talkmagic.co.uk

I see that young Michael is agonising on the magic cafe about what to do if a child interrupts him when he is doing a kid show and chatters away without shutting up. A bit like Michael himself when he was on this forum in previous times.

The answer is easy, my boy. No need to bring them up on stage or get complicated as you will see various incompetents advise. You can shut the little b***** up instantly in a matter of seconds. Just glare (or smile if you are feeling polite) at the child and say, "The quietest one can help me do the next trick" The little brat will go as quiet as a mouse within three seconds.

There. That is all you have to do. Now you know.

I made the mistake of inviting a noisy ill-disciplined child onto stage once. Little b***** nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. My advice - pack up your gear and leave. It won't shut them up but at least you won't have to listen to them any more.

I'm going to give the above pair of posts the benefit of the doubt and consider that they were written in jest.

If they were serious, they contain the worst possible advice!

Peter. I believe that Magic Wand was joking but I was perfectly serious. I got that little bit of advice from Clayton Rawson who wrote a book called "How to entertain children with magic you can do"

It works like a charm. I have used it for decades.

If you want a child to be quiet just say "The quietest one can help me do the next trick" It has never failed me. Naturally I do not keep my promise and I usually ignore the child. I am a pitchman after all. We all tell lies. On the other hand if I deem the kid to have a bit of personality then I will indeed use the little brat.

However I usually use this line on the whole audience. If it is just one of them interupting I may say instead, "tell me later".

I can assure you that I am a master children's entertainer and naturally by dint of this my word must be taken as gospel.

Oh there are so many evil ways to deal with a problem child, most of which Mark Lewis will not divulge as they are the things in which parents appreciate and tip heavy for.

I have said for many a year "excuse me young type person but as iv'e already stated before I began I've already been paid and can leave at any time", now if you wish to spoil it for all the other children and adults here then carry on, i'll wait".
i then wait for the other children to sort him /her out or for a parent to embarisingly grab there kid, only once had i had to apologise to the other kids and pack up and leave.

always make one adult the person responsable for sorting out disputes or problems your not paid to be a child minder, that costs extra.

I have to agree with Mr Lewis on this one.

What so many kids' entertainers forget is that problem children are behaving that way because they really want to be involved in the show. They want attention. They'll do whatever they can to get that attention, and if you don't tell them how it's attained they'll follow their own course.

Tell them that the best-behaved kids get to help you with the magic, and they'll put a comical amount of effort into being quiet and well-behaved.

It works like a charm.

This thread just reminded me of when I was about 4-5 and had a magician for my birthday and I broke his comedy glasses. At the time I thought he didn't notice, but I'm sure he did and secretly loathed me... oh well

I am now going to do a Peter Marucci and wonder if magicdiscoman's post was in jest. If it wasn't then I am going to echo Peter and say it is quite dreadful advice. That is NOT how you entertain children or get them to be quiet.
Now here is another tip. If the entire audience is being a bit rowdy and you want them ALL to shut up and settle down the solution again is very easy. You simply say, "When I count to three will you all say Shhh! One! Two! Three!"

It works like magic. It will even work when the kids are quiet but there are a lot of noisy adults at the back. I have even used this line at adult shows when people are not paying attention at to my amazement it actually works.

yes, yes complete jest so to speak.

with a talkative i know how you did that type kid, i uaualy say "oh youv'e been on utube too have you" and carry on, 1,2,3 shh works great too.

I imagine the Youtube thing wouldn't work for very little kids..

mark lewis wrote:I am now going to do a Peter Marucci and wonder if magicdiscoman's post was in jest. If it wasn't then I am going to echo Peter and say it is quite dreadful advice. That is NOT how you entertain children or get them to be quiet.
Now here is another tip. If the entire audience is being a bit rowdy and you want them ALL to shut up and settle down the solution again is very easy. You simply say, "When I count to three will you all say Shhh! One! Two! Three!"

It works like magic. It will even work when the kids are quiet but there are a lot of noisy adults at the back. I have even used this line at adult shows when people are not paying attention at to my amazement it actually works.

Hey Mark, you recently posted a clip of yourself performing for children and all I recall is that you showed hee-haw skill in controlling the little brats.

But it wasn't any worse than your Svengali performance which I believe solicited the following quote "All I can say is; imagine Paul Daniels, but really bad." Was that you Queen of Clubs?

Found one!



What do I win?



Pete

JellyBaby wrote:But it wasn't any worse than your Svengali performance which I believe solicited the following quote "All I can say is; imagine Paul Daniels, but really bad." Was that you Queen of Clubs?

I wouldn't put it past myself. That was back before I realised Reverend Lewis' genius, of course.

What on earth is "Hee Haw" skills? I do wish people would speak in a comprehensible manner unless of course he is a donkey. Which he probably is I suppose. He certainly sounds like one.

And to be compared with Paul Daniels I consider a compliment rather than an insult.

If this chap is being rude I must warn him that I have eaten many a jellybaby in my life and they don't look quite the same when I have finished with them.

I do control the children and can turn the noise and rowdyness on and off like a tap instantly. If I want them to be quiet they will be. If I want them to be noisy I make them noisy. However it is ALL under MY control not theirs.