Had an awesome show this past week for the Wise Financial end-of-summer employee appreciation event. Mark’s Investment Operations Manager Stephanie had found me by googling Indianapolis magicians, and she came upon my profile in Thumbtack as well as in an article of best indiana magicians, so she then went to YouTube and watched one of my clips. She emailed and, after some correspondence, we talked on the phone to hammer out the details.
I was invited to his home to join the party as the entertainment for the honored few: his elite group of friends, foes, and associates. At this party were two other Indianapolis magicians — kids magicians though — for the younger guests. I was hired to take care of the grown-ups (to make them feel like children).
My point of contact looked me up and down and asked me what I needed.
I stood facing her wearing trousers and a dress shirt.
“Nothing,” I said. “My two assistants, Arthur and Jeremiah, are getting my things and should be here shortly.”
But that was only a joke…
It was a private joke between me and me.
I’m sure she had seen the other two Indianapolis magicians with fanny packs, suitcases full of props, fold-up tables, and perhaps big, bejeweled prosceniums with their names on it. She now fully expected two assistants to follow.
One of the forgotten advantages of choosing a great magician for the entertainment at your event is the low maintenance. Unlike other forms of entertainment, the great magician needs few props, if any; he needs no sound system, needs no additional space or stage to occupy. If there is one person or a couple who are sitting at your event, bored, excluded, toying with their phones, the DJ can’t help that party. The bounce house won’t help. A magician will. Indeed there was such a man and woman at this party, and I was fortunate to meet them.
Of all the things on my mind when entertaining a party, lowest on my priorities is recording it. My chief aim is to create memories for the guests at the party, not to entertain viewers at home. In this case, there were several guests who wanted to film. So here is a brief video that was shot at this event.
In the video you’re about to see, there are no flashy balls of fire or colorful props (or any props at all).
I often ask myself, Would a real magician need all those props?
Would a real magician do what I’m about to do?
The moment in this video is, I’m sure, more meaningful for those present than for a viewer at home who has been inundated with special effects and suspect magicians (so-called) who use confederates (I do not use confederates as that practice is both vulgar and unnecessary).
After learning how everyone standing in this group all knew one another other, Scott took two cards. “That’s a bit greedy, but whatever,” I said.
Jimmy standing beside him said, “I’ll take a card too.”
This was Saturday evening and I was up for a challenge. Each man selected a card and remembered it. In fact, as mentioned above, Scott took two cards. Scott put his cards back into the deck, gave the cards a good mixing, then I had Scott fan out the cards as best as he could and invite Jimmy to return his (Jimmy’s) card back into the spread (I told him it was all right).
In the end, Scott forgot one of his cards (but I still managed to find it).
Remembering two playing cards is more difficult than you might think.
Including these two gentlemen, there were eleven onlookers waiting to see what would happen with the three chosen cards.
At this point I had a crazy idea…
I don’t normally do such a drawn out trick as my first effect to warm up an audience, but the sun was in my eyes and I was feeling brazen. I passed the pack of cards to the person on my left, and each of the remaining nine spectators became participants when they each peeked at and remembered a card, then passed the deck to their neighbor. The last person mixed the cards, and from then on, it was my job to find each person’s card.
A card trick can potentially be boring for few reasons: Card Tricks Need Not Be Dull
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Everybody does them.
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Many are long and complicated to follow.
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They can be predictable.
Number one: everyone tells stories, from Stephen King to Tommy Wiseau.
The former is captivating, the latter is not (except in how awful it is).
Number two is irrelevant here because, though the you could call it one long trick, the plot is uncomplicated; and moreover you could also choose to call it 11 tricks with 11 different participants (because each discovery really does stand on its own).
Everyone is involved, so it’s important for anyone. In this case I’m performing for 11 people, and it’s important to each one of them because they’re wondering if I’ll find their card. Moreover, each revelation is more interesting than the last–the drama only builds.
11 people looking at a card and then the magician finding all cards — each in a manner more astounding than the previous.
That’s in a different category.
It’s like jazz. You’re witnessing something unfold that has never been done before.
One card jumped out of the deck, whirled around in the air, and returned back into the middle of the deck sticking out; then that card transformed into the next person’s card (easier to see than to believe); the third person’s card appeared under the fourth person’s drink. And it continued in this manner until, finally, I sprung the entire deck into the hot tub, and all the cards fluttered to the surface, face down, some of them slowly sinking. Ball you could see the backs of all the cards.
Except one.
One card, Lauren’s card, the last person, her card, was floating face up.
It stared us all in the face like a ghost refusing to drown.
But I know what you’re thinking.
Why would you soil your deck in the first trick of the night?
You’re right, it was foolhardy; but I am a professional and I do keep several backup decks in reserve. Besides, though the deck of cards is certainly useful, there is plenty of entertainment to be had without it.
I had such a great time and the guests all had an amazing time as well.
Sometimes the party host is so focused on keeping the guests happy that it’s difficult to see experience the magic. I made sure to perform for Mark. Actually he made it easy.
He ushered me to the eleven.
Saturday was a beautiful day. Some people swam, others sat in the hot tub, everyone listened to music.
The lucky ones witnessed miracles.
