Thimble Talk Dear Mr. Magic, When I do magic with thimbles very often there is audible noise when the thimbles nest or unnest. What will the audience think if they hear this? Dear Magician, There are any number of props, ranging from thimbles to stage illusion boxes, which are liable to make noise during their manipulation. Magicians refer to this as the prop talking. Unless the sound is part of the effect, for instance coins dropping into a bucket during the Miser's Dream, this noise has to be suppressed in one fashion or another. In some cases where the stray sounds are unavoidable music or other sound effects are used to mask the unwanted sound. In other cases the prop may need padding or dampened to avoid noise. In the case of small props working on a thick close up pad off deadens sounds. With a good deal of practice and attention to handling the sound of metal thimbles nesting can be eliminated. However, unlike working with coins, metal thimbles can be replaced with plastic or wood thimbles which are inherently quieter. If you are unable to reduce the clicking sound by reworking your sleights then switching to plastic or wood thimbles shouldn't lessen the effect significantly. A thimble is one of those familiar objects which the spectators recognize by shape and location (on the end of a finger) rather than by what they are made of. In addition magic dealers offer cleverly nested thimble sets which appear to be a single thimble, allowing multiplications and vanishes without complicated sleights, providing some advantage over plain metal thimbles. Colorful Magic Dear Mr. Magic, What are the most effective colors to use for silks, production items and other props so they're visible to the audience? Dear Magician, This is an important issue that many magicians seem unaware of or chose to ignore. If magic is touted as a visual art, visibility should be just as important as artistic presentation. In other words there's no magic if those watching can't see or properly understand what the magician is doing. Visibility issues are dealt with by proper staging, prop dimensions in relation to the distance to the spectators, pointing up, timing, tempo, and lighting. These are theatrical considerations which the performer must understand, appreciate, and craft his magic to satisfy. The color or finish of props, costume, and stage set are all important and must not be ignored. One might assume that producing red silks from a red box or wearing a black suit while working with a black egg bag obviously diminishes the visibility of what's going on but many aspiring magicians often fail to understand that color equals visibility. Color and more importantly the contrast of colors is crucial to successful visual communication with the audience. In addition various color values elicit different responses, information that is well known among theatrical set and lighting designers but so far hasn't reached most magicians. Without going into the moods elicited by hot and cold colors, those interested might want to read up on theatrical conventions. The easiest way to achieve a semblance of control over color and visibility is to consider each object in relation to what its background will be for those watching. If there is contrast between the object as foreground and the background then the object's visibility will be maximized. If the colors are close to each other the audience will have difficulty seeing what's happening. Go sit in the front row and see for yourself. Some colors have more visual impact that others. Red, a favorite color for silk producing and vanishing magicians, is an example. In fact magicians seem enchanted by red green blue yellow. Of course this soon dulls the impact of the colors and makes the performance repetitious. Vanishing and appearing red silks, appearing and multiplying red billiard balls, empty and full red metal tubes, red to yellow silk color changes in the hand, red yellow and blue blendos. One might think they're seeing the same trick repeated using different shapes. Magic dealers aren't that much of a help to aspiring magicians since with only a few exceptions they decorate props with primary colors, offer only primary silk colors, and otherwise assist the magician in acquiring props that have a certain sameness. Given most magicians unwillingness to redecorate their props the result limits the contrast potential. While it is probably wise to avoid the explosion in a paint factory effect of too many colors, it is just as important to ensure the visibility of each prop and object by having it be an appropriate color. The end result of this effort will not only create a certain harmony that makes the magician's magic unique, but will also give the intended effects their full potential. Challenged Dear Mr. Magic, What's the best way out of a challenge situation where someone insists that I do a trick but is only concerned with catching on to how it is done? Dear Magician, There are challenges and then there are challenges. Some close up card and coin workers perform effects where they challenge those watching to catch them out. While this kind of trickery has no place in theatrical magic, it can be effective in the I'm cleverer than you are approach to fooling an audience if not entertaining them. As for a spectator placing demands on the magician with the intent of showing up the magician, this is an issue that is best addressed by avoiding it. In fact its a good time to hear you phone ring and take the call. There are people who don't like to be fooled and don't like magicians. They have a mean spirited, confrontational approach anticipating that the magician will go away. And probably he should. On the other hand if for some obscure reason the need to badly fool the challenger can't be controlled, it is worth learning one of those challenge effects that are used by the card and coin workers mentioned above. Of course you'd better have the challenge effect down cold, messing it up will only prolong the experience. The most important thing a magician can learn is how to stay at least one step ahead of those watching. Whether working on stage or impromptu this is a valuable ability since it gives the magician the opportunity to avoid mishaps which spoil the magic as entertainment. Staying one step ahead can mean any number of things. In this instance it means having an effect where the secret work is done before the spectators are aware anything out of the ordinary has occurred. You'll have to think about this in relation to the tricks you perform, if one or two don't satisfy that requirement, then find a couple that do. With adequate preparation and proper presentation it doesn't take much to fool someone. The secret is to be ready in advance so when the challenge situation arises you're prepared to deal with it. Openers & Closers Dear Mr. Magic, Any suggestions for the final effect in a close up show? Dear Magician, Every magic show has three distinct portions. The introduction when you present yourself and your magic to the audience; the various effects you perform during the body of the show; and the ending when you present your final effect. Many performers refer to the introduction as the opener and the last effect as the closer. There are many philosophies about putting together an effective show and just how it should open and close. Old time illusionists often opened by appearing in a puff of smoke and then presenting a dozen or so flash effects in two or three minutes. They closed their shows by filling the stage with assistants and quite literally waving the flag of the nation in which they were performing. The opening effect is where you set the entire tone of your show. It is also where the audience gets their first look at you, hear you speak to them for the first time, and decide whether they like you and should sit back and have a good time. So the opener is about creating the proper atmosphere, a satisfying visual and reaching out to make contact with the audience. Some performers break this into two portions. First they create atmosphere through some highly visual silent effect, then they step forward to speak with their audience for the first time. The most important part of the final effect is letting your audience know the show has ended. This is not as simple as it may seem. After all, it is just one more of a series of effects. Some performers simply announce that it is their last effect. Others, with a better understanding of theater, choose an effect and dialog or music which makes it obvious that the show is over. Much of how this is managed depends on the individual performer. It may be as simple as dialog that makes it obvious the show has come to an end or as complicated as filling the stage with more noise and activity than the audience has previously experienced during the show. Every performer must work out the opener and closer to suit his or her particular performing style. There are some tricks that will help along the way. Among them are simply making it obvious through dialog and body language that you're done, this can be a simple as the kind of bow you take. Or you can choose an effect that is more splashy and colorful than anything you've done up to that point, then increase the tempo of your performance to make everything happen more quickly until you come to an abrupt and amazing halt. Finishing clean is also an issue, you don't want audience assistants on the stage when you end or to be holding a bunch of props or standing behind something. Keep in mind that it is you that is finishing the show and accepting the applause, not your tricks or props. As to particular effects that might work to open or close, there is really nothing to recommend. Any effect is potentially the correct one if it works for you, and just because it works for you doesn't mean it will work for anyone else. Magic really is wrapped up in the personality of the magician so the only secret here is to perform effects that you really enjoy doing.

Go Ahead, Ask Mr. Magic Mister Magic sees all, hears all, can center tear with the best of them and isn't really afraid of balloon animals. He's also a really nice guy who's happy to explain the inner workings of the arcane art of magic, if you don't ask him how David Blaine does the snap change. If you've got a question you'd like Mr. Magic to ponder, transport yourself to the Mr. Magic email form.