4 Tips for Editing Your Show

I laughed in amusement at the boat’s skipper.

We were on a jungle cruise-type boat ride in Cedar Point, Ohio. If you’ve never been there, Cedar Point is home to some terrific roller coasters.

My brother and I love coasters. We ride them, scream, and act like idiots. It’s great for stress relief.

The jungle cruise attraction is more sedate and is one of the few rides my wife actually enjoys. I took a break from the madness of coasters to take a leisurely trip on a river with my wife.

We had taken the same trip last year but were both surprised to discover the plot of the boast trip had completely changed.

Last year, passengers on the trip were warned there were bandits along the river who threatened to take over the boat and rob everyone blind. Sure enough, about halfway through the trip, a different cast of characters invaded our boat and were our hosts for the duration of the trip.

This year, the trip was the same, but the script was completely different. The skipper of the boat spent the majority of the trip trying to sell passengers timeshares for many of the fine (decrepit) locations along the banks of the river.

The script was amusing, with a lot of great puns.

I was impressed that a big company like Cedar Point would go to the trouble of completely altering the script for what was clearly one of its minor attractions.

But if they can do it, so should magicians.

I’m as reluctant as anyone to change what I do. Once I find the perfect combination of scripting and effects, I prefer to stick with them.

But times change. And so do audiences. Jokes, bits, and even effects that once worked run the risk of becoming stale.

I recall seeing David Copperfield live onstage about 15 years ago. I’d been waiting my whole life to see Copperfield live. While the show was good, there was an unmistakable hint of boredom in his voice during some of his scripted routines.

He’d clearly become bored with his material.

The key, then, is to update your scripts and effects when needed…but not so often that you’re constantly breaking in new material.

Getting effects fine-tuned takes me a long time. I enjoy that feeling of confidence that comes with sharp, entertaining routines that I know are going to land well with the intended audiences.

Many amateur or part-time magicians are quick to abandon one trick and move on to the next. To me, that’s a mistake. I only like to drop a trick when it’s no longer getting the intended reactions. I’m more comfortable with tweaking the scripts.

Here, then, are some tips to consider when you feel you may need to change your show. The following tactics are presented in no particular order. They work well for me and hopefully, you find some value in them.

• Record your shows. Listen to your audiences’ reactions.

And don’t just record one performance. Record several. Some audiences are just quieter than others. Record several so you get a real sense of how a routine and effect is playing.

• If the effect is strong, keep it. But you may consider tweaking the script.

How is the lead-in to the effect playing? Is it too long? Are audiences getting restless? This is important. Many magicians just focus their analysis on the “ta-da!” at the end of the routine.

But for a show to be as good as it can be, the whole routine needs to play well.

Look at your script. Is it too long? Is there anything you can cut? Do all the jokes play well or can they be cut?

Eugene Burger always liked to get a script trimmed down to the bare essentials. No extra fluff. If a line is not key to the routine, cut it.

But it’s easy to take this idea too far. Cut too much and you haven’t set the routine up properly. I’m a big believer in proper framing. I never want my effects to be “Hey, this is cool. Watch this” type of routines.

• If a trick doesn’t play, cut it.

This is undoubtedly the toughest. I’ve lost count of how many expensive props I’ve bought only to turn around and sell them when, after several performances, I discover that they just don’t play.

And it certainly isn’t always because of a bad effect or prop. Sometimes a given effect just doesn’t fit you, your character, or your audiences.

Years ago, I bought Steve Spill’s delightful Mindreading Goose routine. It was a well-crafted routine with plenty of laugh lines built in. It was clear Steve put the work into the routine to make it as sharp as he could.

I bought the routine, learned it, and performed it for years.

The reactions I got were…meh.

I tried the routine in the college market, corporate market, and even for nighttime family events. The reactions I was getting were just okay.

I finally sold it. Turns out it just did not fit me or my character.

• Have A+ material for repeat audiences

I personally feel that if you’re performing for the same audience within a year or two (or even longer), it’s best to give them a completely different show.

In one of its final issues, MAGIC magazine featured an article by Joshua Jay. He conducted a survey to find out what the general public liked most about magic.

The number one response? Being surprised and not knowing what was happening next.

I see many effects that are sold with multiple revelations for repeat audiences. Me? I’d never perform the same material for the same audience.

You might disagree with me and that’s fine. But I feel that performing the same tricks for the same people is going to diminish the responses you get.

And you might wind up cutting an effect because those repeat audiences may convince you the reactions, you’re getting are not good enough to keep the routine.

To me, the better idea is to have new material for repeat audiences. They get that feeling of surprise general audiences crave. And you get the satisfaction of trying out new material.

Until next time…

--Cris

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