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Like any performance, it's not the effects that matter but the presentation. Make things as silly and as fun as you can. One of my favourites when I'm performing for my nephews is to produce green boggey sponge balls from my nose and yellow ear wax sponge balls for their ears, it sounds disgusting but they love it. I've also got a russian roulette routine using eggs, 4 hard boiled ones and 1 raw one. 4 kids and me all pick an egg and break it over our heads, guess who ends up breaking the raw egg on her head?

Get the kids involved and if yoou can give them all something to take away then that's even better. Balloon dogs or even just a little plastic wand will go down well.

Lady of Mystery wrote:Like any performance, it's not the effects that matter but the presentation. Make things as silly and as fun as you can. One of my favourites when I'm performing for my nephews is to produce green boggey sponge balls from my nose and yellow ear wax sponge balls for their ears, it sounds disgusting but they love it. I've also got a russian roulette routine using eggs, 4 hard boiled ones and 1 raw one. 4 kids and me all pick an egg and break it over our heads, guess who ends up breaking the raw egg on her head?

Get the kids involved and if yoou can give them all something to take away then that's even better. Balloon dogs or even just a little plastic wand will go down well.

Thanks a lot for the advice

Your post has made me think about a lot of things, firstly, I have been thinking about the type of character I would play, the clown, the suited gent, old fashioned with top hat etc and I was already swaying towards being the clown (almost Tommy Cooper-esque) that would get things "wrong" and then rescue at the end

Secondly, the egg routine you mention gives me an idea, as I was going to order a Comedy Egg Can, and what you mentioned could help me out...

Thanks everyone by the way - this is when forums come into their own, decent people given new performers inspiration and ideas

So it would appear I know have all the props and have started writing a script, the show will go something like this...

Intro is courtesy of kind TM member who PM'd me....

Open letter, letter goes under arm, pretend I don't know where it is...etc etc , this will continue in panto fashion to get the children into the act (hopefully!)
The letter says we have a special guest...Rocky Racoon enters...some fun and games with him

Coloring book routine

Comedy egg cup routine (with parent)

Something with breakable wand

D-lites

Mouth coil to finish...

Peoples thoughts?

There is such a thing as too many cooks guys

Please just one piece of advice at a time and not too many people please!

Not really my field, but overall it looks like it's shaping up nicely.

What are you planning on doing with the D-Lites? While you might be able to get little kids to sit quietly while you produce lights from the air, you might want a presentational hook. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling for you!

The breakaway wand works best alongside another trick. "You help me. Wave the wand like this." Hand over the wand. Hilarity ensues.

The other thing I think you need is a big finish. I am not sure a mouth coil is quite it. Some sort of sweet production might be nice (depending upon your attitude to little people on E numbers), and that would be a good point to use the breakaway wand. Give your helper (presumably your son) a proper wand, and let him produce the sweets for everyone (maybe after daddy has messed it up). Perhaps you could try to use the breakaway wand it is goes all wobbly (just to turn it round from "magician being clever, audience member is sucker" approach you often see).

Good luck. You'll need it.

My D-lites routine was going to be grabbing from a light bulb and doing the usual in and out of mouth/ears/nose but also doing a bit of that with the children as well

After what you have said involving the breakaway wand and a stronger finish I am now thinking of finishing with Comedy Egg Can and sweets being produced at the end, that leaves the children happy as well - the breakaway wand will be incorporated into this with my volunteer...kinda makes for a strong finish that way

Thanks for taking the time to write some words!

One of my wife's friends now has wind of this and wants me to do here daughter's party the week after so no pressure