#magikel

Let’s cap off Escapology month with a doozy of an escape, known as the Crate Escape, and show a version performed by Cyril Takayama. Why is this particular escape very appealing? Well, it’s rather simple, really, because escaping from a packing crate after it has been shut down is quite a challenging situation. Now, if you wanted to demonstrate your skill at lockpicking from the inside, it would be interesting if they used some padlocks to slam you inside the box. On the other hand, if you just really wanted to show off how good you are, you can have the whole thing actually nailed shut. The challenge level is further enhanced the minute you have to escape either while suspended from a burning rope in mid-air, or while you’re tossed into the water. There are many different options when it comes to that, but ultimately, whether you choose to put yourself at risk in this manner, or merely shut yourself behind a curtain and attempt to escape from behind the curtain, this is a particularly powerful and popular escape act that – believe it or not – wouldn’t cost you that much. It’s rather economical to have a packing crate constructed for your needs, or to simply ask for one from a shipping yard, if needed be. Ultimately, you’re not really restricted from doing such a thing, and that’s definitely going to work to your advantage, to be performing something that plays to a really big crowd for the fraction of the cost of a brand-new full-scale illusion. A simple packing crate that will more likely than not support your full weight is sufficient as a finale, especially when it’s coupled with other challenging items to escape from, such as ropes, handcuffs, or a straightjacket, if needed be. As the month of April will be welcomed by none other than Penn and Teller, it would probably be good to note this early that they have a particularly humorous albeit sadistic take on the crate escape, and you’ll like that version if I ever manage to find the video online. March is over and done with, and April Fool’s will be coming tomorrow, but rest assured that the art of escapology will continue to be acknowledged as simply one of the most challenging, at times dangerous, and downright stupefying aspects of magic. That it requires a lot of skill and less of trickery is a great thing, and that there is no need to deal with sceptics and the likes when it comes to the rudiments of escapology is also a plus for the sensitive performer. 

If I ever had the chance to be a part of a permanent duo act, I wanna be Teller! There's just something so cool about not having to say a single word and yet holding the audience in the palm of your hands with your riveting performance. These two are among my personal heroes in magic and mentalism, and though this piece was originally written two years ago, my sentiments about Penn and Teller have hardly changed. I still hold them in very high regard, and I believe that they really put magic at a different level that is both low-brow and high-minded at the same time.

It’s hard to go through a list of funny magicians without talking about one Mel Mellers, who has certainly become one of my favourite comedy magicians of all time, thanks to his insult theatre style of comedy, which tends to work well if you have the personality to carry yourself through it. Mel isn’t that well known outside of Britain, and even then, he’s relatively anonymous when compared to the likes of Paul Daniels or Derren Brown. Nonetheless, Mr. Mellers has made a name for himself in the corporate circles, especially in cruise ships, utilizing a wide variety of different routines to make the audiences laugh and gasp in delight at the same time. What is very deceptive about Mel Mellers is that despite being a comedy magician, his mastery of sleights is nothing to scoff at, and anyone who catches his first DVD entitled “Tickling The Mind” would realize this once you see him perform his version of the Miser’s Dream. The thing that makes his version extremely better than the standard performance would have to be his personal handling of the routine, which you simply don’t see from other performers. He uses a cleaner, although more physically demanding handling, but all in all, this simply lends to a more awe-inspiring routine that’s funny and fast-paced and very clean to look at. While he is well-known for his comedic stylings and his simple yet clean magic routines, Mel Mellers is also pretty popular for doing bits and pieces of mentalism during his show, and really stumping people when he performs those routines. He’s versatile, he’s witty, he’s incredibly incorrigible, and while nobody could say I’m trying to be exactly like him, I can’t help but point out that he has had quite an influence on my performing style, especially when I work on my own, and I can’t go and do a full-blown Penn Jilette character since I don’t have a Teller to antagonize. Mel Mellers may not have an elaborate biography to his name, but it would do good for any budding comedy-magician to take a few pointers from him, especially with his comedic timing, which really comes to the fore when he does his own version of the Card Improv routine. This particular routine only underscores how good he really is with controlling his audience and having them eat out of the palm of his hand. That’s the kind of performer I hope to establish myself as, and with Mel’s style being perfectly suited for hosting in an informal setting, I’ve certainly incorporated his approach even there as well.

Some people might object to the fact that I pegged Bill Malone in the world of comedy magic, but while he may not be famous entirely for being funny, he still is, and it’s testament to how good he is that in certain circles, he’s more known for his skill than his ability to make people laugh, considering how hilarious he can actually be. However, make no mistake about it: the man bills himself “The CEO of Comedy Magic,” so there is no denying that comedy is a big part of Bill’s schtick at endearing audiences to him, as the case has been for years. He’s performed a wide variety of routines, but he’s generally known for being an excellent card magician who can do the most amazing sleights with little effort in the middle of his rapid-fire patter. Anyone who has ever seen him perform “Sam The Bellhop” would probably be very impressed by how silky smooth and flawless his performance is when you watch how quickly he does all those shuffles and cuts, yet he still manages to pull off his card story as though he somehow knew where every card he needed to do the story right would happen to be in the deck after all those shuffles and cuts and various other moves that he did all throughout. I’m not intimately familiar with Bill’s work beyond what we’ve seen from his L and L videos, but I must say that what little I’ve seen of his work has been nothing short of impressive, considering how funny he is, yet never utilizing comedy as merely a crutch to mask deficient magic skills, since the man is highly skilled and highly talented in that department as well. I’m not really sure if his bar, Malone’s Magic Bar, is still open, but considering his resume as a performer and his business savvy, one would do well to watch Bill’s material in hopes of learning exactly what makes the man tick. He’s funny, he’s remarkably skilled, and he knows how to parlay all of that into a successful career in magic.

So, by special request, I was supposed to include Jay Sankey in this month’s comedy magic theme, and quite frankly, I’m still wondering why I’m supposed to. If I recall correctly, you actually have to be funny to be considered a comedy magician, and I really just don’t find Sankey funny at all. It’s like he stole Jim Carrey’s hammy schtick and removed all the good parts. Needless to say, I’m not a big fan. Still, let’s give credit where credit is due. As a creator, Sankey is very prolific. He has done a lot of different routines, handlings, and variations over the years, and nobody can deny that he has had an extensive contribution to the magic industry at large with all the things he has done. For about three decades, the man has certainly given a lot to the art, with his multiple ideas, revolutionary concepts, and most especially his coin magic. At some point in his career, according to Genii Magazine, Sankey began experimenting with standup comedy, and this has allowed him to meet some moderate success in that particular facet of the industry. While I would readily admit that I haven’t seen any of his pure standup material, I am evaluating Sankey mainly for his comedy magic, and no matter how funny he may or may not actually be in pure standup, what he demonstrates in his magic videos certainly leaves a lot to be desired in the way of comedy. Given that, let’s talk about what he’s really good at: coins. Sankey is known for being one of the best coin magicians of his generation, and younger magicians tend to think of him as a younger, zanier, David Roth. Some purists may scoff and cry sacrilege, but Jay’s sleights and ideas have been nothing short of revolutionary, and just watching the seminal “Revolutionary Coin Magic” DVD should give you a good idea what the man is capable of. Does he have great routines? Yes. Do I wish he stopped overacting and getting in the way of his great routines? YES. The drawback with Sankey is that as prolific as he is, a lot of the time, he just keeps repeating himself. Over at the Magic Cafe, when Richard Osterlind joked that maybe he should just come out with one good effect and a bunch of mediocre ones on his next DVD, some rascal commented, “if you did that, you might get confused with Jay Sankey.” There are gems in any given Sankey compilation, but in all honesty, you have to look hard. He’s good, he’s skilled, but he seems to be a lousy teacher. For anyone who wishes to learn magic, I’d rather have someone who is not as skilled but nowhere nearly as distracting. I can think of quite a few examples, and even some who are even more skilled than Sankey and better at teaching routines. Man, I didn’t really intend to slag on Mr. Sankey. The man is a very successful magician, having established his own company, Sankey Magic. I suppose it all boils down to a matter of personal taste, and most laymen I know tend to be turned off by Sankey’s antics. As I consider myself more of a layman than a fellow magician when I watch a contemporary perform, I can see where that is coming from.

No further explanation needed?

The Rocky Racoon is one of the best items a comedy magician could have, assuming they like physical, visual comedy, and are willing to write something funny and different for their script. The Racoon being one of the most popular comedy magic routines out there is the best and worst thing about it, because chances are, if someone has seen it before, if you did it for them, you’d be repeating 90% of the same material they’ve heard before. Nonetheless, Rocky Racoon is a very powerful routine for comedy magic, as it combines a lot of elements we’ve come to escape from the genre, and the fact that there are expectations within the routine itself that we can play with tends to open doors for creativity and new, refreshing approaches to a classic of comedy magic. I think any comedy magician worth their salt has probably, at some point, engaged in a routine involving Rocky Raccoon or a similar non-living object that is brought vividly to life by the wit, the imagination, and the skill of the performer. It catches people’s attention, and with proper handling, it does make the average spectator do a double-take because the best handlers of Rocky tend to make him appear incredibly lifelike. I love this routine a lot, and with a wide variety of Rocky Raccoon variants available, it’s a perfect gateway into working with a “partner”, akin to how ventriloquists work with their puppets.

I don’t think this one needs much explanation beyond the video, really. You’ve seen the crate escape during escapology month, and it’s definitely one of the best escapes of all time. This video, taken from the TV special “Finding Houdini”, was Penn and Teller’s very irreverent take on the classic, complete with black humor that just never fails to shock the audience before they laugh tentatively as a helpless man is sent to his apparent doom by the dastardly duo of Penn and Teller. See, this is good comedy. It was the last thing you expected in the middle of them supposedly doing a tribute to Harry Houdini, and their deadpan reactions throughout the whole thing, as if it were perfectly normal what they were doing, is what really sold the whole routine. I’m hard-pressed to find actual magic in this particular act, but I have to say that it was worth a laugh seeing people’s faces as the routine just unfolded from what was supposed to be a simple escapology act.