CHAPTER XVIII.Concluding Observations.
Itnow only remains to give the neophyte a few parting hints of general application. In getting up any trick, even the simplest, the first task of the student should be to carefully read and consider the instructions given, and to make quite certain that he perfectly comprehends their meaning. This being ascertained, the next point will be to see whether the trick involves any principle of sleight-of-hand in which he is not thoroughly proficient; and if it does, to set to work and practise diligently, till the difficulty is conquered. Having thus mastered the elements of the trick, he should next attack it as a whole, and in like manner practise, practise, practise, till from beginning to end he can work each successive step of the process with ease and finish. Having achieved this much, he may perhaps consider that his task is at an end. By no means. Being perfect in the mechanical portion of the illusion, he must now devote himself to its dramatic element, which, as regards the effect upon the spectator, is by far the more important portion. The performer should always bear in mind that he fills the character of a person possessing supernatural powers, and should endeavour, in every word and gesture, to enter into the spirit of his part. As the true actor, playing Hamlet, will endeavour actually tobeHamlet for the time, so thesoi-disantmagician must, in the first place, learn to believe in himself. When he steps upon the stage he should, for the time being, persuade himself that his fictitious power is a reality, and that the wand he holds is not only the emblem, but the actual implement of his power. Every time he pronounces the mystic “Pass!” or touches an object with his wand to effect some pretended transformation,he should force himself to forget the commonplace expedients by which the result is really attained, and to believe that the effect is produced by a genuine magical process. When he goes through the motion of passing a coin from the right hand to the left, he should have imagination enough to persuade himself, for the moment, that the coin has really been transferred as it appears to be. If a performer has sufficient imaginative faculty to do this—if he can so enter into the spirit of his part, as himself to believe in the marvels he professes, he will achieve an almost unlimited mastery over the imaginations of his audience.
As we have already intimated, each individual illusion should have its appropriate words and gestures—in technical language, its “patter,” or “boniment”—carefully arranged and rehearsed, so as to produce the maximum of effect. These are, in truth, the very life of the trick. How much depends onmise en scèneis forcibly illustrated by the account which we quoted in the last chapter from the life of Robert-Houdin, of his exhibition in Algeria of the “Light and Heavy Chest.” We will borrow from the same high authority another illustration, purposely selecting one of the simplest of card tricks, the well-known feat of picking out a chosen card from the pack, placed in a person’s pocket. The trick has already been described in outline, but we will recapitulate its effect in a few words.
The performer offers the pack to a spectator, and requests him to draw a card. (This card may or may not be “forced.”) The card having been drawn and replaced in the pack, the performer makes the pass to bring it to the top, and palms it, immediately handing the pack to be shuffled. If the card was forced, he already knows it; if not, he takes the opportunity to glance at it while the cards are being shuffled. The pack being returned, the drawn card is placed on the top, and the pack placed in the pocket of a second spectator. The performer now announces that he not only already knows the card, but that he is able to pick it out without seeing it from the remainder of the pack, which he does accordingly.
Presented in this barren form, the trick would attract only the most passing notice. We will now proceed to describe it, quoting again from Robert-Houdin, as it should actually be presented.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I shall commence my performance withan experiment which is wholly independent of dexterity. I propose simply to show you the extreme degree of sensibility which may be acquired by the sense of touch. We possess, as you all know, five senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. In the ordinary way, each of these senses enjoys one faculty only; but when the mysterious influences of magic are brought to bear, the case is altered. All five of the senses may be exercised through the instrumentality of one—‘touch,’ for example; so that we can not only touch, but hear, see, smell, and taste with the tips of the fingers. You smile, gentlemen, but I assure you that I am serious; and I venture to think that in a few minutes you will be fully convinced of the reality of the singular fact which I have mentioned.
“Here is a pack of cards. Madam, will you be kind enough to take whichever card you please; hold it for a moment between your hands, so as to impregnate it with the mesmeric influence of your touch, and then replace it in the middle of the pack.
“In order to exclude all possibility of sleight-of-hand, we will now thoroughly shuffle the cards; after which, for still greater certainty, I will show you that the card is neither at top nor bottom, whence you may be persuaded that it is placed just where chance has chosen to put it.” (For the purpose of showing that the card is neither at top nor bottom, it may either be left second from the top after the shuffle, if executed by the performer himself, or being actually placed on the top, the second card may be drawn instead of the first by means of afilage.)
“Will some gentleman now have the kindness to empty his breast-pocket, and allow me to place the pack in it.” (This is done.) “Now that the cards are placed in perfect darkness, I will endeavour, by virtue of that five-fold sensibility of touch which I have just mentioned, to discover, by the aid of my fingers only, the card which this lady drew. To make my task still more difficult, I will undertake to draw the card at such number as you yourselves may choose. What number shall it be?” (We will suppose that the reply is “Seventh.”) “Seventh, be it so. Then six times in succession I must avoid taking the drawn card, and produce it on the seventh occasion only. One, two, three, four, five, six.” (He exhibits six cards one by one, taking them from the bottom of the pack.) “Now to find the lady’s card!Yes, I think I have it. Before taking it out, I will read it with my little finger, which is the cleverest of the five. Yes! It is not a small card; it is not a club, nor a spade, nor yet a diamond. It is the king of ——” (He draws out the card, and places it face downwards.) “Will you be good enough, madam, to finish naming the card before I turn it over, and we shall see whether my little finger has been correct in its assertions.” (The lady names the king of hearts, which the performer forthwith turns up.) “My little finger was right, you see. Will you be good enough, sir, to take the remainder of the cards out of your pocket, and testify that the experiment has really been performed exactly as I have stated.”
The above example will show how, by the exercise of a little tact and ingenuity, a simple piece of parlour magic may be elevated to the dignity of a stage trick. The great secret is the directing of the minds of the audience into such a channel, that thedénouementfor the moment seems to be a natural result of the causes artfully suggested by the performer. This may, to a considerable extent, be effected, as in the example above given, by the language and gesture of the performer in the individual trick; but still more may be done by the artistic grouping of one trick with another, a comparatively simple feat being employed to prepare the minds of the spectators for the greater marvel to follow. Thus, in the recent performances of the Fakir of Oolu, the aërial suspension, which formed the staple of his programme, was preceded by the exhibition of a wooden rod or wand which (by means of certain projecting wire points, so minute as to be imperceptible at a very short distance), was made to defy the laws of gravity by clinging to his finger-tips in various positions without visible support. This minor illusion, being somewhat similar in effect (though wholly different as to the means employed), prepared the minds of the audience to receive the greater marvel of a living woman made to recline in mid-air. In like manner, the trick of the “Flying Money” (seepage172) forms an apt preparation for the introduction of the “Crystal Cash-box” (page487). The series of tricks described under the title of the “Birth of Flowers” (page411), affords another instance of the artistic combination of two or three different tricks in such manner as to enhance the effect of the whole; but, in truth, examples might be multipliedad infinitum. In arranging an entertainment,the performer should continually bear this principle in mind. The programme should consist not of a number of absolutely unconnected tricks, but of a series of ten or a dozengroupsof tricks. As compared with each other, the groups should have as much diversity as possible; but, individually, each should consist of the same or a similar effect repeated in a more and more striking form (though produced by different means), or else of a string of tricks united by some natural sequence, as in the case of the production of the two rabbits from the hat, followed by the rolling of the one into the other, and terminating with the reproduction of the vanished animal in another quarter. In order to make our meaning clearer, we subjoin a specimen working programme, arranged on the principles we have stated.
Programme(for performer’s own use).1. Vanishing gloves (page325). Transformed handkerchief (page246). Handkerchief ultimately found in candle (page249).2. Borrowed half-crown, changed to penny, and back again (page161); made to pass into centre of two oranges in succession (page170). Three more half-crowns borrowed, and all four made to pass invisibly from performer’s hand to goblet at a distance (page200), and finally into crystal cash-box (page487).3. Shower of sweets produced from borrowed handkerchief (page251), followed by bird-cages (page311). Then bowls of gold-fish from shawl (page371).4. Eggs produced from mouth of assistant (page329). Wizard’s omelet (page398). Dove wrapped in paper, and vanished (page452).5. Chosen card picked out of pack placed in a spectator’s pocket (page106). Chosen card caught on sword (page121). The rising cards (page125).6. Borrowed watch, made to bend backwards and forwards (page214). Made to strike the hour as a repeater (page222). Placed in pistol, and fired at target (page220).7. The Chinese rings (page401).8. Rabbits produced from borrowed hat; one rolled into the other, and subsequently found in bran-glass (page452). Multiplying balls and cannon-balls produced from hat (page304).9. Inexhaustible box (page391), producing toys, reticules (page309), and finally Chinese lanterns (page395).
Programme(for performer’s own use).
1. Vanishing gloves (page325). Transformed handkerchief (page246). Handkerchief ultimately found in candle (page249).
2. Borrowed half-crown, changed to penny, and back again (page161); made to pass into centre of two oranges in succession (page170). Three more half-crowns borrowed, and all four made to pass invisibly from performer’s hand to goblet at a distance (page200), and finally into crystal cash-box (page487).
3. Shower of sweets produced from borrowed handkerchief (page251), followed by bird-cages (page311). Then bowls of gold-fish from shawl (page371).
4. Eggs produced from mouth of assistant (page329). Wizard’s omelet (page398). Dove wrapped in paper, and vanished (page452).
5. Chosen card picked out of pack placed in a spectator’s pocket (page106). Chosen card caught on sword (page121). The rising cards (page125).
6. Borrowed watch, made to bend backwards and forwards (page214). Made to strike the hour as a repeater (page222). Placed in pistol, and fired at target (page220).
7. The Chinese rings (page401).
8. Rabbits produced from borrowed hat; one rolled into the other, and subsequently found in bran-glass (page452). Multiplying balls and cannon-balls produced from hat (page304).
9. Inexhaustible box (page391), producing toys, reticules (page309), and finally Chinese lanterns (page395).
The above, with propermise en scène, will be found an ample programme for a two hours’ entertainment. It is hardly necessary to observe that the programme of the same entertainment for distribution among the audience would be of a very different character. This is always drawn up in the vaguest possible terms, so as not to reveal beforehand the actual effect of the different tricks. Thus the tricks in question would be described somewhat asfollows:—
Programme(for distribution).1. The Enchanted Handkerchief.2. The Flying Coins.3. A Succession of Surprises.4. The Fairy Omelet.5. The Cabalistic Cards.6. The Mesmerised Watch.7. The Chinese Rings.8. The Bewitched Hat.9. The Feast of Lanterns.
Programme(for distribution).1. The Enchanted Handkerchief.2. The Flying Coins.3. A Succession of Surprises.4. The Fairy Omelet.5. The Cabalistic Cards.6. The Mesmerised Watch.7. The Chinese Rings.8. The Bewitched Hat.9. The Feast of Lanterns.
Programme(for distribution).
1. The Enchanted Handkerchief.2. The Flying Coins.3. A Succession of Surprises.4. The Fairy Omelet.5. The Cabalistic Cards.6. The Mesmerised Watch.7. The Chinese Rings.8. The Bewitched Hat.9. The Feast of Lanterns.
Between each of the items above-mentioned, there should be an interval of one or two minutes (filled up by music), while the operator leaves the stage, and makes the necessary preparation for the next trick. It will further be found an advantage, where practicable, to divide the entertainment into two parts, with an interval of ten minutes or so between them, the curtain being let down during such interval. The few minutes’ break is always acceptable to the audience (who are apt to become fatigued by too long protracted attention), and is especially valuable to the performer, as enabling him to re-arrange hisservante, removing articles that have served their purpose, and replacing them by such as may be needed for the tricks to come. An overcrowdedservanteis a fertile source of annoyance and failure, as an article accidentally falling from it reveals the existence of a receptacle behind the table, and thereby deprives the performance of half its effect. When a re-arrangement of theservantebetween theparts of the performance is impracticable, it is well, if any tricks involving the production of articles from this quarter are included in the programme, to introduce such tricks as early as possible, so that theservantemay be relieved of such articles, and left clear for its second use of getting rid of articles upon it. We have known a professor, performing the “flying glass of water” trick, and in placing the glass on theservante, knock down a cannon-ball, placed there to be introduced, later on, into a hat. That cannon-ball weighed on the professor’s mind for the rest of the evening, and the performance was practically spoilt.
Having arranged his programme, and the appropriate “patter” for each group of tricks, the performer should conclude his practice by a series of three or four “dress rehearsals,” with an intelligent friend to play the part of audience, and who should be invited to criticise with the utmost freedom. At these rehearsals there should be no “make believe,” but each trick should be worked throughout with the same completeness in every particular with which it is afterwards to be exhibited in public. In the course of these final rehearsals the performer should tax his invention to see what amount of “incidents,” or byplay, he can introduce in the course of the different tricks. Thus at the commencement of his entertainment, the trick of the “Flower in the Button-hole,” or that of the “Vanishing Gloves” may be introduced—not professedly as an item of the programme, but as a little preliminary flourish. Again, if the performer has occasion for an egg or lemon in the course of a trick, it greatly enhances the effect, if instead of having the necessary article brought in by his assistant, he produces it himself from a lady’s muff, or from the whiskers of a male spectator. These little matters, though small in themselves, tend to keep alive the attention of the audience, and to create a sort of magical atmosphere, which will aid materially in disposing the spectators to receive with due respect the occult pretensions of the performer.
With respect to stage arrangements, the professional, performing evening after evening, with full provision of stage appliances, will quickly learn by experience how best to arrange those appliances for the purpose of his entertainment; but the amateur, performing only occasionally, and in places not specially adapted for magical purposes, may be glad of some little practical counsel in this particular.
Fig. 317.
Fig. 317.
We will suppose, for instance, that he is called upon to give a magicalséancein a private drawing-room. The first point is to decide which part of the room is to form the “stage.” Having settled this, the seats for the spectators should be arranged at the opposite end of the room, leaving as wide a space between as can well be obtained, as many “changes,” etc., are effected during the journey from the audience to the table, and the longer this journey is, the more time is available for the necessary manipulations. At the stage end, the “table” will be the principal feature, and either behind or beside this, should be placed a screen of not less than six feet in height, and four or five wide, to serve as “behind the scenes,” and to afford the cover necessary for the various preparations. Supposing a regular screen is not available, one must be extemporized. A large clothes-horse, with a curtain thrown over it, will answer the purpose very well. If, however, the drawing-room be of the regular London fashion,i.e., consisting of a large front and a small back room, connected by folding doors, the screen may be dispensed with, and the rooms arranged as inFig. 317, which represents a ground plan of two such rooms, with the adjoining staircase and landing. The larger room, A, will form the auditorium, and the smaller, B, the stage;aandbrepresenting the doors leading to thelanding, andc cthe folding doors between the two rooms. The folding doors (which act as curtain) being first closed, the spectators are marshalled into A, and requested to take their seats, and the doorbis then closed, to remain so throughout the entertainment. The room B is arranged as follows:—The “table”dis placed in the centre, towards the back, with itsservanteproperly arranged. This may either stand alone, or may be supplemented by a couple of side tables,e e. An ordinary table,f, should be placed outside the door, and upon this will be laid in due order the various pieces of apparatus and other articles which will be required in the course of the entertainment. A working programme should be kept on this table for the use of the performer and his assistant, with a note of the articles required for the purpose of each trick. This will enable them to have everything ready at the right moment, without delay or confusion. The doorashould be kept open, so that the assistant, from his place by the tablef, can instantly see and hear what is wanted.
When the performer has made his bow to his audience, there are still one or two little points that he will do well to bear in mind. They may be summarized asfollows:—
1.Don’t be nervous.(The reader may possibly consider that this is a matter in which he has no choice; but nothing could be a greater mistake.) A little diffidence is excusable on the first presentation of a new programme, but never afterwards.
2.Take your time.Deliver yourbonimentlike an actor playing his part, and not like a school-boy repeating his lesson. Further, give your audience time to see and appreciate your movements. Young performers are very apt to exhibit the second phase of a transformation without having sufficiently indicated the first to the spectators. The change of, say, an orange to an apple, falls decidedly flat if nobody noticed that the article was an orange in the first instance.
3.Don’t make any parade of dexterity, and don’t affect any unusual quickness in your movements.If you are about to vanish a coin, don’t play shuttlecock with it from hand to hand as a preliminary; but make the necessary “pass” as quietly and deliberately as you possibly can. Don’t talk about “the quickness of the hand deceiving the eye,” and still less do anything to support such an idea. The perfection of conjuring lies in thears artem celandi—in sendingaway the spectators persuaded that sleight-of-hand has not been employed at all, and unable to suggestanysolution of the wonders they have seen.
4.Don’t force yourself to be funny.If you are naturally humorous, so much the better; but in any case perform in your natural character.
5.Avoid personalities.We except the case of the often recurring nuisance, the gentleman who professes to know how everything is done, and whose special endeavour it is to embarrass the performer. When you can make a person of this kind look like a fool (by no means a difficult task) by all means do so.
6.Never plead guilty to a failure.Keep your wits about you, and if anything goes wrong, try to save your credit by bringing the trick to some sort of a conclusion, even though it be a comparatively weak one. If you are so unfortunate as to experience a complete and unmistakeable break-down, smile cheerfully, and ascribe thefiascoto the moon being in a wrong quarter, to a little misunderstanding between two of your “controlling spirits,” or any other burlesque reason, so long as it be sufficiently remote from the true one.
Bearing in mind these parting counsels, and thus armed against failure as well as prepared for success, you may safely ring up the curtain, and begin to “witch the world” with the marvels and mysteries of
MODERN MAGIC.