I am adding a biggest wands routine to my show, but it seems like the conventional wisdom would say that means eliminating use of a 7 foot straw production gag. I'm interested in a discussion on whether that is a hard and fast rule, or whether anyone has experience with similar "holy cow that's big" props in the same show. In the case of the straw, it's produced from an impossible space. Bigger wands are not in themselves magical, so there's some psychological difference. Still, I worry that I would run the risk of overusing the "wow it's big!" factor.

thoughts?

You might go the other direction and use tiny things. This depends on the size of your audience.

On the other hand, when you know the "rules", depending on your character and venue you can chose to break them. My suggestion (based on not using either prop) is to try to use
a. the wands
b. the straw
c. the wand and the straw..

in different shows and gauge the response.


other thoughts?

I don't worry too much about themes. Themes are a good thing for a show. And recall is a very powerful comedic tool. However, I do try to avoid repeats of anticipated results in different tricks. For example, although I have 2 routines that, if done a la carte, would both incorporate a TT silk vanish, I only use such a vanish in one of them in my show because I feel like the second time around it's going to be anticipated and have less impact. Thoughts?

You know that it can also be a running gag that just keeps showing up?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I like a running gag, but I only have one straw, and once produced - there it is. I could always make more from a quick trip to lowe's, but then it's too much like the wands by having so many I would think.

As for biggest wands being a running gag, I had posted about that here before and I think it could work, where each routine the helper gets a bigger wand.

Bob, could you say a little more about how either of these could work as a running gag? Or are you saying that the running gag is the huge objects showing up? One being the constantly bigger wands, one being the straw, and then have other impossibly huge objects involved? I'm using victory cubes as a stage decoration and pulling props from one, ditching to the other. They are by nature an impossibly huge representation of something that fitsin the palm of the hand.

I believe there is a site where you can get big things such as pencils.

Locally I have found things such as huge calculators.

I don't see a problem with using the bigger wands, and the 8 foot straw in the same show. I have used both props in most of my shows this year. The only difference being that my straw is only 4 feet long. They have both recieved great reactions from the audience. I say go for it.

David

http://www.greatbigstuff.com/

I definitely think you are right about themes:

die box OR run rabbit run (same idea: magician doesn't see)
appearing cane OR appearing wand
zombie OR magic carpet

etc. etc.

You could try another "Bigger" routine, like Wiz Kid Qua-Fiki's "Bigger Silk Production" that he uses in connection with his "Sneaky Production Box" in The Wizards' Journal #18 (video demo on my site). The silks get bigger, but that's all they have in common with the wands; they are silks, not wands. Also, they are produced magically, unlike many of the Bigger Wand routines, where you just walk off and get another wand. You can use the Bigger Silks concept with almost any production device, but I think you'll like the way Qua-Fiki thinks! You could even team it up with Bigger Wands... you need a bigger wand to produce a bigger silk, etc.

http://www.greatbigstuff.com/