P.T. Barnum

“There’s a sucker born every minute.” — David Hannum (though often misattributed to P.T. Barnum)

Many times, when I watch other magicians perform, I wonder if they don’t hold a rather dim view of their spectators. The manner in which they treat their audience members makes me suspect that these magicians view their audience members (the very people who have paid money and taken the time to see their show) as suckers.

True, we do fool people with our magic, but this is not the same as making fools of them. When magic truly works, it is because our audience members allow themselves to believe. They chose to be astonished and to experience the wonder of the inexplicable. We need to understand that they are active participants in our theatrical endeavor; they are not suckers.

Magicians would be better served if they listened to P.T. Barnum (to whom the above quote is most often misattributed; read the fascinating story here.) When one reads legitimate Barnum quotations, we see that he had tremendous respect for those who came to his circuses, and he worked mightily to see that everyone got good value for their money.

“A circus should have something for everyone,” is one Barnum quotation that magicians could learn from.

To begin with, although magicians enjoy confronting puzzles and sussing out solutions to mysteries, many people do not enjoy such challenges. And yet many magicians will write shows that include nothing but one brain-buster after another. My goal in scripting a show is to have elements that are puzzling, elements that are funny, elements where I equalize the status between myself and the audience, and elements where I inspire people.

After the show, some people will thank me for the inspirational message, other will offer their theories on how a bit of magic was accomplished, and still others will talk about how much fun they had laughing.

I’ve learned a lot from listening to (or watching) live stage shows of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and Barbara Streisand. Naturally, they sing their latest hits, but they also parody their own songs, tell jokes and personal anecdotes, offer biographical stories, and crusade for serious causes. And in the end, they offer “something for everyone.”

Today’s magician would benefit from studying the ideas of P.T. Barnum, and eschewing those of David Hannum.