How Do We Look?
"Attention to detail is the essence of showmanship." This quote from
Henning Nelms' book Magic and Showmanship
is indelibly etched in my mind. I refer to
it constantly when fine tuning my routines
before going out to perform professionally.
But I also think about it as I make one last
check in the mirror.
I naturally
check for the obvious . . . hair combed, shirt
and suit freshly pressed, zipper in the upright
and locked position, etc. But there are other
things that are a bit less obvious and may
not be noticed at a glance.
If
you are performing close-up, then you should
definitely take care of your hands and fingernails.
In a close-up performing situation, your close-up
pad is the stage and your fingers are the
actors. Everyone's eyes will be "burning"
your hands so they should be made of asbestos...and
look "as best as" they can. I'm not suggesting
that everyone get a manicure every other week
(although it wouldn't be a bad idea). What
I am saying is that you can do something about
those hands. In particular they should never
have dirt or grease under the nails or appear
to be chewed to the bone.
You
should obviously wash your hands and get them
as clean as you can before going out to perform.
You can nearly eliminate hangnails by using
hand lotion every night before going to bed.
Perhaps you suffer from the "Vernon Curse"
which is dry hands. Some performers who have
this problem will soak their hands in ice
water before going on stage and others rub
in a little glycerin before breaking out the
playing cards.
Take
care of your nails by clipping them and applying
clear nail polish about every two weeks. This
will give them a luster and elegance that
suits your clever handling of your card/coins/cups
and balls or whatever you're using. By taking
this advice, your hands will become more visually
appealing and your audience will not be distracted
by your dirty hands and nails. That's not
the kind of misdirection you want.
One
last thing on your hands is your jewelry.
Are you wearing a wedding ring (recently cleaned)
and a watch or do you have rings on every
finger and gold bracelets that makes it look
like you're wearing a Mr. T starter set? Some
magicians prefer not to wear any rings which
might distract from the performance or "clink"
at the wrong time when you use coins. Others
prefer to wear rings because they want the
misdirection and they use the sound of the
coin hitting the ring to sound like they have
more than one coin in that hand. The choice
of what jewelry you wear, if any, is yours
but be sure that your choice is a conscious
decision.
Listen
to how you speak. Do you use good grammar?
Do you have an accent that could possibly
offend someone in your audience? A friend
of mine in Tulsa was from Louisiana who had
a strong Cajun accent. He knew that it would
be accepted in his own land but perhaps not
outside the South. As a result of his concern,
he chose to perform a silent act with doves
and illusions rather than trying to communicate
with his dialect. As a side note, the club
where he was working in Tulsa made a mistake
when they asked him to do some strolling magic.
When he opened his mouth, his lack of education
was clear and he lost some potential bookings.
Consequently, he went back to his silent act.
Much has been said and published about studying
dance and theater but little has been said
about studying and using proper English. This
is no less important than other educational
endeavors. Perhaps it is even more important
since you must speak properly to get the booking
in the first place despite how great your
promotional material might be.
Along
this same line, a whole article could and
should be written about dialog with your audience.
Does your patter include offensive, degrading,
prejudicial, or embarrassing humor or do you
put your volunteers in compromising situations?
Using such material could cost you a future
booking and is generally not good for the
magic profession. You should be cautious about
what material to use and when to use it. Be
sure to know what your audience wants before
you prepare your show. You may be able to
pick up on the "mood" or "feel" of the audience
and what seems to be going over the best.
You may be able to insert some effect or joke
that you previously thought wouldn't be appropriate
or once you're into the routine you may want
to take out something that you thought might
be acceptable. Here is a good place to remember
the old adage "when in doubt, leave it out."
Since
most performances are given in the evening,
we need to take one last look at our beard
stubble. Be sure to scrape off that 5:00 shadow.
If you're going to be talking to people, then
be sure to check your breath. Gargle before
you go and you may even want to occasionally
take a spritz of a breath freshener or chew
a mint throughout the evening. Also be sure
that you are freshly bathed and anointed with
deodorant. On the subject of smells, is your
after shave/cologne/deodorant so over powering
that it leaves more of a lasting impression
than your magic performance? It's not necessary
to bathe in the stuff before you go out. Besides,
your audience may not like its smell as much
as you do. A little touch goes a long way.
Another thing that may seem minor is to make
sure that you have used the restroom facilities
before you go. It's better not to have anything
on your mind or anywhere else before you suit
up to fool the world. Also be conscientious
of your posture. This is important on stage
when all eyes are on you but equally important
as you approach a group to do some close-up
magic.
You
should appear confident and successful. People
want to associate themselves with successful
and interesting people. And who better now
has that image than you?
