Creating a 3-D Performing Character

“That guy is an idiot,” the kid said.

So ends the punchline of a story my friend told me about another magician he saw.

This magician apparently played a character so inept that even the kids in the audience commented on it as they left the show.

This magician got everything ‘wrong’ on purpose. He used many of the standard magician gags, dropping props, not seeing things, and so forth.

But he overdid it. Apparently, he believed that as long as the kids were reacting, he was doing a good show.

That’s a classic kids' show trope. As long as the kids are laughing, they’re having a good time.

To my friend and me, playing that kind of one-dimensional character would be incredibly boring and limiting.

Then there’s the other end of the spectrum.

When I first moved to Niagara Falls in 2003, I went to see a local magician perform his educational show in downtown Niagara Falls.

Well, I use the term ‘educational’ lightly. His education consisted of a message in the middle of the show while the action stopped. But that’s a pet peeve for another day.

His entire show consisted of skill magic: producing doves, a killer Zombie routine, and more.

This guy had mad skills.

But his show was boring. SOOO boring. No interaction with the audience. And he only brought one volunteer up to help.

That volunteer’s job? To sit in a chair and watch the Zombie routine up close.

Look, I’m not saying you gotta bring up a ton of volunteers during your show. If you do, give them something to do.

I digress.

The Niagara Falls magician played his entire show straight: ‘I have these awesome powers, and you’ll watch me in awe.’

It’s the same problem with the ‘idiot’ (the kid’s word, not mine) magician I opened this newsletter with.

Playing only one note as a performer really limits you. And bores the audience.

Over the years, I’ve read and watched videos where so-called performing ‘experts’ say you’ve got to pick one kind of character and stick to that character no matter what.

Want to do a trick where the magic happens out of your control, and you react to it? Fine. You gotta play the entire show that way.

Or how about this? You want to play a routine where you’re in control of the magic? Great! Get ready to lock that style in for your entire act.

[INSERT BRONX CHEER SOUND HERE]

That’s crap. And it’s so limiting.

Mentalists are even worse. ‘Expert’ mentalists poo-poo performers who display too many abilities. They derisively call these performers ‘Swiss-Army Mentalists.’

Again, how limiting.

I find the idea of an infallible performer boring.

Look at the Marvel movies. One reason why the characters are so engaging is that they are three-dimensional human beings.

Tony Stark has shards of shrapnel inching closer to his heart. And he has a drinking problem. And daddy issues.

And he thinks he’s always right…even when there is a preponderance of evidence to the contrary.

Peter Parker is a kid wrestling with guilt over his uncle’s death. And he has daily struggles like making enough money to pay his rent.

Natasha Romanoff, despite all of her skills, wrestles with the blood on her ledger stemming from her days as a brainwashed assassin.

Contrast these guys to perhaps the most famous superhero of all: Superman.

People often claim Superman is boring because his moral compass is unwavering. And he’s so powerful it’s hard to put him in jeopardy.

That’s why James Guynn’s “Superman” movie was so good. He found ways to make Superman vulnerable, both physically and mentally.

So let’s look again at magic. I see no problem with presenting some effects perfectly…only to have others backfire later.

To me, it’s more interesting. It adds texture and layers to your show.

After all, the most entertaining part of most superheroes is the origin story. “Iron Man,” in particular, had interesting sequences throughout the film showing Stark developing and testing his armor.

He made plenty of mistakes along the way, making the journey interesting.

To be fair, a magic show shouldn’t just be a mix of tricks that go right and some that go wrong.

Setting aside, for this newsletter, the idea of educational/motivational shows, I feel your routines should show your audience who you are as a person.

For instance, in my ‘just for fun’ magic shows, I often perform Cards Across. But I frame it as a way to demonstrate something I loved from Star Trek – namely, the transporters.

It reveals something about me as a person.

Here’s another example. I personally loathe melodramatic or maudlin effects in a regular magic show.

Unless you’re a great actor (which I am not), it’s tough to pull off.

For this example, I’m specifically referring to levitating an audience member. Chair Suspension, Super X, Up Up & Away, it doesn’t matter.

I’ve seen most magicians present the effect in a way that they feel is heartfelt and dramatic.

They talk about their love of Peter Pan as a child, and next thing you know, the music swells, and the kid floats…

…And I have to fight the urge to puke.

Copperfield can pull off that kind of effect. I recently saw my friend Jim Vagias pull that off in his Holiday show multiple times.

But Copperfield and Jim have bona fide acting ability. For them, it works.

For the rest of us mere mortals? Know your limits.

I may not have the acting chops I’d like in my performances. So I have to limit myself to what I can perform sincerely.

I perform the levitating of a kid with comic lines and moments.

Don’t get me wrong – I perform the effect sincerely and respectfully.

But the routine leading up to the effect is fun, playful, and subverts expectations in a way I’m quite proud of.

Back to acting ability. Because of this limitation in my acting, the last thing I want to do is further limit myself by restricting my routines to only one performance style.

I cover several other topics to become a more well-rounded performer HERE.

Have a great week!

--Cris

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