Recover from a Bungled Magic Trick
We're only human, even when we're being a magician. Sometimes things drop, explode, reveal, or just plain don't work during a performance and the magician is left exposed, even to the point of revealing the secret behind a trick. Here are some suggestions to ensure that mistakes in during a performance of magic tricks aren't the end of the world.
Steps
- Remind yourself at the outset that every magician has made a mistake somewhere. The mark of a good magician is showmanship and solid performance, and part of that is to know how to act and improvise as much as knowing how to perform the tricks. All magicians join the Blundering Magician's Club at some point or other! It's how you react that makes all the difference; ease of recovery and setting the audience at ease.
- Remain calm and avoid panicking. The show must go on. Don't let a mistake cast a pall over the entire performance; the audience will forgive the error provided you remain good-natured and professional about your pick up. The majority of audiences want you to succeed and they want to be entertained; they're not baying for your blood if something trips up. If anything, most people will be very sympathetic, and will marvel at how well you managed the mistake to get on with the rest of the show.
- Practice overcoming surprise quickly. Develop a neutral or professional face that is not easily phased by things going wrong. In many cases, provided you maintain your composure and just keep going, many members of the audience won't even catch on that something has gone wrong.
- Even if you think that the secret to the trick has been revealed, don't be surprised if many members of the audience didn't register this. Remember that what you see is not what the audience sees.
- Assess the damage quickly. If the entire trick has been ruined because the secret to its delivery has been openly revealed, it's probably best to abandon it as "prop failure" with a smile and professional wave of the hand. In this case, put away the prop and move on to the next trick. If it's not so bad as that, consider ignoring the mistake and simply keep going. This is the most professional and composed approach to keeping the show going. If the trick has other elements to it that you can continue with because they haven't been ruined, keep going down this path. If, however, the trick itself is spoiled, try the following:
- Restarting the trick. Mention something about gremlins and return to the start of the failed trick. Only do this if the secret to the trick was not revealed.
- Doing a different trick using the same Make a Double Walled Magic Bag. This can work well where the mistake has taken place at the beginning of the trick.
- Stopping the trick and put it all away and move to the next part of the performance. This is the most useful method when you realize you're missing parts or all of the necessary props, you sense a feeling of anti-climax, or where the secret has been exposed.
- If you forget how to do the trick, try to make this less than obvious. Tell the audience there's a "glitch" and you're moving on to the next trick. If you remember the trick later, you can always say that the "glitch appears to have been fixed" and come back to it.
- Divert the audience's attention. Magic is all about diverting attention as part of the entertainment, and when you've made a mistake, diversion should be brought to bear in its fullness. Ways to divert attention include:
- One of the most important points of misdirection is not looking at what you are doing. Look at the Know Your Audience, they follow what you are looking at and if you're not looking at your dirty work, they aren't either.
- Talking constantly to the audience about some aspect of magic, or drawing out the suspense while you quickly remedy the problem. If you're really good, point to someone in the audience and ask them a trick question, or even ask them to come down on stage to help with the next trick!
- Use humor. Humor is your performance ally. For example, put away the prop as you make a joke, if you make your mistake at the end of the trick. Try saying "There's nothing like a well-rehearsed magic trick. And that was nothing like a well-rehearsed magic trick". Then do your next trick.
- Don't give a repeat performance. Stuffing up once during a show is forgivable. Doing it twice starts to tell the audience you don't know what you're doing and by the third time, they're watching a clown, not a magician. While it's a tall order, spend a lot of time learning to maintain composure on the stage and you will be able to recover well and keep your confidence to continue without making any further mistakes.
- If you keep stuffing up the same trick, this means there is something amiss with it. Pull it out of your repertoire until you figure out how to do it flawlessly; if not, drop it altogether.
- Prepare thoroughly before each performance. An important part of ensuring that things don't go wrong during a performance is to prepare thoroughly beforehand. Practice the tricks repeatedly, triple check that all your equipment is in working order, and make repairs to anything that is faulty or suspect.
- Seek help from a fellow but more experienced magician if you're not sure how to fix a magic challenge or extend your ability further. Instead of using your audience as the guinea pig and potentially failing in the process, training with someone more experienced can help reveal your weaker spots and allow you to perfect them before undertaking a live performance.
- If you're a beginner magician, approach each magic performance with confidence. If you worry too much about missing the trick or messing it up, you may just be setting yourself up to do that very thing! Go in with a feeling that you're ready to show your well-rehearsed skills and be confident when performing.
- Watch failed magic tricks in online videos. There are plenty of them available; what they will teach you is what not to do, what reactions are good or bad, what to keep in mind when performing certain tricks, and possibly, which tricks to avoid altogether!
Tips
- If someone says, "I know how you did that.", just say, "Good, with a lot of practice and a lot more tricks, you might just become a magician some day".
- Training and practice make a good magician, not gut feelings or hoping things will work out!
- Be personable and equal to your audience. An audience that likes you will be more inclined to forgive a magic mistake than if it feels you have behaved arrogantly or condescendingly.
- Make sure you have more than one trick with you. While your audience is trying to figure out what just happened, they're already captivated by your next trick.
- Have accomplices or helpers for difficult tricks; this reduces the chances of failure being caused by trying to do too much of a complex trick unaided. Accomplices or helpers also serve as audience decoys and distract attention away from the trick.
- Resist the temptation to show the same trick to the same audience again. Leave everything with an air of mystery and less chances of stuffing it up the second time around!
Warnings
- Sometimes there will be hecklers. Use humor to defuse their sarcasm or abuse. Other audience members will be more inclined to side with you if you remain calm, professional, and affable.
- Never attempt any trick that can result in physical harm to you or a volunteer if not done properly unless you are fully trained and have taken all safety precautions necessary in the event something does go wrong. Magicians have died or received severe injuries as a result of bungling very challenging and dangerous tricks, whether by faulty equipment, over-estimating their own ability, or just plain bad luck. If you ever reach that level of daredevil magic, be sure to have a good support team, well-tested equipment, and the ability to put your life before your ego.
- Don't worry, just keep on going, the audience will soon forget your botched magic trick while they're trying to figure out the one you are doing next.
- The more complicated the trick, the more famous the magician, the harder the fall; be well rehearsed!
Things You'll Need
- Magic trick props for practice
