Hi,

I think about doing a show on the 14th of September, but I have a little problem:

I have selected and practised some effects. Half of them are "normal" card, coin, and other magic effects, half of them are metalism pieces (like some Banachek stuff, Bankers night, etc.

Do you think it is a good idea to combine both type of effects in one show? The show will be around 30-40 minutes long without a break.

If you think a combination is possible, can you give me some advice how to do it?

Magixx

There is no right or wrong answer to this - do what feels right for you.

There are some Mentalists who feel faint at the thought of including anything Magicky in their performance yet there are many successful Mentalists who mix the two without a problem.

Many years ago I did a magic show for a disabled people's home and amongst the standard magic items I did a couple of book tests. What fascinated me is that the nurses asked me afterwards if I read the palm or the tarot - despite the fact that the majority of the act was obviously trickery (because of it's magicky nature not because I was lousy...) they were still willing to believe in there being something "more" to my abilities.

I've had magic gigs where I wanted to test out some mentalism.
What I did was to do all of the magic up front except for my closer.
After the magic portion, I tell them I'd like to take a break from the magic
and give you a sneak peak at a couple of performances pieces from my new show, "Mind Freeze" or some other name. Then you do the mentalism. You close
with your magic closer.

This separates the magic and mentalism in the spectator's minds. You also draw
them in by presenting something special they haven't seen before (sneak peak). Plus, depending on whom this show is for, you're letting them know you have a different show they can buy at another time. Win, win situation.

I've done this many times and it works great,

Woodfield

Whenever I've done a bit of magic in a set, I've done it the opposite way as Woodfield's idea. I do the strongest mentalism pieces I can do then when I do a simple card trick they say things like, "Of course you know what card I picked... you can read my mind."
They now attribute the magic tricks as somehow being more then they are.

That's what has worked for me... but you must try things on your own and see how your style and personality works in this context.

Greg

If you are a magician presenting some tricks of pseudo curiosities mental, why not. If you present yourselves in the character of real mentalist, please don't do that!

Ok, so I think I can say that whatever I do it is better to seperate the mentalism from the magic part?

Magixx

Yes

Calexa,

This question has been asked many times... You'll get a different response every time... All I can say is that all the great mentalists of the past mixed magic and mentalism. Annemann, Koran, Dunninger...
And today Osterlind, Kreskin, etc... do it. There's nothing wrong with it. Derren Brown even mixed magic and mentalism in one effect... And it's exactly such an effect that convinced the channel 4 guys...
Just tell'm that you'll show them a trick just for fun... Then go back to the real work...
Man, Shane once wrote : entertain them, entertain them and entertain them some more... Just make them squirm as you do it...
But most of all : don't ask for advice... Only experience counts and so you'll discover if it works FOR YOU.
Good luck,

As Traveler noted, the greats have always blended the two. I remember Kreskin making it seem as if they were one and the same (though my memory may be faulty). Osterlind blends magic and mentalism even better -and stronger - than Kreskin did, and evidences it on his Mind Mysteries DVDs (especially Volume One). Under Osterlind's hands, there seems to be no line between the two -- even though he very clearly says that he enjoys magic and does a "you wanna see a trick" before doing the bill in the cigarette. As Greg noted with his own shows (and I'd love to see Greg's show to see his handling of this eternal question) the audience can, at that point, no longer distinguish between magic and mentalism. All they (and people I have shown the performance segments to) seem to know is that they've seen things which some part of their brains is telling them is really possible - maybe.

*jeep!
--Chet

I think everything the guys have said is ok.
However I should add that that there has to be the provisio that you are NOT claiming to be a mentalist psychological subtltier/ etc etc. Foe as many have said, when you add tricks to mentaism sometimes thay then think that it'a all been just that: tricks.
I like what Greg said, in that sometimes you can still make the (pseudo)claim and explain that you ALSO can do a little bit of sleight of hand etc.
This is nice and gives 'you' the chance to show off a little and have a bit of at the same time.
Bartlewizard's advice I feel is good here. How do 'you' feel about it?

Bobser
ps: for what it's worth I'm a bit of a mixer myself

For whatever it's worth, Harry Blackstone Jr. performed a version of Mental Epic (Mental Broadcast Slate, I believe) in his huge stage show and it wowed the crowd everytime.