As beginners, we are all told not to repeat effects.
It helps audience members to work out the trick etc, etc.

I was wondering what the Ladies and Gentleman that frequent this forum think of this with regards the cups & balls and the chop cup?

It could be argued that these effects, especially the chop cup, are all about repetition.
The balls vanish, the balls come back, the balls vanish....

I know my opinion on this but I am wondering how others will respond.
I hope you do respond.

Tom

Tom... I have thought the same thing, especially vanishing the balls from the tops of the Cups (I think we all know the routine); I have done all the vanishes the same for each ball and each ball different... the results have been pretty much the same. Maybe we don’t get called out on it because it is in a routine... a subset of something else verses show me that trick again.

I think if you repeat the CC move too many times you will get caught because it’s a challenge to the spectators in most routines... especially if you are a wise guy about it.

Possibly that is the secret... don’t be a wise guy and make it a challenge; with a challenge those that are prone to be jerks always seem to meet the call.

Thanks,
Bruce

You can make it a challenge without making it confrontational. I know that sounds like a contradiction.

For example, if I do the standard chop cup vanish and reappearance under a cup and I say: "Where do you think the ball is?" and they say: "In your pocket," and I say, "No, it's under the cup," then that's confrontational.

If I say, "I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, 'I didn't see anything in his hand when he put it into his pocket, so it must be under the cup.' No, it's actually in my pocket (show ball). But if you had thought it was in my pocket, it would have been under the cup.(reveal ball under cup). You can't win. I cheat. It's my job. And I LOVE it!" That's a challenge, but you aren't letting them guess. You are working your script and keeping the embarrassment away from them.

Also, it puts you into the role of the scoundrel who is almost tipping the goods.

Do it with charm and grace, and they will like it.

Bill,

That's great advice!  I Busk in Vegas, and people are drinking on the streets, and you have to be careful not to offend.  We all know that "impaired" people can easily take something the wrong way.  Just look at the Batman video on u-tube.  I work very hard not to end up like that poor guy.

Wes

I haven't gone to downtown Vegas in a long time, especially now that the costumed invaders seem to have taken over. I have guests coming to visit and I hesitate to even show them around anymore.

As far as being non-confrontational, check out Danny Tong's Chop Cup routine. He pretty much talks his way through it, not waiting for an answer, but giving one for them. It takes the "sting" out of it and prevents some troublemaker from making outrageous "guesses" and breaking the flow of your show.

The more of the script you supply yourself, the less opportunity there is for unregulated variation.

There's another principle involved here, too.

Never ask a question if you aren't sure of the answer.

Example:
At the Consumer Electronics Show a few years ago, the Microsoft rep started his lecture with "What is it that Microsoft is most famous for?" Most people would have answered either Windows, Basic or MS Office.

An old-timer in the audience shouted back "the 640K barrier."

Outrageous laughter ensued, and the rep had to stop the lecture.

Dave,

It is getting worse in Vegas with the costumed crowd.  I had a guy in a tacky Spiderman costume come up in the middle of my act one night, and throw his arms around some of my crowd and asked "where's the camera?"  I stopped my performance and everyone just stared at him till he walked away.  All I said was he was as tacky as his costume, got one of the best laughs of the night.   
Also, do you busk at Seaport Village in S.D.?  I'd like to know how that is.

Wes

Off the top of my head, I would have answered his question with "Same place your ability to sling webs is, buddy -- in your iimagination."

Isn't "Tacky Spiderman costume" redundant?

Bill,

Good comeback, I wish I had thought of something like that.  It just caught me off guard.
Yes "Tacky Spiderman costume" is redundant, but this guy was beyound tacky.  It looked like the costume belonged to his kid and he tried to make it fit.  Oh well.

Wes

Actually, the best comeback is to look at him in disgust, shake your head, and continue as if nothing had happened.

Or you could say "Did someone just f@rt?"

I need you with me for come backs!

Back when I was the ED at the Texas Renaissance Festival (sometimes I think it's not a coincidence that E.D. means entertainment director and erectile dysfunction!), I instructed the cast in handling hecklers.

Here's what I told them: "Buy a copy of 1001 Insults. Read the book from cover to cover, and memorize the half dozen or so you like the best. When someone in your audience heckles you, ignore him the first couple of times. If he doesn't quit then, look him straight in the eye, smile, and THINK your favorite insult at him, as loud as you can."

"The audience will know that you could have zinged him, and they will appreciate the fact that you didn't. If that doesn't work, then go in and make a clean surgical strike. The main thing is that you need to get the audience more pissed off at him than you are. Once the audience is on your side, then you can do what you need to do."

Long after I wrote that, I had an experience that really showed the value of not zinging the heckler, especially if he really didn't deserve it.

I was working at the Laff Stop in Austin. Our opening act was the worst female comic I had ever worked with. She was not funny. And she was conceited. We finished our first show on Saturday, and the manager came back to the green room. He told the comic that there was a large group of guys from Sigma Alpha Mu, the Jewish fraternity at the University. They had been partying, and they were a tad drunk. He finished with, "and if they get too rough for you, quit early, call Bill on. He knows how to handle them." She didn't know what that meant. She thought it meant to get rough with them.

So I watched her as she practiced her heckle-stoppers in front of the mirror--facial expressions, choreography and everything.

Then she went on. She was a rather large strawberry blond with blue eyes. Her opening line was "Hi, my name is ------, I'm from Seattle and I come from a C & D family. That's Catholic and dysfunctional." Well, that was the cue for the Sammies to go after her, and they did. They booed her. And she fought back. She slung foul heckle stoppers all over the room. She smelled the room up. Then she introduced me.

I walked out and they started ragging me about my tux. I said, "Come on, guys! Don't make fun of my work clothes. Wait until the headliner comes out. He gets paid more than I do. Make fun of his work clothes, instead!" They laughed. Then I said, "I understand we have a bunch of Sammies here celebrating something. What's the occasion?"

"Wally's having a birthday!"

"I'll bring him up later, okay?"

And now we were back on track. I did my show, which was well-received -- no hassling from the Sammys -- and when it came time for my closer, the straitjacket escape, I brought Wally and one of his friends up. I asked Wally how old he was. He said he was 35.

So I patted him on the head and said "Well, a gezinte oyfn deine kepele, Wally." This is Yiddish for "a blessing on your little head, Wally." It's something you say to a little kid. The Sammies ROARED! The gentiles laughed, too."

When I finished, I got a standing ovation. Middle acts at comedy clubs don't generally get standing ovations, especially if they are magicians.

The opener asked me what she did wrong. As tempted as I was to tell her that it was considering a career in comedy, I told her that she had showed them she was afraid and she lost control.

I packed up, and went to the lounge to have a glass of club soda. One of the Sammies from Houston came into the bar and booked me for a show for the next week!

The funny part about this is that I'm not Jewish. I played with Jewish kids when I was growng up, but I got that line from an Orben book!

What a great experience for us too, thanks Bill.

Bill... that was a great story, I really enjoyed reading it, I bet that you have met so many characters and have been in some odd situations. I have picked up some great advice from most of your postings over the years.

I have not read the Orben books, but I do remember seeing them listed in old magic catalogs... one of the old Tannen’s catalogs that I have has a reprint of some old book of patter for magicians in the back pages (I can’t think of the name of the book). Most of what is suggested is pretty bad PC wise or so corny I would not believe that it would work back when the suggestions were new.

Thanks,
Bruce

Bill,

What a great story!  Anytime you want to share more, please do!

Thanks!
Wes