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Hello,

I'm getting back into magic and I'm now concentrating on cards instead of coins. I'm back reading and practicing RRTCM.
I've decided for a different approach, instead of learning the techniques one by one I'm picking the effects I like the most and practicing techniques necessary to perform them.

Design for Laughter is a trick that got always a strong reaction from my friends and family. One thing I didn't like about it, is that it creates a challenge between magician and audience. I've recently read 'Strong Magic' and it mentions how bad that is towards creating a successful partnership between Magician and Audience.

I think I've finally found a better way to present that effect and I've also added an extra twist at the end.

The effect
1] The Jack of Spade is introduced as a detective card, he helps finding cards picked randomly by the audience. It is placed face up onto the table.
2] Magician selects assistant from the Audience. Assistant picks a card, shows it to everyone but the magician. Cards go back in the deck and magician shuffles.
3] Magician ask assistant to cut the deck twice using the 'Detective' card face up.
4] Magician explains that the 'Detective' believes the 3 cards at the bottom of each pile to be 'Suspects' and they need to be taken into 'Custody'.
5] Magician picks one by one each pile, showing the bottom card to the audience and then passing them face downward to the assistant, reminding the assistant to protect those cards.
6] Magician explains that 'Detective' needs to interrogate other cards in the deck. Magician shuffles Jack of Spade in the deck, cuts and shows that Jack of Spade is back to the top.
7] Magician turns 'Detective' cards face down, holds it by a corner with his fingers. He places the card over the hand of the assistant (the one that holds the 3 suspects cards).
8] Magician mention some c*** (not the best) about the fact that 'Detective' found the 'culprit'.
9] Magician shows that the 'Detective' cards in his hand is now the card that the assistant selected.
10] Lo and behold! The Jack of Spade is now under the hand of the assistant!!!

I'm not very good in creating a story/script. I'm struggling especially with justifying the last effect (the transposition) using the Detective theme.
Do you guys and gals have any suggestions or alternative stories that could fit the trick?

Thanks,
David

PS
Is this variation been already used/published?

Yes indeed. I do have a suggestion. Keep to the original trick. The phrase coined by Al Baker jumps to mind, "Many a good trick has been killed by improvement". As for the challenge theory espoused by Darwin Ortiz it is indeed quite true but who the hell cares? All you have to do is to perform in a modest way and that sorts that little problem out. And of course you may encounter a heckler. The original way will shut them up faster than greased lightning.

Of course I may be wrong but I doubt it. The only way is for you to perform this new version on a laymen after a bit of practice. Do it three times for different laymen at different times and you will see that I am right.

I like your plot. I like your story. Try it out and see the reaction. I still think the original way is best. I get very cynical over innovation I am afraid. The trick gets great reaction just the way it is as you have admitted. The phrase "If it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind.

I haven't performed this for years - long before I read RRTCM in fact - but I would never use Hugard's patter. I simply emphasized my natural lack of confidence in my ability to find the right card.

Barry

I have performed this regularly for at least 50 years. In the beginning I did use Hugard/Braue's patter and it was quite effective. However, eventually I altered it to what I have now. It is one of the strongest tricks I do and has been for decades. Figuring out the right time to do it is reasonably important. I hold it back until I see "the whites of their eyes" then I go in for the kill. It is a wonderful trick to use if you have a loud mouth constantly interrupting you and being a smart alec.

To this day I still remember a heckler named Morris. It happened about 50 years ago. He stuck out in my mind because I would often see him heckling speakers at Hyde Park Corner. On this occasion he was at an event where I was doing card tricks. He kept heckling and I kept outwitting him. There was a great book at the time called "Outs, Precautions and Challenges" with all sorts of outs when things went wrong. I had to use a lot of them to keep my wits about me because he kept grabbing the cards and shuffling them at inopportune times and being a general nuisance. In those days I worked very subtly and let people bully and underestimate me. It was a deliberate policy on my part. And then I went in for the kill with Design for Laughter.

At the denoument he stood up with a great big triumphant grin on his face and grabbed the face down card as I knew he would. He almost yelled, "I'm SORRY!" and turned the card over. The whole room erupted in laughter at him being made a fool of and well did he deserve it. I just looked innocent, humble and almost apologetic. I find this far better than coming on as the big "I AM". He went red in the face with embarrassment and was as quiet as a mouse from that moment on. In fact he raved and raved about my magic and in time became one of my biggest boosters and oddly enough used to tell other people off if they heckled me.

This is why I think the trick is perfectly fine as it is.

Soulnafein wrote:Hello,

I'm getting back into magic and I'm now concentrating on cards instead of coins. I'm back reading and practicing RRTCM.
I've decided for a different approach, instead of learning the techniques one by one I'm picking the effects I like the most and practicing techniques necessary to perform them.

I won't say this is the correct way to go about things because we are all different and learn different and have different goals. But I will say this is the way that makes the most amount of sense and this is the way that will get you where you need to go with a minimum of wasted time on stuff you won't need, use and will forget.

Edit: hmm messed up the quote thingy.

Thank you very much for all the feedback!

I should have probably title this post: New effect inspired by Design for Laughter.
I'll keep design for laughter as it is and work on my effect as a separate trick.

The main area I'd like feedback is the actualy story telling part, in particular the ending. How can I explain the cards trasposition using the 'Detective' theme?
Do you have alternative stories/scripts that could work well with such an effect?

Also as part of a routine, what trick could follow up or come before this one nicely?

Yes. I still like your variation. Keeping it as a separate trick is a very good option.