I just came back from Jay-Jay’s Variety Night over at the Fringe Bar. Mainly magic, with a bit of dance and impersonation thrown in. Here’s what I thought about the whole shebang(abang):

Jay-Jay: Pretty charming dude! We have a couple of things in common - we both get the “Are you Indian?” question a LOT (he’s half Sri Lankan, I’m Bengali) and we were really obsessed with magic from around ages 5 to 15 before dropping it for a while. He’s picked it up again, and adds pickpocketing to the mix - watch your valuables around him! He did tend to be a bit awkward at times (mainly with drunken hecklers) but he’s young and already has shown a lot of promise - give him time and he’s sure to have improved a great deal.

Lena Marlene: (why was she Lena BAILEY on the poster?!) Honey, I love you, but this wasn’t your night! (She knew it too, kept ranting about it!) She started the show with a somewhat naughty burlesque number, though the audience was a little too stoic - it did feel like there was a bit of distance. The second act was quite funny, the housewife trying to iron with the radio on but it kept playing rude stuff!! People were a bit disappointed that she didn’t strip all the way, haha. There was an issue with her ironing board, which she hasn’t let go of yet - perhaps it’d be better with a different audience.

Matt McDowell: Er. OK, I really did not get this guy. He’s an impersonator, and for the night he did both Michael Jackson and Austin Powers - but they were terribly cliche and basically recycled old jokes. Yes yes, Michael is black AND white and he has a high voice, we get it. It just got really embarrassing after a while! There were some parts that were funny, but overall…just no.

Xavier de Soul: Oooh I really liked this guy! He does mentalism - magic that involves reading people’s minds and body language. It was absolutely creepy how he could work out what people were thinking just based on how they react to things. He also has a human blockhead thing happening where he hammers a nail into his nose - I wasn’t sure what the point of that was, maybe to clear out his brain?? I think he’d do awesome in a solo show with a slightly more dramatic (rather than casual) flair, just spook the heck out of everyone by reading their secrets!

Scott Davies: You know the classic image of a magician, with the standard tricks and the lovely female assistant? Yeah, that’s this guy. Only thing he didn’t do was saw his woman in half! It was goo to watch the classics again - cups & balls, escapology, cutting rope - it had been many years since I last saw a magic show and it brought back happy memories of playing with magic as a kit. Not really the most innovative or creative, but definitely affable and good for just good ol’ magic tricks.

Audience: OK, they stole the show. Every time an audience person was brought up on stage (I was on there once) they would create their own comedy, intentionally or not. Some of them were probably tipsy, but they were hilarious nonetheless. They should run this next time! During the intermission a mini-balloon party had broke out amongst the crowd (there was a balloonist who I chatted to for a while) and we had our own fun, probably more than the show itself!

Also I got majorly schooled in stagework this night:

* Keep a running list of performer’s requests - setting up an ironing board, playing certain music certain times, whatever. It can make or break a show.
* Be responsible for all the props and decorations, or at least assign someone and make sure they’re clear on that responsibility.
* The music makes a big difference!
* If your performer has a stage name, don’t give them their real name!
* Make a run sheet in advance so that performers know when they’re on.
* Just because they’re your friend doesn’t mean they make the best fit for your show.

I found the best tagline tonight - Lena’s husband made her a sign saying “It’s not your job!” (because she tends to want to do everything even when she’s only performing and not directing). So my tagline is:

It’s not your job - It’s MINE!