Get On With It!
Have you ever watched a show, any show, and thought to yourself, "I've got it, I understand, please get on with it!" The trap in any presentation is taking too long to get to the point, and when it comes to watching a magic trick, the audience is even more anxious for you to get on with it.
Under all circumstances in a magician's presentation, the goal is to get the maximum effect that a magic trick has upon the audience. You need to get to the climax of the mystery in the quickest amount of time possible. Don't test your audience's attention span. The benefit of being efficient with time means there is more time in your show to do other magic tricks. As a good friend of mine once said to me, "If you're going to do a magic show, then do a heck of a lot of magic!"
An excellent magic book, one that should be in every magician's library, is "Greater Magic" by J.N. Hilliard. In its instruction, Hilliard has described not only "the effect" and "how to do it," but also had the notation of "time occupied." In other words, the specific amount of time that the trick should occupy in performance, no more, no less.
How do I keep myself in check? Anything that doesn't add to the performance is just detracting from it. Experience has shown me that this is true every time. Now, I'm not advising that you race through a trick because you're going for wonderment, not bewilderment. By going too fast, you risk your audience losing track and thinking to themselves, "what just happened" versus "how did that happen?" But by going too slow, you risk boring them. That is the delicate balance in any performance.
Each mystery performed has a particular "speed limit." One must adhere to the speed limit, just like in driving. There is a rhythm to respect, and mastering that pace is what effectively enables you to put your own spin on it.
Clarity and strength of the "magical effect" is the goal. An economy of storytelling is vital to any presentation. The magician's words and actions must clarify, make interesting, and lift up the magical effect. Too much talking or extra steps will muddy up the end result. I've seen too many performers get caught up in a magic trick that drags on and on.
It's all about value because five minutes can feel like ten minutes, and vice versa. There are two measurements of time; actual or objective time and perceived or subjective time. You're looking to control someone's subjective experience of time while objectively playing to the actual time you have in front of the audience. If you are going to do an hour of magic, then you do an hour of magic. It should, however, feel to the audience that the time flew by. An old saying continues to ring true, and that's to "leave them wanting more."
I mentioned Shakespeare in a blog post recently, and it applies to this article, too. He wrote, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Another bit of advice comes from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said, "Be sincere, be brief, sit down." One of the best observations I've ever heard, and this comes across blunt, but in the spirit of brevity: "Either you are fun to watch, or you aren't."
I assure you that if you're thoughtfully aware of getting on with it in your performances, your audience will be eager to see more.