What makes a great Finale for you guys?

Apr 26, 2016
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I usually end my show on this very long, very funny story routine where I talk about insurance, and at the end the card is printed on the insurance policy, and also the only one left in my hand. I'm just curious, how do you guys like to end your shows?
 

JPS

Dec 21, 2016
75
43
I end with this at just about all of my close-up shows.


Shameless self promotion.

Just playing, i think its a fabulous closer.

Normally i like to end with Angle Z since it both provides some sort of souvenir and is very easy to set up and pull off. Always sucks to mess up your last trick
 
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WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
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The finale needs to wrap up the theme of the show, and give a distinct ending. I think this is one of the hardest aspects of creating a good show, and one where a very large number of shows falter.

I find it helps to give a call back to the premise of the whole show, and to have a moment that is a distinct ending.
 
The finale needs to wrap up the theme of the show, and give a distinct ending. I think this is one of the hardest aspects of creating a good show, and one where a very large number of shows falter.

I find it helps to give a call back to the premise of the whole show, and to have a moment that is a distinct ending.
This is the best advice I can recommend. Your finale should wrap the whole thing together that way the ending should cement in the message you were trying to tell. It's also the last thing so they are more likely to remember it than any other part of the show. Think of it like a movie where the conclusion wraps everything up together. That's at least how I think of it when I write my scripts.

Part of my hook/character is that I have the ability to "enchant" my audience members and give them my magical powers so they can perform it. My finale is where I enchant the entire audience and they all perform a magic trick at the same time as I'm delivering my final message. Hope this helps!
 
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Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
The finale needs to wrap up the theme of the show, and give a distinct ending. I think this is one of the hardest aspects of creating a good show, and one where a very large number of shows falter.

I find it helps to give a call back to the premise of the whole show, and to have a moment that is a distinct ending.

TRUTH!

I have 2 main ideas in my show, I'm pretty persuasive (sometimes interpreted as just really lucky) and I wish I was a super hero. These are both in my introduction and I make reference to these throughout.

At the end I have a chair test that proves that I'm persuasive (or crazy lucky) then I lament how I really wish that I had a super power. This then leads in to my blockhead routine (or a balloon swallow depending on the audience). I'm still working on the timing in both, they are very strong but the magic leaves a lot of questions and anuncomfortable question in the air "Is this guy okay?" and "Where did the balloon go?"

I look to other stage performers for this format. Lots of guys will have 2 closers. Copperfield used to do the island teleportation and then the audience vanish. Comedians will often do their strongest new piece and then finish with a classic bit from their act. Musicians will do this a lot too. Derren Brown always has a Mauri Finale in his shows as well. Sometimes it is as a formal encore and sometimes it is not.
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
I'm a big fan of Derren Brown, as is probably pretty evident from my posts. However, I often think his endings are kind of "meh". The double-endings particularly. We get all this build up and release from the first ending, and then he tries to bring all that energy back into the room but it's gone, so then you go away remembering the half-energy of the second ending. Or, on occasion, the ending is so drawn out that it feels like it just kind of tapers off a bit and then stops.

Oh! Great point about the message, Tyler - Put something into their head that they will continue to think about when they leave the show. "Let them out, but don't let them go." Keep them thinking about you, your show, and how great a time they had. This does, of course, depend on them having a great time at your show :D
 

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
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1,422
Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
Shameless self promotion.

Just playing, i think its a fabulous closer.

Normally i like to end with Angle Z since it both provides some sort of souvenir and is very easy to set up and pull off. Always sucks to mess up your last trick

;) I will admit it is a bit of self promo, haha but it honestly is my favorite thing to end any set with. :) I just hope that people get some sort of influence from my material even if i don't get a dime back for it!
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
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Louisville, OH
I am currently closing my kids shows with Silly Billy's Princess in a Pickle and for my close up/parlor show I close with Cataclysm Armageddon card routine and give the photo out as a souvenir.
 
Jan 21, 2017
13
0
I usually end my show on this very long, very funny story routine where I talk about insurance, and at the end the card is printed on the insurance policy, and also the only one left in my hand. I'm just curious, how do you guys like to end your shows?
card to mouth, from shin lim's Dream Act looks really nice
 
Aug 19, 2015
4
0
I like to end all card routines with a full deck vanish and all coin routines with a vanish of all four coins. Maybe not the strongest thing to do, but I like it :)
 
I like things that leave a definite, final 'image'. For example, you might have four aces on the table and a spread-out blank deck, or three cups with three lemons on top. In other words, something you could take a photograph of and it would pretty much sum up the whole trick.

Currently my favourite closer is something I devised myself called 'Christ on Bike' (based on Henry Christ's 'Tally-ho'). It's nice because, whilst it is quite long routine, there is a lot of spectator involvement and the final 'image' you create in the routine looks really good and memorable, and you can (if you want) just get up and walk away from it. I don't really want to describe what it is as I don't want other's copying it...sorry!

Not sure at all if any of that makes sense, but hopefully I got my point across.

Rev
 
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