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WR Special user Utah 945 Posts |
I have been looking for a killer ending to my kids show. I use a dovepan and make a skunk appear (not a real one). I just don't think it has enough powerful effect to end on. What are some of your closing effects that could be molded around a Harry Potter theme?
WR??????
"Tell Em WR sent Ya."
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Andy Wonder Special user Auckland, New Zealand 747 Posts |
Maybe produce a frog in the Dove Pan. Axtell have a great puppet frog that can be produced from a pan. http://www.axtell.com/woods.html
I think frogs fit into a Harry Potter theme quite well. Maybe after whatever frog/puppet routine you might do, you could have the birthday child pose for photos with the frog while wearing Harry Potter style spectacles.
Andy Wonder, Auckland, New Zealand
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WR Special user Utah 945 Posts |
My kids show character is Prof. Trickenus P. Bumbledumb, from Hogwarts ... and just like the name sounds, I bumble through effects. Nothing ever works out quite right. For my final effect, I tell the kids I am going to make a bunny. I got the recipe from Snape. It says hair from a rabbit ... hmmm, all I have is troll hair ... oh well, whew, it smells...
Well, I keep adding smelly things for the right things and then I light the fire and cover the flame. I pull it off to show my bunny. A beanie baby type SKUNK with bunny ears. I try to convince the kids it's a bunny. WR
"Tell Em WR sent Ya."
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docdazzal Veteran user San Tan Valley, AZ 360 Posts |
WR...
That's GREAT! I laughed envisioning the effect. Great creativity ... continued success. Doc Dazzal |
Frank Tougas Inner circle Minneapolis, MN 1712 Posts |
I think it is a fine enough ending although I will never use fire or other dangerous items in a kids show. I still cringe when I see performers do needle through balloon and hold the dang thing by the balloon instead of keeping a firm grasp on the needle at all times.
My only suggestion is beware the legal department at the brothers Warner. This is not exactly a secret forum and if they are anything like Disney ... nuff said? Frank
Frank Tougas The Twin Cities Most "Kid Experienced" Children's Performer :"Creating Positive Memories...One Smile at a Time"
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BryanDreyfus Loyal user 293 Posts |
I use a reworked Grants Temple Screen that is a magic telephone booth. I order a chicken and get a hand towel, ratz! Hey, what if I make the towel LOOK like a chicken.
I do the towel to chicken fold/roll and it gets screams. I add that it can dance and cause it to gyrate a bit. I toured school shows for four years and closed each show with it and had everyone, teachers included, rolling with laughter. An animal is always a good choice for the STAR of the show. Bryan
Oh sure, I can spell "Antidisestablishmentarianism", but I can't type t-h-e.
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Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
WR,
Check out the late Gene Poinc's page on The Learned Pig web site for "Flight of the Phoenix". Basically, a dramatic buildup as an origami bird is created, dropped into a dove pan and set on fire. Then the phoenix rises from the ashes— the lid is removed and a partially blackened rubber chicken with some burnt feathers glued on is pulled out of the pan. I think it's hysterical! You could finish with a line line, "While you guys enjoy the rest of the party, I'm going to work on this trick some more!" |
WR Special user Utah 945 Posts |
That would be GREAT for older kids. Thanks Peter. I was thinking about using it in my adult shows. NLT is GREATLY missed.
WR
"Tell Em WR sent Ya."
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I have used a Blammo type cage box that sits on a Eureka stand. It is built to appear small-ish.
I take a brown paper bag and do a one-cut-bunny (from one of Frances Ireland Marshall’s Birthday Books). The brown paper bunny is put into the cage; the top is removed (Blammo style) and the sides of the box fall down revealing a large brown bunny (looking for all the world too big for the box). Not funny but very magical and a nice ending to the show.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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MAGICBYTIM Special user Louisiana 531 Posts |
I end with Fraidy Cat Rabbit. This gets the kids real involved and they know that they have finally caught me in the act. Then when I turn the board around they are all shocked which is a good place to end.
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drosenbe0813 Elite user Long Island, NY 405 Posts |
I don't know if this a 'killer' ending, but I end my show with Hippity Hop Rabbits (actually Hippity Hop Astronauts). It gets the kids excited and then blows them away.
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Rather then thinking about what are good tricks, think about what, dramatically, would be a good ending for your show.
E.g. my entire kids' show is about finding my missing rabbit, every trick always comes back to how can we find the rabbit. When he appears at the end the kids KNOW it is the end and the applause is big. |
Frank Tougas Inner circle Minneapolis, MN 1712 Posts |
Please remember opinions are only that, opinions. In the end when all the smoke clears a killer ending is in the mind of the performer. No one can really tell you what to do as the same tricks will look different and get vastly different reactions from the audience depending upon the personality and style of each individual performer. For any effect to be in the killer ending class, you want it to look great, get lots of applause, definitely signify the show has ended and very importantly it needs to be fun for you to do. If you really enjoy it chances are it will go over well.
I remember attending a lecture regarding children's magic and the lecturer said, "...the first trick has to grab their attention and the last really have an impact." I agreed with the statement fully and it is exactly what I do in my children's show. Then as an example he mentioned two tricks which he felt would be rather poor examples of the above - of course they were the exact two tricks I use for my opener and closer. There we were agreeing on principle but in practice we could not have been further apart. The old adage, different strokes for different folks certainly applies. Good luck in your quest.
Frank Tougas The Twin Cities Most "Kid Experienced" Children's Performer :"Creating Positive Memories...One Smile at a Time"
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Zorak Regular user Maryland, USA 114 Posts |
I do my own comedy version of the Mutilated Parasol, where the parasol shrinks, than changes into two 260 balloons. The newspaper is than torn up and a paper tree grows from the torn pieces. It is very climactic as it builds and gets funnier and funnier.
I like to leave them laughing! So my suggestion to you is to do your funniest bit at the end of the show. That way your audience will go away smiling.
Magic is in the hearts of children from 1 to 101
Please check out my Website: kiddiekazam.com FREE ORIGINAL CLIPART FOR MAGICIANS & CLOWNS PROP DESIGNS MAGIC CARTOONS all drawn by Zorak |
Daniel Faith Inner circle Neenah, Wisconsin 1526 Posts |
Spread out through my show in four spots I have an alarm ring. I pull the alarm out of a hat that is sitting on one of my tables and announce in an excited way ... "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... it is now time for the World Famous Live Rabbit from the Hat trick!" I use a nest of clocks for the clock productions and have an alarm recorded on the cd in the correct spots.
The first production I produce Rocky Raccoon out of the hat. Second time the alarm rings I again pull another alarm out of the hat and announce the same thing and pull out a felt cut out of a rabbit. The third alarm rings and is pulled from the hat and again the announcement is made and I pull a stuffed rabbit out of the hat. Finally, at the end of the show the alarm rings one final time and again I announce the trick as before. This time however, I produce a real rabbit! The kids cheer and go crazy! Some notes: I use the same hat sitting on it's own dedicated table off to the side throughout the show and everything is pulled from the same hat. The hat is shown empty before each production. All the alarm clocks are set on the table where they can be seen. It hard to imagine how there could be room for all that in a hat that is shown empty every time. After each production I have some comic by play with each item produced. I have a whole routine I do with Rocky that is very funny and then he becomes my assistant for a Zig Zag illusion to music. This gets extremely funny as it builds and builds. By the third time the kids are going nuts. Makes for a great ending to the show!
Daniel Faith
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Scott Ocheltree Veteran user 364 Posts |
Most of the birthday parties I have performed for have maybe a dozen or so kids at most. I start with my stand up material and at the end I produce a small bag of close up tricks— sponge balls, hot rod, TT silk, etc., and kneel down on the floor and have them gather in a close circle. I find that after the kids have had a chance to watch me for a while they are more comfortable getting close to me on the floor like this, and I have established the audience control needed.
I usually do the sponge balls last, having the balls appear in the birthday child's hand. Then finish with the production of a birthday card using Buddha papers. If it is an older child (9 and up) I will sometimes make a gift of the Buddha papers as well, giving them a little private lesson on how to use them. It's a more quiet and intimate way to end the show but it seems to work for me. |
R2 Special user 935 Posts |
Hello there Doc Dazzal ... it has been about a year since I last visited with you at Danny Archer's Lecture...
WR? Since Andy Walker brought up Steve Axtell's Website http://www.axtell.com Look for his "Magic Drawing Board". This is a time proven closer for many ventriliquists and you can just order his "Axtrax" if you haven't learned to throw your voice yet... Please look into this ... I highly recommend it. This one is most memorable for all audiences. Forget the dove pan closer... Cheers..rr |
Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
The running gag climax routine with the rabbit is a great way to build an ending. Like Guardian, at various times I attempt to produce a rabbit and at the end a real rabbit is produced. (Spring Raccoon, Spring Skunk [Rab-bunk: "A rabbit that looks like a skunk"], Spring Rabbit, then the real rabbit.)
As for the Drawing Board by Steve Axtell, he is working on an expensive remote controlled Drawing Board. The prototype was shown at last year's 2002 Kidabra Conference. He surprised the audience when it mysteriously started talking during a fireside chat with Sammy Smith. The board was placed on a chair on the other side of Sammy Smith, as if it was having a fireside chat. What a powerful increase in the abilities of this effect.
Dennis Michael
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R2 Special user 935 Posts |
Thanks for the tip on the board Den ... I will look forward to this item as will the groups I work with...
This item has been one of the more worthwhile investments I ever made dollar for dollar. This one packs a lot of punch in the minds of the children ... high quality and class... rr |
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