Opening For A Show!

Mar 7, 2009
204
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Huntington, WV
Long time no see! Magic has been great in Cody-land! haha, BUT, I have a situation I am dealing with at the moment. My theatre teacher wants me to do a 20-30 minute opening act for a play they are putting on. She wants me to do my act that I am working on now, the only problem is, my act is only about 8-10 minutes long right now. I want to add more material, but I am kinda stuck on what I should do. It is more of a comedy act, like Woody Pittmann or Mac King, but of course, I am putting my own comedy into it. Anyways, just my question is, would you be kind enough to make a few suggestions and put me in the right direction to some other good stuff? I have a lot of time before I have to do the act, however, I don't have the budget for anything big. Any suggestions? Answers will be GREATLY appreciated :D
 
Mar 7, 2009
204
0
30
Huntington, WV
Well, as of now I only have 2 things (I dont wanna overload people).
I'm doing my own take on Mac King's effect with the cloak of invisibility, and im doing the tricky bottles trick.
 
hmm crazy mans handcuffs are great that'll kill six minutes and stan kate and edith by channing polleck performance by doc eason also kills. That'll eat another five minutes. Throw in something like tissue balls over the shoulder steve spill has a good bit on this classic and you should be gold. Also disappearing catchup bottle is a great throw away.
 
Sep 30, 2009
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Elkhart, IN
Well, I have a silk routin I like. Make it appear and then it's gone. I have my own patter about an invisable (BLUE) silk. You may want to look in to the "Devil's Hankichief". Being on stage is a lot different then close up, you need to make sure everyone can see and hear what it is you are doing. Good luck to you.
 
Ya, Draven has some good ideas there. There is also the Arm Test trick where you get the whole audience involved. If you're looking to buy a couple things I'm pretty sure most of Andrew Mayne's stuff is pretty low budget in terms of constructing his stuff. If you wanted a piece of shock magic you could go with Thread by W:H. Ya...that's all I got right now. What ever you do though, good luck :)
 
Aug 17, 2008
473
13
Ann Arbor, MI
unless I'm mistaken crazy mans handcuffs is the comedy escape where you appaer to be handcuffed but you keep pulling a hand free to direct the spectator because he's doing it wrong.

Well Draven, there is also a rubber band routine called crazy mans handcuffs, and that for sure is not a stage trick. But the version you are talking about is, and its a good one. I saw a guy perform it at Abbotts Magic get-together I believe.

But yes, crazy mans handcuffs (rubber band version) not for stage.
 
Feb 7, 2011
362
1
If you wanted to add something thought provoking, Emotional intelligence by Luke Jeremy would make a fantastic closer. You could easily transition from comedy to something "a little more interesting". It's bulletproof mentalism.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,483
3
A Land Down Under
In my opinion everyone is missing the point. You are opening the show, what is the show about and how can you use your magic to heighten that? Not the other way around.
 
Well in all fairness that kind of depends on what the theater teacher wants. If she just wants some entertainment before that isn't connected then it doesn't particularly matter, I don't think, but if she does want it tied in somehow then yes, I agree with you.
 
You could also take a look at the suit jacket escape routine over at bill Abbot's

This reminded me of something else that plays very well on stage. If you look on page 258 of Mark Wilson's Complete Course, then there's a trick called 'The Great Coat Escape'. It's essentially a penetration of the spectator's body with two ropes, but it's really easy to do and gets GREAT reactions (Trust me, I've done it a few times). Plus all you need is two bits of rope and some sewing thread. I believe the term is 'plays big, packs small'.

In fact, just a quick scan through MWCCIM gives you a whole bunch of great stand up stuff you can do with just household items or standard magic props you (should) have. I've already seen a few things that would be great for stage.

And if you haven't got a copy of MWCCIM....... then get one!

Good luck with your show, hope it all goes well for you. And remember to smile, enjoy it and not take it too seriously! It's just magic, not life or death (unless you do a Bullet Catch....)

Rev
 
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