at lenght elsewhere on here.

Sounds like a nice little routine to me.

One way I deal with putting a sponge ball in someones hand is to tell them to hold on to the ball and put one in their hand. 'No no not like that, like this', take the ball and hold as you'd like them to hold it. At that point you can add in trhe magic that will make the balls multiply and hand it back to them.

Like the idea

I always put into their hand and then close it tight and tell them to keep their hand held tightly as they are fast. There's some good handling for this on the (always recommended) Spongeball Toolbox which explains a lot of moves and routines and gets your brain ticking away.

I think the hardest things to practice are always the bits that involve volunteers; mirrors don't have hands.

The more people I can practice on before the actual show, the more I can experiment with technique and the less chance that it will go wrong. Underlyingly, I think that's the only issue here.

Thanks for the compliments on the routine idea. I hope it works for the target audience.

You mentioed a stage?
Either it was a metaphor or you have a rather impressive house!

Lord Freddie wrote:You mentioed a stage?
Either it was a metaphor or you have a rather impressive house!

Metaphor.

However, my parents' house (where I'll be over Christmas) is pretty impressive, nonetheless. For example, my bedroom there has five walls...

Good luck with the show, Adrian. Spongeballs are always a good addition partocularly when there are young and old in the audience as it has appeal to both.

Routine sounds great to me, as well as the advice on the sponge ball and the spectator.

You mention a 'prize', then you mention a hat. If you are near a local magic shop or can get things quick I'd recommend a hat tear. Really simplistic to do. Loads of fun. I think you get 12 in a package, no you cannot reuse them. What you get is two pieces of tissue paper you hold one, the child holds one. You get them to do exactly what you do. You tear the paper in half. Child does the same. Eventually you have torn up everything. then take the childs pieces combine with yours crunch up into a ball. Upon uncrunching you end up with a paper hat the child can wear. You can usually get bonnets, a wizzards hat (which to me looks like a dunce cap) and around this time of year you could usually get santa hats with full beard and mustache. Just a thought.

But at this point I would be hesitent to add anything new.

My two pennies worth for the two ball to their hand move is to just do it. Don't make a move out of it for God's sake, just put the balls in thier hand and close it, if you can carry on talking while you do so all the better. Funnily enough when I read your post I thought about how I do it and I couldn't for the life of me picture what I do without a spec around to run through it, probably because I've done it so often that I don't have to think about the mechanics at all. Eventually I recalled that I place the balls on their palm adn hold them there with my fingers while my thumb goes under their hand and closes it up. I think I saw this explained properly on the David Stone Vol 1 dvd but I can't remember exactly, either way it saves too much fiddling with both hands.