The Adequate Blog

Here’s something I get asked a lot

Do you do birthday parties / kid shows / school shows?

This may come as a shock, but no, no I don’t.

“Magician” has been equated with “children’s entertainer” for about 50 years or so, probably coinciding with the last of the touring Big Magic Shows - Blackstone, Willard and the like. Oddly enough, this also coincides with when TV started running Warner Brothers cartoons - written for an adult movie-going audience - as morning entertainment for kids.

Magic, like comedy, can be aimed at a young audience. There are plenty of very talented magicians who perform “family entertainment” (read: kid’s shows*). I’m not one of them.

My act is family-friendly … I don’t work “blue” or use much adult humor. Working Renaissance Faires gets one attuned to the idea of using layered humor if you pay attention** - but my show mixes slapstick and, apparently, startlingly high end references. Not too many kid show magicians reference “The Platonic Ideal” in their shows, yes?

So no, I don’t do kid’s shows. I do shows where kids might come and watch, but my act is geared toward anyone who can think and laugh at the same time.

… that sounds really conceited of me, doesn’t it?

* What’s the difference between a “Kidshow Magician” and a “Family Entertainer”? About $200 - Jeff McBride 

** If you don’t pay attention, you just learn to shout a lot and use archaic language to talk about naughty things.

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