Hello,
What do you think could be a good stage illusion to perform without a partner?

Thanks!

No grand Illusion can be performed without trained and rehearsed assistant, as is very hard to cut yourself in half put you back together.

There is smaller illusions that use spectators, so the magician is in control, and the spectator takes the place of the trained assistant.

Chair Suspension using an audience member.
Visible Sawing a spectator in half.
Super-X levitation.

It's all a matter of staging and presentation. The Appearing Arch Grand Illusion (or a variation thereof) can be presented solo- The curtain opens on the Archway, the magician appears and steps out to begin his show - no need for an assistant. If you are looking only in magic shops for such illusions that can be presented without an assistant, you won't find as much; but if you scour the magic books, you'll find plenty of so-called grand illusions that can be performed on yourself, solo. A wonderful example is the "Rip Van Winkle Illusion," invented by Edwin Brush (c.1940), which is an excellent one-man vanish, reappearance/ quick-change Illusion that works on the smallest platform stage up to the largest theater stage. It is easily transported and assembled and requires no assistant to make "both" characters appear in the playlet. You can find it in my PVC Pipe Illusion Book 4 on The Magic Nook, along with other illusions that can be performed without assistants.

Hi Mattia -

Here's a post I made in September 2014, about stage illusions you can perform as a solo performer:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rt=20#15

Also, take a look at this thread, started in March 2017 (from The Little Darlings area). There are a couple of newer illusions mentioned on it. "Slice of Magic" and "Rhino Flight" weren't included in my other post.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&start=0

- Donald

I would look at some of the illusions produced by Smoky Mountain Magic. I perform This End Up alot. It is a great one man illusion.

Harbin Bow Saw
Harbin Chair Suspension
Bill smith audience dismember.
Bill Smith spikes through audience member
Blaney Ladder Levitation
Tri-Section

Check out JC Sums solo video / book set, he talks about how he does a large illision show without any trained assistants. He does an appearance, wind shear, and much more.

You really should educate yourself... Ever hear of "solo modern art"?

Paul Osborne's 'One Man Illusions' somewhere details quite a few solo illusions. Whether they qualify as "grand" illusions is a matter of debate of definition, but these are certainly worth a look nonetheless.

http://hamiltonholtinc.stores.yahoo.net/1manillusions.html

Another book on one-man illusions is "Solo-X" by Andrew Mayne.

- Donald

The floating table - not sure if you consider it an "illusion", but it's a great one man effect and gets reactions better than some big box effects.

Einhorn or Daniel's box levitation would do well.

There are some great solo illusions.

- Jimmy Finger's Magellan levitation series is great. Here is the latest in the line called the FeatherLight: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=7

- Andrew Mayne has a bunch that you would build, he has a few "Walking Thru" illlusions, Bisection, and so on. He focuses on lower cost for large impact and has a ton of good idea.

- Peter Loughran's Head Rush is great too.

(by the way, I own all these above and have performed them all at various times..audience tested)

- Earlier in the thread mentioned solo Modern Art - Great

Also, when you say "solo", I'm assuming you are talking you are alone on the stage. Because the options open up if you add an audience member. Then you have Mac Sawing, Head Chopper (all sorts), Arm Chopper (all sorts).

Keep searching. You will find one that you really like.

Lots of walk through illusions... Steinmeyers houdinis rope, andrew Maynes "a frame" dream illusions has a really lovely walking through mirror illusion, the smoky mountain through steel, even wind shear could be done solo.

Audience Dismember and Audience Accupuncture by bill smith, Harbin Sawing.

Solo modern art

Tri-section

Liquid Glass

Chair suspension, blaney ladder, floating table, vanishing floating table, Magellan levitation

With automation you could do an appearance or vanish solo as well.

Take a look at J C Sum illusion books. They are all very good.

While I don't own it (yet....) J C Sum has a video / book combo on performing solo illusion shows. One of the concepts he talks about in blogs and podcasts (and I'm sure expands on in the book / video) is the fact that a solo illusion show can still use local stage hands, just not trained assistants. So you can still have them spin a prop, bring you items from off stage etc.

If anyone gets a chance, check out David Dimitri's One Man Circus show... it rarely comes to the USA (although I saw it in New Haven CT a few years ago at an arts festival). It will totally change your mind on what a "one man show" can be. He changes the lights, cues the music, sets the stage, and performs a 1 hour show.

The Magellan levitation will bring gasps in parlor shows where no other one-man illusionette can follow.

I have seen a levitation where the table with a person on it rises from the base and can be moved from left to right, I looked at the website some time back, but I can’t remember the name; its not made in the USA

Boy Bill... I want to agree with you but David Copperfield proved you wrong with his version of Andre Kole's Squeeze Box Illusion.

These illusions are rare but must be taken into account.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DskdRh7kE94

I agree Ray! The exception proves the rule!

I guess you have an advantage over most of us, as David has not revealed his workings of his illusions to my knowledge.


If that is a one man illusion, what are the other 5 assistants doing on stage. I of course was addressing the question as a solo performer. It has to be moved, loaded, transported, and unloaded, set up, in place on stage, or easily moved on stage to perform.

Ray, I think you did not consider the complete process of presenting a one man illusion.