Last night I saw a theatrical/magic performance by Barry Wood in Washington, D.C. He called a random person from the audience to come up for an effect which turned out to require the same guy at the end of the show to come back up for several more minutes. In the psychological tomes I am positive that they have a classification for this type of person. He could barely cooperate and he wanted to out trick the magician. What ____! How do you handle these sort of people who want to expose the effect and want center stage? Again, this was not a restaurant, street, or bar setting. This was in a space used for theatrical productions and this was a theatrical production with magic that everyone paid well to get into the door.

Just curious (I am not a magician).

This is tricky. You don't want to tear him apart or YOU become the bad guy. But you can't let him plow over your show either.

If it is impromptu magic in a bar, I might try a few tactics, but if it is incessent, I will simply finish, wish him a good life and walk away. I have no interest in competing with them. Neither of us wins from this exchange.

If its on stage, I might try a few lines, but eventually I would problably thank him, and send him back to his seat and pick someone else!

They are always out there.

here's hoping you can steer clear of them.

carney