First let me just tell you I’ve had my hands full the past month or so. My brother had a freak dancing injury... that’s a whole other story. He had knee surgery and now I'm carting him and my mother around. I do try to fit in a show here and there, but let me tell you, it hasn’t been easy. In the mean time we’ve begun rehearsing for this years Abbott’s Magic Get-Together. We’re performing on the matinee this year along with the other members of the world famous Abbott’s stage crew. I’ve been a member of this exclusive, eccentric group for over 15 years now. We’re closing the show and there is a lot of thought that goes into choosing what we will be performing on stage... and that’s what I’ll be discussing this time around.

I've got my long-time Chezababe, Valerie, joining me for this years road trip. Obviously we’ll be performing some illusions and I’ve got plenty to pick and choose from. I’ll also be doing a few smaller effects to split things up. Now I’m not going to give away exactly what we’ll be doing as I want to have some surprise when the curtain opens. What is important is choosing the best material for the situation. First thing to consider is the audience. Sure there will be plenty of magicians there, but this is the matinee and we will be drawing a family audience. This is a definite plus for me as we can get lay people up for volunteers. Most of my work is for this type of audience and I really do enjoy performing for kids. They get where I’m coming from and I do some crazy stuff that doesn’t have to make a whole lot of sense.

Now back to what I was getting at, not every girl is made the same, and not every girl will fit in the same prop. I actually think I’ve got my show list pretty much set. I will go through my illusions and choose which are best suited for Valerie. Then I also consider what will fit in my van - that’s just as important as we’re only making one trip out there. From there I add some smaller bits to give the audience a feel for who I am. That’s essential to get across. If they don’t like you, they could care less what you do on stage. I’m up there having a good time, and I want everyone else to enjoy what’s going on.

It’s just a little over a month away and I think I’ve got things in order. The illusions are chosen and in fact one of them has never been performed on stage during the Get-Together. I’m very excited to present it for the first time! It’s just an amazing effect. One of the smaller bits is a favorite of mine and I will share it with you here. I think it’s something many people just skip past in the Abbott’s catalog, but to me it’s a treasure. I’m not sure what page it’s on, but it’s known as Abbott’s Flexible Glass. I’ve used this little gem in my show for years. In fact, I have three of them. The basic effect involves a mirror within a frame. A large knitting needle is passed through the mirror at any point and then it’s shown to be flexible within a small bag. I’m sure my description doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. In my hands this thing is pure magic. I can’t even tell you how many thousands of times I’ve done this one over the years, but I’m pretty good at it, and it’s still one of my favorites.

So, we’ve got our illusions, got a few smaller bits, got the girl - is that it?

No, we’re not done yet! The music to go along with everything, then the special effects, then the costumes… I’m not even sure what I’m wearing this year. I’ve got five weeks to get it all together. I promise you I won’t wait until the last minute, like I did in writing this article!

See you in Colon!