It has been a while.
I've not done any public performances since 2014 when I performed a one off show called The Parlour of Deception, with my fellow magician Leon Simmonds.
It would be fair to say that we had a few minor mishaps and probably 75% of the effects which I performed didn't quite go to plan. Whilst the audience members I spoke to said that they enjoyed it, the person who was most disappointed with the show was me.
And the one point which particularly stuck with me being the finale and specifically where I chose to stand on the stage (in my opinion) really dampened the power of what was meant to be the highlight.
The show's premise was that we were showing some of the techniques used by Victorian spiritualists and was a combination of a history lesson and part magic and mind-reading show.
The finale of the show was focused around a haunted doll's house, where we called upon a spirit to make strange things happen inside the house whilst the doors were closed and covered with a large cloth. Items would be moved around from room to room, strange drawings would appear on previously blank pads and so on.
An audience member I spoke to pointed out that each time the spirits were called to do their stuff that I stood directly behind the house. So clearly there was a removable panel and I was just doing the work myself using the house as "cover". To the audience, the method was obvious so it wasn't really that impressive.
Sadly it wasn't the case.
There was no false back or sliding panel or anything of the sort. The house was completely solid, and we could have performed standing on the other side of the room with a circle of spectators surrounding the house itself. And think how much more magical that would have been.
I've not done any public performances since 2014 when I performed a one off show called The Parlour of Deception, with my fellow magician Leon Simmonds.
It would be fair to say that we had a few minor mishaps and probably 75% of the effects which I performed didn't quite go to plan. Whilst the audience members I spoke to said that they enjoyed it, the person who was most disappointed with the show was me.
And the one point which particularly stuck with me being the finale and specifically where I chose to stand on the stage (in my opinion) really dampened the power of what was meant to be the highlight.
The show's premise was that we were showing some of the techniques used by Victorian spiritualists and was a combination of a history lesson and part magic and mind-reading show.
The finale of the show was focused around a haunted doll's house, where we called upon a spirit to make strange things happen inside the house whilst the doors were closed and covered with a large cloth. Items would be moved around from room to room, strange drawings would appear on previously blank pads and so on.
An audience member I spoke to pointed out that each time the spirits were called to do their stuff that I stood directly behind the house. So clearly there was a removable panel and I was just doing the work myself using the house as "cover". To the audience, the method was obvious so it wasn't really that impressive.
Sadly it wasn't the case.
There was no false back or sliding panel or anything of the sort. The house was completely solid, and we could have performed standing on the other side of the room with a circle of spectators surrounding the house itself. And think how much more magical that would have been.
So I'm working on a new project taking some of the themes and lessons learned from the Parlour of Deception, and tying this into my love for storytelling and theatre. More details will be coming out once they're ready.
Interestingly one of the techniques we covered in the TPOD show, was used to great effect recently on America's Got Talent.
I'll leave you with this as an example of how well it can be done
Interestingly one of the techniques we covered in the TPOD show, was used to great effect recently on America's Got Talent.
I'll leave you with this as an example of how well it can be done
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