A magician is simply a good choice of entertainment for any type of event. There. I said it. Keep reading and I’ll tell you why. There are a lot of options for entertainment out there. From solo musical performers, to bands and other variety acts like ventriloquists, you have a lot of choices today. And they can all be found online. The days of using the small talent agency are largely over. Some agencies still exist but they have largely been replaced by online booking sites like GigSalad.com or event planners are booking directly with entertainers through their websites.
But for the purposes of this article I’m going to make a case for why a magician is a good choice for any event.
A Magician is Versatile
There are many ways to utilize a magician and there are “magic specialists” everywhere. Need a birthday party magician for your 6-year-old? Easy to find. Just Google “birthday party magician” and, depending on where you live, a bunch of them will pop up.
How about a corporate magician to do an after-dinner program? There are lots of those to choose from as well.
Maybe you simply want a strolling magician to roam around during the cocktail hour of a banquet or for a few hours at your party. There are many “close-up” magicians who specialize in this form of magic.
Magicians are much more versatile than other forms of entertainment due to our ability to provide a variety of choices for how you use us.
Magicians Are More Popular Than Ever
Believe it or not, magic has largely dominated the Las Vegas entertainment scene since the ’80’s. When Doug Henning and David Copperfield used to have yearly specials starting around this time, magic and magicians got a shot in the arm of visibility in the public eye and overall popularity for the art.
Vegas quickly saw this and at least a dozen big magic and illusion shows could be seen at some of the biggest casinos on the strip at any given time. There are still many popular magic shows in Vegas, some popular shows running for the last two decades.
Vegas is known for two things: gambling and entertainment. And magic continues to be a huge draw for people there.
TV magic has been on the rise for a decade now as well. Only a couple of years ago, there was at least one magic-related series on TV on any given day of the week. As of this writing, you can find at least one magic series on cable virtually every day, even if they’re only reruns.
It’s common knowledge that Hollywood and Las Vegas are the measuring stick for entertainment and what people want. As you can see, magic is hugely popular both in live shows as well as on TV.
A Comedy Magician—“Two for One”
Top comedy magicians like Harry Anderson, The Amazing Jonathan and Michael Finney helped to bring the modern day comedy magician into the spotlight starting in the late ’70’s. Magicians who are also comedians combine magic and comedy together in a way that’s entertaining, fun and, most of all, funny.
I’m a comedy magician and many times beat my competition for gigs simply because they know I’ll be (or hopefully be!) funny. Most of us who do this type of magic use quite a bit of audience participation which people love. With a comedy magician your audience will still get the mystery and wonder of magic combined with comedy that makes the audience laugh and feel good.
This is truly a “two for one’ deal for any entertainment buyer.
From Pockets to “Box Jumpers”
From “close-up” magicians to illusionist who have tractor-trailers filled with props and stage sets. Many strolling magicians work “out of their pockets” with small props like cards and coins that can be carried easily.
“Parlor” magicians—those who work for smaller groups may use minimal props. I’m primarily a minimalist, choosing smaller props and focusing on the interaction with my audience and audience helpers as the focal point of entertainment. Even in my stage show, I work out of a medium-size suitcase and am able to work “in one”, which is in front of the curtain on a larger stage. This way on a multiple act show, the next act can prepare the stage to his or her liking. My props “pack small but play big” meaning, the entertainment value isn’t diminished by the size of my props.
Large corporate events, fundraisers for fraternal groups and other organizations may hire illusion shows. Sometimes known as “box jumpers” in the magic fraternity, illusionists perform large-scale illusions that can be seen from the farthest seats in a 2000 seat or more auditorium. Classic illusions like levitating a lady or illusions involving the transformation of a person into a wild animal like a Bengal tiger shows you the scope of these shows.
Most People Love a Magician
I know this is a bold statement but it’s largely true. In over 30 years of performing professionally I’ve rarely run into a person who doesn’t like magic. When I do, the reason the person doesn’t care for it is because not knowing the “secret” frustrates them.
But all in all, most people love the wonder that magic brings. Despite the rapid advances in technology that sometimes parallels the awe that magic inspires, people are still intrigued, amazed and entertained by magic.
Magic is truly a universal art form that transcends language, different cultures and any other barriers. About the only other form of entertainment that does this is music. But magic performed well takes us back to a time where everything was new and we were in awe and disbelief of what we were seeing. Remember seeing your first magic show? I do, and it was truly….magical.
If you need a comedy magician for your event, contact me. I have performed almost 6000 shows in just about every conceivable venue. If you want great magic, CLEAN comedy and lot of audience participation, contact me now at tim@timpic.com or call me at (352) 638-4284.