Hello
I'm preparing a magic act: in this act there are two "themes":umbrellas and mobile phones. I already prepared 3/4 of the act, but I need two more things: two "big" effects, very visual and very strong: one in the middle and one as a finale. I was thinking of producing a big umbrella instead of a parasol, or something like this... Do You have something to suggest, that could fit one of the two themes(umbrella-parasol or mobile phones)?

Sorry for my bad english...

Thank You

It would seem that an umbrella would offer plenty of cover to produce a giant phone.

Perhaps you could at the end you could produce your assistant (or disappear yourself) from an old fashioned phone booth. Umbrella to Giant flower bouquet. Abbott used to sell that. Probably could be made yourself using one of those large feather bouquets.

BJ

There is a very good you tube video of a magician that won the FISM best award that was all cell phone related, really an incredible act. I don't remember his name or the year but someone else might have that information. I'll look but can't promise anything.

Found it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jucxw56RD......c7KZDfs=

I can't believe how good this guy is. Maybe you can get some ideas from this.

Jazzing an idea...

Try to use the props to create a story, like you're battling through the rain on your phone to go to see your girlfriend. Clever use of soundtrack will do that for you, and it's easy to make with Garageband.
That way, you get to do your umbrellas as it starts to rain, the girlfriend calls cos you're running late with all the trouble the umbrellas are giving you, and that links into the phones. Now you've got a dramatic transition in the middle, so you don't need a magic effect here. Instead the rain stops and you've got an irate girlfriend to deal with who's having a go. So you can quieten the music down a bit to a slower pace, but something with a grating edge like strings. End the act by turning a phone into flowers (just use bad looking spring flowers to simulate terrible garage flowers!) or producing a bunch of flowers, as every man knows this will always make a irate girlfriend happy (?!). But don't bow with flowers in hand, walk to the wings, pretend to hit the doorbell, ding dong, pass the flowers into the wing, pull your hand back to slap yourself (looks like her), door slams on sound track. Step back startled. Now end the act.

Just an idea.
Paul

I just remembered that Abbott's has an Umbrella from hat that can reversed to umbrella into pocket. This was a DR. Clutterhouse idea and has been around for awhile.

When you make a big umbrella appear, do a costume change behind it. Or make a water item (fountain, thunder cloud, etc.) appear behind the big umbrella.