Magic and Theater

Four Suits is all about using magic as a tool in theater, but there is a question that keeps coming up in our work and discussions, which is this: when combining magic and theater does one necessarily have to be placed first, and the other (at times) compromised? Can you have great magic and great theater, or must you content yourself with great magic and good theater, or vice versa? Honestly, I go back and forth on this. Structurally and theoretically there certainly are conflicts, and while sometimes they seem like they can reasonably be solved with better writing or effect selection, sometimes they can feel intractable. Things like: making sure that the inclusion of an effect doesn’t break the tension of flow of the story, making sure the effect fits the character and the world, making any necessary “proving actions” (showing the box really is empty, etc) or other procedure feel natural, ensuring the patter or dialogue for an effect doesn’t force actors out of character an into magic narrator mode.

Then there are examples to be looked to. On the magic side someone could look at Derek DelGaudio’s show and wonder if the emotion or the magic would have been stronger without the inclusions (or emphasis on) the other side. Or at a production like the one of The Tempest that Teller worked on, and wonder where the line between stage illusion and simple production effect (like flying wires in Peter Pan) lies.

Then there is the question of, if a compromise must be made, which side do you prioritize, the magic or the theater? And again, there is no universal answer, but I think this question more so than any other helps magicians learn what it is they are really trying to get at when they perform. People who make these trade-offs need to know what their shows can and can’t be, and what they are and aren’t going to be, given those limitations.

Anyway, when I find the magic formula for combining the two I’ll let you know. Until then, drop us a line if you find a fusion of theater and magic that you particularly like, or that you think falls short.

-Z.Y.