I do these online consultancy calls with corporate magicians. I love the variety; every performer brings with them their own sensibility and a totally different market. Each one ends up with their own bespoke acts and shows.
Some conversations do get repeated. One that I end up having most often concerns the idea of the perfect opening trick.
It seems odd to say this, but why is there not a trick that is universally accepted to be the perfect opener for magicians? We're all in agreement about which tricks are great closers, it seems, but openers – the answer is less clear.
The Goal Of An Opener
A lot of people assume an opener needs to say a lot about who you are as a performer. In many ways, I couldn't agree less. You can do that with trick number two – for me, there's something more important to do first than introducing who you are as a person.
Make them feel okay, put them at ease, trust you, let them realize that they're in safe hands, and get them to commit to enjoying the show.
I've written before about how Luis de Matos once told me to think of an opening trick as your "Lion King" moment—a chance for you, as he says the Lion King musical does, to give your audience their money's worth in the first five minutes. I like this way of thinking, but I'm not sure you need to go so big.
