Magic and Audiences
Last night I was lucky enough to see a stage performance of Riverdance in Plymouth and tonight in a hotel room in London preparing for a couple of engagements in the capital, I have been refelcting upon the show.
It was exquisite.
Apart from the dance, the music and the production values what struck me was the way the whole show was structured… its pace; the show flow; the way each sequence built on the previous one and led to a well deserved and sustained standing ovation.
When was the last time a magic show generated such a repeatable and sustained emotional response?
Riverdance, complete with its cross-cultural subtexts, is a performance which engages spectators on a visceral as well as intellectual level.
The audience is carried along by the energy of the performances and the drive of the music…. and fully involved with the story that is being told.
They can identify with the sentiment and reflect upon its relevance to their lives. They are moved… emotionally and physically.
So can we as magicians rise to the challenge and deliver the same ‘magic’ which shows such as this creates.
Alan
