Why Being a Magician is Great
Monday, June 4th, 2007Every now and then, I am reminded why being a magician is such a great job.
Just like any job, it can have it’s ups and downs. The traveling can be arduous, things go wrong and even performing can lose it’s buzz after a gig every night for a week.
A wedding at the weekend reminded me why I do it. I was performing close-up magic, walking about performing in the hands magic during the photographs and then table magic during the meal.
The wedding breakfast began and I timed it so I could perform for the top table after the main course was finished.
From the start of my set, everything went perfectly. There were no interruptions to spoil the flow, nothing went wrong, the table reacted brilliantly in all the right places and, most unbelievably, laughed at all my jokes.
It is rare when performing close-up magic in a real world situation that this happens. Sometimes the magic doesn’t work as smoothly as it should (although usually the audience is not aware of it), or the wait staff need to get to the table, or something happens in the room that distracts the audience, but not during this 10 minutes.
The climax of my routine was the ‘Congratulations Card’, an effect where the Bride and Groom choose a card between them, simply naming any card in the deck.
When they turned it over to reveal it was the only red backed card in the deck and the only one with a sticker on it that said ‘Congratulations on your Wedding’, the whole table gave the best reaction I think you can receive as a magician - the disbelieving gasp and sharp intake of breath. This turned into laughs and applause and at that moment, I actually felt a shiver run down my spine.
It’s my job to give people moments like that, hopefully making their day even more special, but it’s also fantastic that I get to share it with them.