Stage magic: What is the ideal amount of time to perform the metamorphosis trick?
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During the metamorphosis trick, whether it's dangerous or not, timing is of the essence. Does the audience prefer an instantaneous switch or does that break the suspension of disbelief? Should it take a few seconds or even a minute of patter to keep things lively? What kind of patter do you use to increase tension during the metamorphosis?
Answers ( 1 )
The first thing to address is the concept of suspension of disbelief. In theater and film audience members will forget the artificial environment at times and allow themselves to be swept up by the story, the performances and the music. Some 2021 research indicates that this is not simply a psychological phenomena, but actually has a neurological basis in brain function. In the specific subgenre of theater that is magic, the performer acknowledges that the performance is a lie, a series of deceptions. This is an intellectual challenge where we promise to fool you, you show up expecting us to fool you (some hope to figure it out) and we proceed to fool you despite all of this. Penn and Teller describe this as the unwilling suspension of disbelief.
Some magicians do use story oriented presentations, especially for shorter acts rather than full evening shows. Other exceptions include escapes or tricks where death or dismemberment are risked, and mentalism. Even when I make a disclaimer that I am performing illusions when I perform mentalism, I have been approached by people after a show who were convinced that I had some kind of powers.
The original premise of Metamorphosis (or the Substitution Trunk) was that the entrapped performer would escape at the count of three. It is intended to be a surprise when the performer outside of the trunk winds up inside of the trunk, tied in a sack and handcuffed. Cutting down this time to an apparent blink of an eye might seem like it is the logical endpoint for any performer, but speed is only one artistic choice. An overall rapid fire presentation changes it from a fast escape into a transposition - an exchange of two people. In these speedy performances nothing is examined, and often it is performed silently to music.
The main purpose of magic is to entertain viewers using illusion. Whatever brings people the most delight which also fits into a magician’s stage persona and act is the best choice. Some comedy magicians like the late Carl Ballantine will leave audiences in uproarious laughter without a single trick going right in their act. The Amazing Jonathon may perform only one or two successful tricks in his act, the rest being sight gags, interacting with audience members, and generally behaving like a manic.
How quickly a performer performs any given trick is a matter of style, and different approaches will be taken by different performers, yet can be equally entertaining. Jonathon and Charlotte Pendragon pioneered the rapidfire breakneck paced stage illusion style act. They would perform all of their stage illusions with visible athleticism, grace, and startling speed - far more quickly than any performers had previously done. This required re-engineered equipment, great skill acquired through long practice, and physical athleticism possible through being extraordinarily fit.
Some magicians perform the trick with a clear box instead of the traditional wooden trunk. Some add varying degrees of danger by placing their assistants inside a plastic bag that will only hold a few minutes of air, while in 1970 Mark Wilson used a clear box filled with water. Penn and Teller performed a version entirely under water in their 2009 television special Off the Deep End. Yet for their earlier 1991 Refrigerator Tour shows, a plain wooden packing crate was on display in the lobby where the audience could climb inside, examine and then sign the box before the show using any one of an array of Sharpie permanent markers. The colorfully decorated crate was later used in a more traditional routine.
I performed the Sub Trunk very early in my career while still an amateur. I presented it as an escape much in the way that Houdini did, with an emphasis on the effectiveness of the various restraints. The handcuffs, sack, ropes and trunk were examined by an audience member, and if I’d placed someone in all of these they would have been genuinely trapped and unable to emerge.
What is correct is whatever fits a magician’s act effectively and creates the impression that they are seeking, which can indeed change over time.