This is not my typical magic book to read as I have always struggled with the idea of a comedy magician. (Aside: I also have a struggle with magicians who bill themselves as motivational speakers but that’s best left for another day.) I believe that magic is inherently funny – weird and unusual things happen and one’s natural reaction is to laugh. Adding in gags and jokes muddies the magic. Don’t get me wrong as I love seeing Mac King and David Williamson perform. The magic is amazing and they make me laugh. However other comedy magicians only trigger a smile or chuckle on a good day. This might be just me as your mileage may vary.
Michael Misko’s Comedy, Character & Control: Turning Tricks into Laughs and Presence into Power is a brief dive into the experience of a full time professional. Like many full time professional magicians, we never hear about them as they’re too busy working to hang out. My reason for reading this book is that is that when a full time professional speaks, I listen as they’ll share advice and pointers that will save you time and effort.
Over the course of ten chapters and about 115 pages, Misko shares his thoughts and experiences on character development, adding production value to your performances, finding moments of laughter in your show, and ways of increasing your impact. In between he drops little tips like:
- Audiences are a lot smarter than the credit we often give them. They have collective powers of inductive reasoning and can solve problems very quickly.
- Treat your audience with kindness and you’ll be rewarded.
- Dissect your magic and look for ways to keep the audience on the edge of their seat for longer – give them moments to release and laugh – but utilize those moments to heighten their anticipation.
There’s only one magic effect in the book and it’s really not a whole effect. Misko shares his lessons learned with the bill to orange. Not a lemon – an orange – that’s one of his many lessons shared.
I enjoyed this little book greatly and learned many valuable tips. It’s a bargain at $20 for a soft back or $7 for a ebook. It’s available through Michael Misko’s website. If you’re interested, then head over and pick it up.
