stage magic – Page 15 – MagicShow.Tips

Vanishing Bottle Routine

A few months ago I picked up Henry Harrius’s Refilled vanishing bottle (Corona version). It’s sat on my desk for a while and recently I read Wayne Dobson‘s vanishing bottle routine and kinda liked the idea. So I sat down and wrote out a routine for it.

The effect is: You have a bag and two bottle caps. One is selected and you remove the matching bottle from the bag! You tell the audience you’ll show them how you did the trick, you have two bottles. You take out the second bottle, then put it back into the bag and you crumple up the bag.

Here’s what I wrote:

Two bottle caps, a red coke one and a blue corona one. You’re going to pick one like this is a low budget remake of the matrix

The red cap, everything is revealed, the blue cap and I and you’ll learn nothing, just like high school.

Hold them in your hands and shake them like you’re playing craps, or the baby won’t stop crying. …clearly you don’t have a baby

Now blow on them for luck like you’re in vegas or a kid in the 1980’s who just wants to play super mario brothers

Toss me one.

Red, the coke bottle cap. Inside the bag I have a Coke BOTTLE!

Since you picked the red cap, that means you get to see inside the illusion. you can never go back, your life will be forever changed like going thru puberty or committing murder.

That turned dark

inside the bag I have a second bottle, so it doesn’t matter which you picked, just like voting.

However if you picked the other cap and we needed to keep the illusion, then we would have done it with only one bottle!

It’s not the best script ever, but it’s something to get it onstage and in front of an audience.

One thing I noticed is that I think the trick will play better if the vanishing bottle is the Coke bottle. It makes more sense to have that one disappear in the context of explaining the routine. So I just ordered one of those.

I think this routine could be a good lead into my Signed Coin in Bottle. This was published in Vanish Magazine a few years ago.

-Louie

Adding Production Elements!

I’m working on adding more production elements to my show. I’ve been using video in a very basic way that’s just a camera that’s either on or off, but that’s it. I just added some visual element for projection, and did my first show with them. The first show was pretty basic, it was simply the either a logo, live close up video or pictures.

The first show went well. I’m using Show Cues System and my Media Star remote and running it off of a laptop. Show Cues System is production software (not to be confused with Show Cues music app for your phone) that can run all of the show elements from music to lights. It’s the PC version of Qlabs.

The thing that I don’t like about it is the lack of a screen that I can easily see what the current thing it’s playing it. That helps when you skip a routine, or accidentally push a button and need to move around in your set list. I think I just need to use it more to get used to it!

I tried it out at a gig at a senior community. That’s one of the great things about doing shows for seniors, they are low pressure shows, not huge events where you’re getting paid thousands of dollars. If there’s a tech hiccup, it’s not as huge of a deal!

-Louie
PS if you want to learn more about performing for senior communities, check out my book How To Perform For Seniors!

Smoke and Lasers!

Last month I popped by an open mic to try a new idea. That idea was for the second phase of my card to pocket to have smoke come out of my pocket before the card is pulled out. I’ve only done it at open mics, and decided to try it at a show and IT WENT GREAT!

The smoke coming out of the pocket adds a nice magical and funny moment to the show. I think I may add something else for the third/final phase, like smoke AND a laser to try to take it over the top in stupidness!

This reminds me of a Mel Brooks quote, “…go past crowd pleasing and into real comedy!” It’s great advice for performing. Go past crowd pleasing and into real magic. How do you take your magic to the next level? Sponge balls are crowd pleasing, but how to you take it to the next level?

-Louie

Mailbag Escape Bar

Years ago I read in one of John Novak’s Art of Escapes books about altering the gimmick for a mail bag escape to be a handcuff sort of thing. It was the bar from the mailbag escape and it hand either chains or handcuffs attached to the ends where the locks would be. The premise is the bar was a “spreader bar” to keep your hands separate so that you couldn’t reach the other side.

For some reason I liked this as a prop and have picked up a couple of the bars, but never made them into a the prop with the restraints on the ends. They’re just sitting around collecting dust.

This morning while I was doing my morning writing, I had an idea! What if they bar held a small bag. The bag was on the bar and there were still restraints on the ends of the bars.

This idea is that you would try to get whatever you put into the bag out while chained up.

Then it hit me, that maybe the bag could be mesh with a canvas or leather top:

That would work, but I think the presentation/routine would decide if a solid or mesh bag would be used.

If it was a mesh bag, it could be a laundry bag, and a selected item could be removed? There could be a few items or items of different colors and the item called out by the audience is what is removed. If it’s a laundry bag, they you wouldn’t necessarily need to be chained to the bar.

I like this idea of using the bar from the Mailbag Escape for something it’s not really intended for!

-Louie

Why I make the Big Bucks!

In December everyone is a corporate entertainer. There’s more work out there than there are performers. It’s not hard to be working evenings Thursday thru Sunday, but the off peak time gigs are what separate the pros from the warm bodies!

I did a holiday party at 7:30am!

Being able to be ready and “on” that early and getting an audience to laugh is a probably one of the hardest things for a performer. Most of these people are having their first cup of coffee while you’re trying to tell jokes.

One of the challenges for shows this early is to not try to push the audience too hard. You really can’t hype them up like you can a show that would take place at 7pm. The 7am energy is much more laid back, no matter what you do! You gotta embrace it!

-Louie

Trying a New Idea!

Sometimes I have an idea and I have no idea what an audience will think of it. That’s where open mics come in! I simply drove down to an open mic and gave the idea a try in front of real people.

My idea was for the card to pocket routine that I used to do. The second time the card goes to my pocket I wanted smoke to come out of my pocket, then reach in and pull the card out.

The smoke was easy, as a while ago I picked up a remote control smoke gimmick. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but knew if I didn’t get it that I’d come up with a cool idea for it and wouldn’t be able to find them. I just taped it inside of my pocket . When I tried it, it got the reaction I was looking for! It made the appearance of the card more of a moment.

If you have an idea that needs an audience, go find an open mic and give it a try!

-Louie

Pavel’s Rope Magic

Pavel is probably most famous for The Walking Knot, which is a great trick! Pavel was before my time, so I don’t know a ton about him. He did put out some VHS tapes when I was a teenager, so that’s where I know him from.

I came across a great trick of his called Jumping Silks on Rope. The name says it all, here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Watch the blue handkerchief! #magictrick #magic #ropetrick #ropemagic #handkerchief #silk #silkmagic #pavel #vintagemagic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The method is super clever and it’s a great little transposition of the location of something tied to rope. He has a bonus trick that comes with it that uses a bracelet that hops from knot to knot.

@louiefoxx What the heck is a bangle #magictrick #magic #ropetrick #ropemagic #bangle #pavel #vintagemagic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

I wish I had a way to use this trick as it’s fun to do! Unfortunately it really doesn’t fit my show right now, but maybe in the future?

-Louie

When to do Close Up Magic

Frequently I’m booked to perform both my stage show and roving close up magic for events. That’s the package that I suggest to people who want to book my show for their event. When I send out a proposal it always specifically says that the roving magic is prior to the stage show.

Most events that contact me want the roving magic during cocktail hour and the show later, but a few want the close up magic later in the evening after the show. If I’m roving after the show I charge more for the close up.

Why?

Simple, the roving magic is like being your own opening act. You’re getting the guests at the event to like you before you step onstage. Where if you do it after your show, it really doesn’t serve a purpose to make your show better and your show isn’t necessarily the best warm up for your close up.

Staring the show being liked can be a huge help when you perform at a convention where people have been in classes all day, then ate a big meal, had a couple of drinks and are simply worn out!

For me, it’s in my best interest, and of the event to do the roving magic first as I’m performing for a room of “friends” who like me, and not trying to convince a room of strangers to like me.

-Louie

Wireless Video Projection

A while ago I started using video projection in my magic shows. My camera set up is pretty simple, I was doing it with an HDMI cord that went direct from the camera to TV or projector. This worked, but it’s not always possible to do because of where the input is located and how much cord I travel with.

Hollyland Mars 400s Pro II for magic show video projection

I recently bought a Hollyland Mars 400s Pro II, which is an wireless video transmitter. You plug the HDMI from the camera into the transmitter and the HDMI from the receiver to the TV or projector. Now if the HDMI input for the project is across the room, or in an AV room it’s not a problem. I don’t need to run cord or travel with more than a couple of short lengths of HDMI cord.

I’ve used this twice since I got them and both times the production guy at the event commented that Hollyland makes good stuff. In fact the second time I used them the venue was also using them!

So far, I’m a fan of them!

-Louie

All American Magic Theater

A couple of weeks ago I performed in a show at the All American Magic Theater in Portland OR. It’s a fun little theater in a magic shop inside of a mall.

It’s always fun to perform in a variety show! One of the challenges for me since I’m used to doing 45-70 mins is doing a shorter 15 min set. A 15 min set is structured very differently than a longer full show. As an act, your opener is less of a “warm up” and you kinda need to get right into the act.

It’s fun to flex that different show length muscle!
-Louie