I could use some inspiration. Hopefully some of you are up to meeting the challenging nature of my problem.

I am working on further integrating my magic and music as Big Daddy Cool in a new show called Swing Magic.

The show is a re-tooling of a Broadway styled musical that has been very successful. We are scaling down the cast, and putting more focus on the magic.

I already am performing Bill In Lemon, a stage version of 3 Fly, my version of Kevin James' Floating Rose, Side Walk Shuffle and an interactive chosen card routine. We are adding several appearances, an appearing radio, walking through mirror, dancing cane, a cigar manip routine, multiplying bottles, and a nifty 20th Century Silk routine (mambo swing!). Some are expository, some are choreographed to music. For example, for the Multiplying Bottles, the bottles (and glasses) appear as I sing "One For My Baby and One More For The Road."

OK, so here's my problem, and challenge. In my effort to fully integrate the music and magic in the show, I need to add some magic to the already existing music pieces. Now, some music pieces will still be stand alone musical numbers designed specifically to show off my vocal talents. Like Birth of The Blues. And some numbers have only a little magic - IE In The Mood ends with a double vanish of the Swing Kittens. But, I want to add magic to several other musical numbers.

In particular...
Jump, Jive & wail
Minnie The Moocher
Mack The Knife
Zoot Suit Riot

I could use some suggestions. Now, before the juices start flowing there are several parameters that must be overcome...
1) I am hardly offstage so elements must be loaded on me or easily brought on by two female assistants.
2) My pockets are already full.
3) Any loads must be able to withstand intense choreography of 3-4 musical numbers in a row.
4) I am wearing a zoot suit. The jacket is long. So long that I cannot reach the edges without bending over.
5) I am not a manipulator... I'm not adverse to working on it, but it's not something I have dedicated myself to.
6) I am singing.
7) I use a mic on a stand. The antique styled Shure 55S.
8) I do have two female assistants/back-up singers/dancers available.
9) 1940s themed.
10) All magic must work on stage. No close-up routines. Audience size will be 100-300.
11) Must be visual, and simple in premise. Self explanatory.
12) Big Daddy Cool is larger than life, charismatic, macho, and strong.

OK, I think that is it. Any ideas?

Would it be possible to make up some quick change Zoot jackets to have your suit (and maybe even hat) change colour during "Zoot Suit Riot"? The singing demon in the musical Buffy episode did something like this, but hey, that wasn't live!

Good idea...
Great episode of Buffy, by the way.

During Mack the Knife, I could see some effects involving well... a knife. Just a thought.

By the way... does your show tour? I'd love to see it if you ever come up this way! Sounds great!

We have toured with "Roxy" for four seasons. Whether Swing Magic tours or not will depend on sponsorships, venues and whatnot. Right now we are only targeting it for cruise ships and casinos.

On Mack the Knife... Yes, a knife effect would seem logical. However, most knife effects we've looked at are close-up effects, or just can't play big enough without explanation. If we've missed something, by all means clue us in!

We did consider using a sword(s) as a representation of knives, but we decided it was too much of a stretch.

How about that Cut and Restored routine of Steinmeyer's that uses the big butcher knife? That would seem logical to me. Of course, that will go by pretty fast, but it seems like a start into a knife sequence.

Maybe -- C & R rope with the knife, stretch the knife into a sword, do the girl on three swords. Hard to do to swing, though. Just "B-S" ing (That means Brainstorming!)

If you have enough available cast, a "Things That Go Bump" routine set to some really up-beat swing music would be really neat. The zoot suits with the hats would make the final switch fairly easy to do.
I have been toying with the idea of the "Bump" illusion done to the Peter Gunn theme with the cast dressed in Blue's Brothers type costumes.
I live about 3 hours from Nashville (Jonesboro, AR) so if you ever have a show in the western half of Tenn., let me know. I'd love to see it.
Hope this helps.