Allegory
Using magic as allegory is a tricky but rewarding scripting technique that requires a strong sense of showmanship and a lot of creativity. It’s not enough to say, “The coin represents this, and the bottle represents that.” You have to create meaning.
Allegory is an extremely powerful literary tool that also carries over into the performance arts. Shock rocker Alice Cooper was notorious for his elaborate and theatrical stage shows. At the end of the concert, costumed roadies would restrain him and execute him (all based on illusion technology, fyi) as a morality play. Alice played the boogeyman throughout the concert, and now it was time to face justice.
Heavy metal vocalist King Diamond (of Mercyful Fate and his own solo work) said of Alice that he seemed unreal, a ghostly entity that could only exist on stage and if you touched him he would vanish like a mirage. Obviously he was doing something right.
Here Then There – Using the Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts, the magician recreates the dramatic ending of A Tale of Two Cities and the decision of Sydney Carton to save the life Charles Darnay. “It is a far, far better thing I do…”
Caleb Strange covers this subject to an extent in his book The Garden of the Strange. Many of the effects are laced with deeper meaning and powerful emotional resonance. This is the great challenge of allegorical scripting, but it also holds incredible potential for a canny and clever showman.
There are many ways to approach this. The morality play is a popular topic, as described above. Most people you meet do want to do good in the world, and they want an affirmation of this. They want to see good prevail and vanquish evil.
There are also cautionary tales. The Greek tragedy, the Neo-Gothic thriller, and other similar stories illustrate the dangers of the dark side of the human condition. These are less popular than 2-dimensional morality plays, but still resonate with a mature crowd that can take in and learn from these works.
The meaning really is completely up to you, but you have to tread a delicate line between being poetic and being preachy. People love to buy, but they hate to be sold. You need a delicate touch, and you need subtlety.
Color Changing Knives – The magician shows a white knife and speaks of a man who was corrupted. The knife turns to black and the blade is rusted and tarnished. A freedom fighter came forward and defeated him, vanquishing his evil. Another white knife is closed in the fist with the black knife and when opened, they’re both white. One of the knives is vanished. “However, he who hunts monsters must be careful that he does not become a monster himself. Is it possible to fight corruption without becoming corrupt?” The audience is left to ponder as the knife changes to black like the first one, then back to white.
The important thing here is that the symbolism of the effect needs to be understated. This works best when you’re subtle. And most importantly, this goes back to the rule of storytelling we discussed in comedy. Don’t spend 99% of the performance talking and then finish with an effect that takes all of 5 seconds. This is why most bizarre magic never gets performed. No one’s going to sit through something like that.
Pacing is key, and you have to practice heavily in order to keep the rhythm. Even if you’ve come to the conclusion that there needs to be a section of talking that goes on a while, find some way to spice it up and integrate the props you’ll be using (if any). Interaction is what moves the story from monologue to actual performance. Not even my incredibly sexy voice can carry a Hamlet soliloquy when I’m supposed to be doing magic. It’s a delicate balancing act that you have to learn through experience.
Using magic as allegory is a tricky but rewarding scripting technique that requires a strong sense of showmanship and a lot of creativity. It’s not enough to say, “The coin represents this, and the bottle represents that.” You have to create meaning.
Allegory is an extremely powerful literary tool that also carries over into the performance arts. Shock rocker Alice Cooper was notorious for his elaborate and theatrical stage shows. At the end of the concert, costumed roadies would restrain him and execute him (all based on illusion technology, fyi) as a morality play. Alice played the boogeyman throughout the concert, and now it was time to face justice.
Heavy metal vocalist King Diamond (of Mercyful Fate and his own solo work) said of Alice that he seemed unreal, a ghostly entity that could only exist on stage and if you touched him he would vanish like a mirage. Obviously he was doing something right.
Here Then There – Using the Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts, the magician recreates the dramatic ending of A Tale of Two Cities and the decision of Sydney Carton to save the life Charles Darnay. “It is a far, far better thing I do…”
Caleb Strange covers this subject to an extent in his book The Garden of the Strange. Many of the effects are laced with deeper meaning and powerful emotional resonance. This is the great challenge of allegorical scripting, but it also holds incredible potential for a canny and clever showman.
There are many ways to approach this. The morality play is a popular topic, as described above. Most people you meet do want to do good in the world, and they want an affirmation of this. They want to see good prevail and vanquish evil.
There are also cautionary tales. The Greek tragedy, the Neo-Gothic thriller, and other similar stories illustrate the dangers of the dark side of the human condition. These are less popular than 2-dimensional morality plays, but still resonate with a mature crowd that can take in and learn from these works.
The meaning really is completely up to you, but you have to tread a delicate line between being poetic and being preachy. People love to buy, but they hate to be sold. You need a delicate touch, and you need subtlety.
Color Changing Knives – The magician shows a white knife and speaks of a man who was corrupted. The knife turns to black and the blade is rusted and tarnished. A freedom fighter came forward and defeated him, vanquishing his evil. Another white knife is closed in the fist with the black knife and when opened, they’re both white. One of the knives is vanished. “However, he who hunts monsters must be careful that he does not become a monster himself. Is it possible to fight corruption without becoming corrupt?” The audience is left to ponder as the knife changes to black like the first one, then back to white.
The important thing here is that the symbolism of the effect needs to be understated. This works best when you’re subtle. And most importantly, this goes back to the rule of storytelling we discussed in comedy. Don’t spend 99% of the performance talking and then finish with an effect that takes all of 5 seconds. This is why most bizarre magic never gets performed. No one’s going to sit through something like that.
Pacing is key, and you have to practice heavily in order to keep the rhythm. Even if you’ve come to the conclusion that there needs to be a section of talking that goes on a while, find some way to spice it up and integrate the props you’ll be using (if any). Interaction is what moves the story from monologue to actual performance. Not even my incredibly sexy voice can carry a Hamlet soliloquy when I’m supposed to be doing magic. It’s a delicate balancing act that you have to learn through experience.
