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.It is surprising what a small space you can press ahuman being into.The amount can only be found by actual experiment in thebox, or whatever it is to be used.It is always a great point to have theapparatus as small as possible--anyone can perform an illusion with afour-poster bedstead on the stage, but it is more difficult with a baby's crib.A close-fitting apparatus has one disadvantage, however: it is very warmquarters for the assistant, who must keep his wits about him and not look uponwine when it is red.I remember in an illusion called "Squelch" (which afterwards I sold to JulianWylie for a pantomime at the Hippodrome) a man was apparently put througha mangle and from thence projected through a glass tube, and, having beenseen by the audience to be in an elongated state, entered a box at the other endof the tube and sprang up from that none the worse.In this illusion I used a double of the man who was in the box the whole time,though this box was shown apparently empty to the audience.One night, atthe critical moment, the man dropped from the back of the box; he had had aglass or two before the performance, and this had caused him to lose hisbalance, so spoiling my effect.On another occasion an assistant, slightly intoxicated, went fast asleep in abox he had been tied up in, and, of course, did not escape when he shouldhave done.When we eventually opened the box in the ordinary manner, hewas so tightly wedged into it that we were unable to pull him out, and he wastoo befuddled to help us.I passed the incident off on this occasion bypretending the man was ill and appealing to any doctor in the audience tocome up on the stage.He never had the chance of getting into that box again.The work at the Egyptian Hall was very much to my liking, and my wife, whoplayed the part of the girl in the picture and in other sketches, also liked itmuch better than travelling, though it was hard work with two performancesevery day, and private performances to boot.I gave about a third of theperformance at the Egyptian Hall, and some of the private performances lastedan hour.At times I have given as many as eight performances in one day: two at theEgyptian Hall; one at the Albert Hall (this was for Dr.Barnardo's Homes,where I did giant hand-shadows); two parties, an hour each; one afterbanquetperformance of a quarter of an hour; and two "smokers" of similar duration.It was very difficult sometimes to be punctual at all these performances,especially as on one occasion at a children's party, after I had made a magicalhttp://thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/magiclf/05.html (4 of 6) [4/23/2002 3:41:30 PM] *** My Magic Life-Chapter 5 ***distribution, the children got so excited that they seized upon myhandkerchiefs, flags, and other things I had been using in the tricks, and alsocarried a couple of rabbits away.I had to chase them about the house toretrieve them, as I was using them at the Egyptian Hall the same night.Afterthat experience I always had a duplicate set at the Hall.I believe Mr.Maskelyne was the first to introduce the magical sketch orplaylet.His plan was to take two or three illusions, or even one, and weavethem into a sketch with three or four characters.This is a very entertainingway of showing illusions, but somehow it is difficult to make themconvincing.It is so hard to find a plausible cause for the effect: either thedrama kills the illusion or the illusion kills the drama.Probably the bestmagical play ever written was "The Brass Bottle", by F.A.Anstey, while"Aladdin's Lamp" was probably the first of all magical plays.At the Egyptian Hall two of these magical sketches were preceded byconjuring, and generally there was an interlude of musical sketches at thepiano.Mel.B.Spurr was a genius at the piano sketch, and one of his mostsuccessful songs was "The Tin Gee-gee".Many people thought he ranked withGeorge Grossmith and Corney Grain as an artist.Certainly he wasextraordinarily prolific in his writing of songs and recitations, and he had alarge and entertaining repertoire, which also included several zither solos.Our little company at the Hall included J.B.Hansard, a very funny Irishcomedian, Mr.and Mrs.Elton, Mr.Nevil Maskelyne, Mr.G.A.Cooke, andMr.John Nevil Maskelyne himself.Mr.Cramner presided at the piano andorgan [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.It is surprising what a small space you can press ahuman being into.The amount can only be found by actual experiment in thebox, or whatever it is to be used.It is always a great point to have theapparatus as small as possible--anyone can perform an illusion with afour-poster bedstead on the stage, but it is more difficult with a baby's crib.A close-fitting apparatus has one disadvantage, however: it is very warmquarters for the assistant, who must keep his wits about him and not look uponwine when it is red.I remember in an illusion called "Squelch" (which afterwards I sold to JulianWylie for a pantomime at the Hippodrome) a man was apparently put througha mangle and from thence projected through a glass tube, and, having beenseen by the audience to be in an elongated state, entered a box at the other endof the tube and sprang up from that none the worse.In this illusion I used a double of the man who was in the box the whole time,though this box was shown apparently empty to the audience.One night, atthe critical moment, the man dropped from the back of the box; he had had aglass or two before the performance, and this had caused him to lose hisbalance, so spoiling my effect.On another occasion an assistant, slightly intoxicated, went fast asleep in abox he had been tied up in, and, of course, did not escape when he shouldhave done.When we eventually opened the box in the ordinary manner, hewas so tightly wedged into it that we were unable to pull him out, and he wastoo befuddled to help us.I passed the incident off on this occasion bypretending the man was ill and appealing to any doctor in the audience tocome up on the stage.He never had the chance of getting into that box again.The work at the Egyptian Hall was very much to my liking, and my wife, whoplayed the part of the girl in the picture and in other sketches, also liked itmuch better than travelling, though it was hard work with two performancesevery day, and private performances to boot.I gave about a third of theperformance at the Egyptian Hall, and some of the private performances lastedan hour.At times I have given as many as eight performances in one day: two at theEgyptian Hall; one at the Albert Hall (this was for Dr.Barnardo's Homes,where I did giant hand-shadows); two parties, an hour each; one afterbanquetperformance of a quarter of an hour; and two "smokers" of similar duration.It was very difficult sometimes to be punctual at all these performances,especially as on one occasion at a children's party, after I had made a magicalhttp://thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/magiclf/05.html (4 of 6) [4/23/2002 3:41:30 PM] *** My Magic Life-Chapter 5 ***distribution, the children got so excited that they seized upon myhandkerchiefs, flags, and other things I had been using in the tricks, and alsocarried a couple of rabbits away.I had to chase them about the house toretrieve them, as I was using them at the Egyptian Hall the same night.Afterthat experience I always had a duplicate set at the Hall.I believe Mr.Maskelyne was the first to introduce the magical sketch orplaylet.His plan was to take two or three illusions, or even one, and weavethem into a sketch with three or four characters.This is a very entertainingway of showing illusions, but somehow it is difficult to make themconvincing.It is so hard to find a plausible cause for the effect: either thedrama kills the illusion or the illusion kills the drama.Probably the bestmagical play ever written was "The Brass Bottle", by F.A.Anstey, while"Aladdin's Lamp" was probably the first of all magical plays.At the Egyptian Hall two of these magical sketches were preceded byconjuring, and generally there was an interlude of musical sketches at thepiano.Mel.B.Spurr was a genius at the piano sketch, and one of his mostsuccessful songs was "The Tin Gee-gee".Many people thought he ranked withGeorge Grossmith and Corney Grain as an artist.Certainly he wasextraordinarily prolific in his writing of songs and recitations, and he had alarge and entertaining repertoire, which also included several zither solos.Our little company at the Hall included J.B.Hansard, a very funny Irishcomedian, Mr.and Mrs.Elton, Mr.Nevil Maskelyne, Mr.G.A.Cooke, andMr.John Nevil Maskelyne himself.Mr.Cramner presided at the piano andorgan [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]