I get asked this question a lot. So I figured I would try and explain what it is and what it is not.
In general it is magic or sleight of hand magic done up close in front of a spectator. No big illusions no sawing a lady in half.
1st off there are two types of Close-up Magic
#1. Strolling Magic - Party Planners define it as when a Magician is hired to "Stroll" around a room during a cocktail hour or in a Restaurant before the main meal is served. In Todays World I have been asked to do this sort of entertainment in just about every situation you can think of. From Large Companies Family Day Pic-n-Nic to Theme Parks in Japan. To Silent Auction Event, and Yes Weddings. The Magicians job is to walk up to a group of people normally 2 - 6 people and POLITELY barrow 7 minutes of there time. (Give or take a few minutes.) And Astound Them. Make Them Laugh! and generally leave them with wanting more!. Then move on to the next group. The Secret in hiring a good performer that knows what he or she is doing in this situation is simple. One would be able to at a glance survey the room and quickly determine which groups are the approachable one. This is a common error that many magicians do. They think since they are there to entertain the guests that they must entertain every guest. As I like to say when I lecture to magicians. Not everyone likes magic (GASP). So a good magician will introduce themselves to a small group start the magic and hope to get a few laughs along the way. Yet be very sensitive to the group and notice... OK I think they have had their fill because they seem to be eyeing the Appetizer Tray. Bid them a fair the well... and move on to the next group.
If a Magician is in a room and you hired him Watch him or her and see if your guests have a Smiles on there faces and or the look of astonishment. But also look for other groups of people and see if they are rubber necking to see what the magician is doing, (a sign there there is a buzz about the entertainer) Finally at the end of the night, if guests haven't complimented you on hiring the magician. You know the Magician didn't do his or her job. What Strolling Magic is not. Being at a cocktail party in a large beautiful home and The home owner asks me to go in this room and entertain the little kids. Next thing you know I have about a dozen 10 year olds following me around the whole house for the next hour disrupting your party. So The best advice I can give you is, if you hire a magician for your adult guests Don't make him or her entertain the Kids. Unless you have talked it over with the magician and you have come up with a plan and or agreement that they will only be entertained for an x amount of time. Food and Magic don't mix Neither does Comedy and Food, because someone can choke I have sean it happen. So always hire a magician for before the main meal or after, but never during.
#2 Close-up Magic can also be a Close-up Show I have done this type of Entertainment for a Party of 40 people and as small as 8, in a living room all seated and me standing. Normally I have 2 volunteers seated on either side of me. The Magic happens in their hands for everyone to see. The best part about this type of show is that you can set a time limit from 15 minutes to an hour. Everyone gets entertained all at once, so you can move on to the next thing on your agenda. Back in the old days they had a room specifically designed for this purpose called a Parlor Room. It's nice to see it resurrected in todays world and it really does make an impact on your guests... because it really is almost a lost form of entertaining your guests. Once again you can tell if you hired the right Entertainer by... How engaging he or she was and if he (she) can hold the guests attention for the amount of time needed and does not go over the time slot.
Close-up magic as seen on TV. Let me just say that a Great Practitioner in this Art form can and will blow your mind with his or her craft, LIVE. But some of the things that has been shown on TV that appears to be on a street or in a living room and they are up close with the camera angles. Just cannot be done without proper camera film editing and huge amounts of set up time. So I say to you Magic on Television is Great. But watching it LIVE is even GREATER.
Close-up Magic can be a fun way to spruce a party up. In todays market when everything is going digital and faster and faster it's kind of nice to take a break and see some great live entertainment that you can watch, touch, and be a part of. My favorite part in my show is at the end when somebody always walks up to me as i am leaving and asks.... "How did you do that?" and I return with, "Why did I do that?" and every chuckles.
