A magic show is a combination of several illusions and much of the popularity earned by it is an outcome of magicians’ personas as well as the manner in which they conduct every illusion.
To this effect, the overall impression of the performance shapes up on the basis of how each of the acts is conducted.
For a magician, this underlines the importance of exercising caution while picking illusions to build up the show as the wrong choice could easily stand out like a sore thumb and spoil the evening for all concerned. We must look at the pitfalls illusionist must avoid.
Amongst the various considerations that should be borne in mind while choosing illusions, care should be taken to avoid pitfalls along the way and the following are some that every magician, amateur or expert, should be wary of:
Crowding Too Many Illusions
‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ is a well-known cliché that best describes the scenario.
Just like the situation wherein the presence of too many cooks causes the broth ending up inedible, crowding too many illusions into one particular magic show can only lead to disaster.
To begin with, it would entail excessive amounts of practice for the magician and secondly, the audience will end up feeling that they are unable to distinguish one trick from another.
Therefore, a more reasonable approach would be to select a few impressive tricks and carry them out with flair.
Compromising On The Authenticity Of The Trick
Many times magicians, in a bid to keep up with the competition, end up investing in tricks which turn out to be pirated, impractical or lacking in mass appeal.
While impractical illusions prove to be too cumbersome in terms of preparation, pirated tricks are often unauthorised and project the magician as an amateur.
An illusion deserves to be invested in only when it is likely to be enjoyed by a multitude of onlookers across the board and this should serve as a cornerstone for the magician while acquiring illusions.
Inappropriate fillers
Another of the pitfalls illusionists must avoid is inappropriate fillers. It is but natural for a magician to have assistants and dancers who would enliven the performance and more importantly entertain the audience to the point of distracting them.
However, this can easily be overdone either by drafting too many dancers or using out-dated costumes and choreography which viewers have difficulty relating to.
Both situations not only draw criticism but also fail to achieve their objective, which is to distract the attention of the audience and hence should be steered clear of.
Mishandling Existing Illusions
One of the most common ways in which magicians mishandle illusions is to display them all on stage at the beginning of the show with the intention of overwhelming the audience.
Far from being awe-struck, onlookers usually react to such a move by losing interest in the show owing to the instant dissipation of the surprise element.
Lack of Rehearsal
Presenting an illusion in front of an audience needs to be backed with plenty of practice to the extent that magicians should be fluent enough to perform the tricks with their eyes closed.
Any let-up in this discipline leads to fumbles during the performance and reflects poorly on magicians, thus causing them to lose repute. Do you not think regular practice might be a better drill as compared to the embarrassment that ensues from the lack of it?
Cognizance of these pitfalls is imperative for all magicians so that they could be effectively avoided in pursuit of a glorious career.
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