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SHOWMANSHIP
For
MAGICIANS
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Because my International Magicians In Action show expressed my own idea of this modern slant to magical presentation, as best I could under the circumstances at the time, I am including a description of the complete show in its final form, titled in this version, "Magic In the Air." Please do not think that this is the final development in the renaissance in magical presentation which I am certain must ultimately come, if magic is to survive as entertainment. It is merely the first step, in my opinion.
Like all pioneers, we had to use trial-and-error methods, we had to experiment and alter and change. Practically everything that identified the show, as a show, we had to devise ourselves.
Several references to this show have appeared in the various magic magazines, and some few stated that it was modeled upon the usual magical convention show. This, of course, could not be further from the truth. The usual show at a magicians' convention is merely a vaudeville show of magic acts, without regard to any integration. Many times these acts at conventions show marked similarity to other acts. Often convention acts aren't of high caliber as to showmanship and audience appeal.
On the other hand, I most carefully selected the principals and their acts as to the KIND of act and the KIND of people I wanted. Personality came first. Then again, I wanted versatility because I planned on using these principals in ensemble numbers, all working together. This feature alone made it different from convention shows.
In addition all of the acts in some regard varied from the strictly conventional in their own presentation.
At a magicians' convention the illusions are invariably done with the conventional illusions in the conventional manner. There wasn't a conventional illusion in our show, except for one that was kept conventional purposely because its presentation was strictly the reverse.
The general attitude of the magic at a magicians’ convention is fooling the customers first, magic for the mystery's sake. We tried to kid the life out of the mystery angle. As a matter of fact the attitude of the whole show was one of kidding magic and magicians and repeatedly the reviewers mentioned the fact that we took neither the audience nor ourselves seriously. That is as it should be. But it is not the case in a convention show.
But more than that there was a sense of unity and integration which carried the show along at terrific speed, with strong contrasts and variety. It was truly a modern revue. The difference between it and most revues was that the usual revue has girls as the theme. Our theme was magic.
We soon discovered that the label "magic show" hurt us badly. Theater managers were extremely reluctant to book us because of poor experience with conventional magic shows in the past. And when we could get booked it was always at the most disadvantageous terms, which ultimately resulted in wrecking the undertaking.
So we cast about, when the show was revised the last time for a title which would take that "magic show" curse away from us. Eventually we hit upon the title, "Magic In the Air," which I am now convinced was even worse, because the public confused us with a tab motion picture theater unit.
I am well aware that these statements as to the bad repute that magic shows generally have will meet with considerable sharp criticism. But it is true. That was our biggest obstacle. Difficult as the truth may be to bear, when it is extremely unpleasant, nevertheless it should be heard, or steps cannot be taken by magic practitioners generally to overcome the situation.
A few minutes' frank and honest discussion with any professional theater manager, agent or producer, particularly from the legitimate theater field, will quite quickly convince you that this situation is only too true. Don't listen to the protests and claims of those who are not in a position to know about this. Don't let examples of reputed successes impress you either. Many of these successes are not extravagant. Many of them are not successes at all. None of them, and I include everything playing the legitimate field, can compare in any way with competing successes in the theater field generally.
But to get back to the show itself:
A short, topical lively overture segued immediately into the theme motif as the curtains were lighted up. Through the split in the front curtain the soprano stepped and sang an eight line prologue. The curtains opened up behind her as she exited.
The scene was a modern cocktail lounge in a magicians' club and the principals, announced by the soprano, came in singly and in pairs, and had magically produced cigarettes or drinks from the comic bartender. At length the entire company went into the audience doing the miser's dream to the accompaniment of "Pennies From Heaven." At the end the company were all on stage sweeping handfuls of coins from the pails and letting them tumble down. Eventually, we intended to add a shower of bills from the flies and from the center of the audience but this was never included.
The curtains closed upon the principals and immediately reopened on a 4½ minute routine of fast magic done with the performer smartly attired in tails and with his girl assistant in a short costume in black sequins, modeled after a dress suit. The magic was principally cane to silk, gloves to doves and productions of silks and livestock. The act was silent, accompanied by a smart modern musical arrangement.
As the curtains closed a tap-dancing manipulator followed right on, doing a routine with cigarettes, cards and the like. At the end he was dancing on an electrically charged mat which threw flashes of flaming blue fire about the stage.
Without delay of any kind the curtains opened on the memory act with the girl repeating objects written on the blackboard, as called by the audience.
After a short quick comedy bit in one, another principal, also in tails, entered and went into the comedy presentation of the guillotine which ended in a cold pass-out of the comic.
Following this one of the men performed the dancing handkerchief in two, featuring the use of a large glass bottle from which the handkerchief eventually pushed the cork and escaped.
Then in a modern Oriental setting came a six-minute interval of Chinese magic.
The comics took the stage and did a ten-minute routine of burlesque magic ending with the Disembodied Princess illusion with the performer's assistant left helplessly without any middle.
"Isn't It a Lovely Day?" was the music theme as the curtains opened upon a garden number, with a girl and boy attired for rain. The girl sang the number and went to sit on the park bench with the boy. Using a fountain of water the boy induces the girl to allow him to get under the umbrella with her, after which several couples become involved with the water until finally the stream is parked on the back of a dog, which when it sniffs a tree trunk, is squirted by the tree. The music changes to "Singing In the Rain," ending with the whole company singing while the fountains are playing in kaleidoscopically changing colored lights.
Part Two opened in a Modiste Shop scene with the girls getting the store ready for the day, during which one of the girls made two luminous rag pictures. Discovering a model head upon which is displayed a bridal veil, the girls conclude the original model for the head would have made a lovely bride, whereupon they dress the head which comes to life and walks off stage to the "Wedding March." A girl comes in to buy a bathing suit and the pansy floor-walker arranges for her to try it on behind some hat boxes which he has the girls pile up, all fitting rooms being occupied. But when the floor-walker returns with the bathing suit and realizes that the girl behind the stack of boxes is nude, he knocks over the boxes. But the girl has vanished.
As the curtains close, one of the girls is seen walking across the stage with a tray upon which are a glass of water and a pack of razor blades. One of the performers steps on, stops her and asks her if that isn't his lunch. Then he performs the razor blade trick silently to musical accompaniment, doing it in a white spot.
Following this, a beautiful blond girl magicienne presented a silent routine featuring a strongly built up presentation of a canary trick.
The curtains parted to reveal a party in progress at a caƒe. This set was extremely modern. One of the hostesses passes out squares of tissue and asks all to start tearing when she gives the word. They tear and crush the tissues after which, one by one, the torn papers are seen to have become hats. Each hat is in keeping with the costume of the individual, until it reaches the comic at the end of the line. His papers are revealed to have become a pair of paper panties.
Here the music changes suddenly and a drunk struggles through to the center of the stage. As the others back out of the scene, the drunk goes into his routine. He balances his cane on the floor, then smells the lily he is holding. It wilts slowly. He tries to take a cigarette from a packet, but the cigarette rises. His lighter changes to a box of matches. Then he begins seeing drinks. First one, then another and another glass of whiskey appears between his fingers, all to disappear eventually. He hears an alarm clock ring and proceeds to take several from his hat, after which he prepares to go home. His scarf changes color and as he is about to exit he finds a glass of beer in his hands, then two.
There was a short comedy interval in front of the curtains, after which one of the principals came forward and started the murder mystery. He explains that the audience has been appointed to the jury and that a reenactment of the crime will take place. All of the characters are introduced and put on their costumes. But before the scene has gone very far, all of the characters, including the judge, have changed identity and the case is impossible. At the conclusion the cop rushes from the telephone booth wanting to know, "What the hell's going on here?"
After the blackout a vibraharp is seen at one side of the stage and one of the principals enters to play "Stardust." As he goes into the chorus, the curtains behind him slowly part, revealing a lovely girl doing the floating ball. The curtains close behind the musician on the last note of music.
One of the girls steps out in one and begins singing "Castle of Dreams," and at the end of the first chorus the curtains part behind her showing her boy friend with a model of their love-nest. After showing it to her, the girl asks the boy if there has ever been another woman in his life. When he says no, the roof of the miniature house is lifted and another gal stands up saying, "The same old line, eh, daddy?" Blackout.
A Mexican steps out in front of the olio and does the cut rope, almost getting into trouble before it is successfully concluded. Then he lies down for a nap. The curtains part, revealing a hacienda and the Mexican's tired wife sitting dejectedly on a large trunk 'which she has carried many miles. Several tourists enter and it soon becomes evident that the Mexican is a very lazy person. But when comment is made along that line, he volunteers to show them the fastest trick in the world. Comfortably at his ease, the Mexican directs that steel plates be put on all sides within the trunk. While this is being done, three very disreputable-looking natives stick their heads over the top of the adobe wall and are promptly shot down by the Mexican. He explains that they are his brothers and that they are always trying to steal his tricks. He spots a good-looking girl with the tourists and decides to do the trick with her, sending his wife home. The trunk is securely roped and locked, with the "Gringo" girl safely tied inside a sack within it. Suddenly the Mexican dives within the canopy that has been erected over the trunk, and almost instantaneously the canopy is removed disclosing the Gringo girl running about in bewilderment. The Mexican is found within the sack, inside the trunk smoking a cigarette.
Immediately following, one of the principals enters and says that the audience is now going to be given an opportunity to determine who is the greatest magician in the world. He no sooner has the words out of his mouth than the performers, one after another, enter each with a bigger megaphone than the one ahead, insisting that they are the greatest magicians in the world.
The curtains swing open and a stage full of apparatus is disclosed. All of the performers leap for the apparatus. There are a bewildering three minutes of productions of all kind, clocks, bowls of water, ducks, chickens, pigeons, silks, flowers, after which a loud shot is heard off stage. A girl comes in dressed as a rabbit, insisting that she is the rabbit and doesn't care who is the greatest magician in the world. Whereupon the rabbit takes a miniature magician out of the hat.
While the above includes a complete synopsis of the show as ultimately planned, technical details interfered with some phases of the water fountain number and the bridal bit. The latter was never used because of inadequate rehearsal opportunity.
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