Ok, So I know a lot of people on here are not the biggest fan of the Chair Illusion but I'm considering putting into my show. I am actual a sidewalk performer and I'm thinking that I'll actually use the Chair Suspension as my table. So the entire time I can joke around about not being able to afford a "real" table. Anyway if there is anyone here who is also a big fan of the chair illusion and has ideas on showmanship with it and general tips I'm all ears.
Thanks,
Bobert

Bobert,
You are new (4 posts) there is a lot on the Café on the chair suspension, including how to get Kyle Perone's book and the comedy routine on Matt Fore's DVD.

Rather than repeat this, as a new person to the Café look into the search engine and you will get lots of discussions on it. That search engine is a gold mine of information.

I love the chair suspension , but I think one of the strong points is placing the board with the cloth infront of the audience and not being laid their all the time till ypou are ready to do the trick , the version I have is the bill smith so iam not surre if you can do that smoothly with other versions

I wish people would learn to use the fantastic Search Function on the Café,
almost every important topic has been covered in depth,
seek and you shall find!

My two-cents,
Walt

I think using it as a table isa good idea. Especially for a street performer.

I have a Bill Smith one for sale.

Bairefoot

Doing a search is always a great idea but sometimes bringing back old topics brings some new and fresh ideas so no harm is done .

Kyle Peron is a wonderful magician from Philly. He has an excellent eBook on presenting the Chair Suspension. It will really open your eyes to the power of this illusion. It made me completely rethink my Chair Suspension at a time when I was about to sell it for a 'better' illusion. It's now one my favorite illusions, right up there with my Twister and Sword Box.

Kyle's book should required reading for anyone who has a Chair Suspension.

You can find it in a lot of places, Magic Enhancer is just one:
http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html

Kyle's book is a must if you are going to do the chair suspension. Get it. You won't be sorry.


Arthur

Thanks so much guys for the kind words. I really do appreciate it. The illusion has always gotten a bad rap and a lot of that is simply due to the fact that there is not enough information out there teaching people tips and techniques in presenting it well.

Thanks again. If anyone has any questions on this illusion, feel free to PM me or email me directly at magic4u02@aol.com

Kyle

I've stuck my nose in here before, but I still don't get this. You have a board laying across two chairs. The volunteer rests on the board and then a chair is removed. So now isn't rather obvious that something is holding the board to the single chair? And isn't it obvious that the board, that must be attached to the single chair, is balancing because of the position of the chair (facing in)? And so isn't it obvious that when the board is cleanly slid out that there must be another board (support) still in place? How does this trick fool anyone? It seems as if the trick is its own explanation for how it works.

Old man you can say the same thing about most suspensions .. but that is not true ....there are more secrets in the illusion first the support is invisible and if built correctly seems natuaral and you should give a reason for it being there and the chairs look inosent but they are not look at the bill smith version it always get woooo from the audience there lot more to them but exuce me you seem to have never performed the illusion that's why you don't apreciate it .

Old Man,

1. KIDS do not think like adults but they do know that board should fall. When it is removed, and it looks like the girls neck is on the top of the chair, they do know that is not possible, especially when the cloth shows a well rounded body "floating."

2.There are numerous comedy routines that can be done with this illusion.

3. Magic is not to be used to "fool" anyone. Yes, it does many times become a puzzle, but the best routines is not the magic but the entertainment value of the routine.

The thumb tip is in most magic kits, yet even today, it is one of the best magic tricks on the market because it still Wows the audience. Want to see what I mean...? Put a quarter, penny and dime in it and show hands/sleeves empty, and dump the coins in the other hand. It even fools magicians!

Yep no silk, no salt, but coins. It even works with a half dollar! Still blows the minds of fellow magicians. There is a lesson to be learned in this.

Gotta tell love my little chair suspension very easy to pack around and it does get a good reaction.

Allow me to chime in here a little bit if I could as what The Old Man mentions is a common misconception of the Chair Suspension illusion. part of the problem lies in 1) the fact that a lot of folks set up and perform the illusion incorrectly and 2) poor usage of routining of the illusion.

Since there is not a lot of information out there on the illusion, many folks simply perform it the wrong way. this includes inproper set up and the wrong positioning of the child or helper. If the illusion is set up wrong or the child is not in the proper position for the illusion, the effect is not strong. PM me if you would like to know about proper positioning etc.

Also, too many folks have a routine that simply is not created well. This is not a levitation. It is a suspension only. if you build your entire routine around the fact that the child "floats" in the air, then you pretty much are headed for a possible means in which the audience may not be impressed because you are hinting at the fact that the child floats in the air. my routine never does that. I take a different path so that the ending is more powerful and a suprise to the audience.

Dennis also brings up a very good point in #1 that he mentions. The helper's neck is positioned off the chair and the body is lightly wrapped in the cloth. This gives proper form to the illusion and really helps sell it well.

As magician's we can not overthink the illusion. When done correctly, the illusion will and does play big. As many know, I perform this illusion a LOT and it always gets great reactions from the audience.

Kyle

Most optical illusions are "obvious" but theyu still arte a treeat to the eye .

That is true. However, this illusion does not fall into the category. When performed right, this illusion not only plays well, but it fools people also. It is not just eye candy.

Kyle

The only difficulty I see with performing this on the street is the amount of stuff you need to carry from the car, and then from location to location on the sidewalk. I could see how this could work for a larger circle show but lugging it around from pitch to pitch may be a pain. Just a thought.

Kent

Kent does bring up a good point. It is not all that heavy (Mak and sommer's models) but you would want some sort of cart or soemthing to make travel easier for you on the street.

Kyle