Magic Tricks

This isn't quite as impromptu as I would have hoped. But wow, it can be a miracle...some of the time.

Yes, you can use found objects in a restaurant, coffee bar, stuff in your spectator's pocket/purse. But there is that tiny, necessary setup, too. How you gather your random objects while also drawing in the setup isn't covered. I can certainly work it out on my own, but it would have been nice to hear Mr. Carey's experience in this. Perhaps your simplest bet is to walk around with your 8 objects ready to perform, so that no attention is drawn to your setup. But then this is not impromptu.

This could be a miracle, yes, but it also could become very routine-y. So much so that your audience begins to feel "something's going on here...I'm being duped..." Your job as a performer is to make the routine seem natural, to roll with whatever happens.

Personally, I love this kind of challenge, it really helps me connect with the spectator. But you have to ask yourself how comfortable you are handling randomness. (You can't ever show that something random throws you off.) Each step of the routine actually IS random, which is a big plus, if you can maximize it to your advantage. It all comes down to your presentation. Mr. Carey's video has three full performances, which help a lot.

Bottom line: This is not quite as impromptu as I would have hoped, and the "wow" factor for your audience will vary from performance to performance. That said, I really like this, and I'll certainly be performing it — quite a lot. I think if you are new to magic and are interested in mentalism, learning this routine will open up a lot of doors for your understanding of how many such routines work.