Mistakes a Table Magician can make when performing magic

Performing close up magic well is very hard to do particularly when working as a table magician. Many things can interfere with the performance due to the hustle and bustle of dinner service. Given that a magician has many tables to cover in a short period of time the process can seem very daunting.

One mistake I often see a table magician make is trying to perform when people are physically eating. This is a grave error which can make the difference between a set being well received and going completely unnoticed.

Due to our genetics food is impossible to ignore. The caveman did not wait to eat as the food could so easily be stolen by another. That innate need to eat overrides almost anything and even though people wish to be polite the temptation can be too great.

So how does the table magician in London avoid playing to guests who are eating? Well this all comes down to watching the room and working out which tables are most likely to be free at any one time. Generally food being served is worse than plates being cleared but both should be avoided if possible

Most table magician in London are eager to please and want to be seen to work, and consequently want to keep working during their allotted time. This cannot be achieved if guests who are eating are left alone.

This problem rarely occurs for long and although most magicians take a break during main course, the rest of the evening should provide work. The only time a real problem occurs is when every guest is served at the same time by waiters dedicated to each table. On these occasions one just has to get on with it however unsatisfactory that may be.

Magicians Never Reveal Their Secrets, why?

Most people are aware that magician in London never reveal their secrets but often people don’t know why.

It is often assumed that if a magician does explain how a trick is done that the genie is out of the bottle never to return. This is not the case! When the masked magician was at his most popular many of the people I performed for were watching it. What I found strange was that even if they had seen the effect on the programme the weekend before, they were still baffled by seeing it performed under their noses.

Some magicians are protective of ideas and methods and feel that one little slip will ruin their careers for ever but most have it in perspective. People tend to remember what interests them most and although people take a passing interest in magic, they also have interests of their own. So even if for example a close up magician in London explains something to them they forget it in time.

The main problem with magical exposure is not that the secret is out and the mystery is gone forever. The main problem that faces magicians when tricks are exposed is the disappointment. Often a close up magician performing the simplest trick produces the best effect. The magician wants to achieve an illusion with the easiest of methods, the layman does not. The layman wants the method to me elaborate and when they find the solution is simple they are disappointed.