To tell before or not?

[1card monte]

Steve Cohen in his book Win the Crowd Says "In my performances I often ask, How surprised will you be when the coin...disappears?
audience reactions have increased dramatically ever since I began adding this simple line right before the magic occurs."

Doesn't that take away all the surprise element? What has been your experience? Any help would be appreciated

[Richard Kaufman]

There are two ways to approach the presentation of magic in regard to your question: the audience is told what's going to happen and then it happens, or the audience doesn't know what's going to happen and then something happens.

Either way is a valid choice based on your overall presentation, your personality, etc. Everyone knows that Caeser is going to get stabbed to death in Julius Caeser, but they still enjoy the play.

You have to figure out what works best for you. You do that by trying different presentations on people and seeing what kind of reactions you get.

[Pete McCabe]

There is a moment that happens in some magic shows, where the audience realizes what is going to happen, and they can't believe it (because it's impossible), and then they see that it in fact did happen. A classic example is the card to ringbox, where the card vanishes, and then the box is opened to reveal a small, folded up card. This must be the signed card (or else why have it), but it can't be.

Steve's line sounds like it might activate this kind of moment. What? It's going to vanish? That can't be. It is!

It's still surprising, but the surprise is not what happened but the fact that it happened at all.

[Andrew Pinard]

I was about to post the third option, but Pete beat me to it!

[Brad Henderson]

Charles Reynolds expressed that fulfillment was more impactful than surprise.

I think the proscription against telling them what will happen is that it may allow them to track the method as it occurs. If, however, the trail is clean - then them looking for something secret to happen when nothing can or will happen seems to me to increase the deceptive elements of the phenomenon.

[MJE]

Isn't that rather standard in "cups & balls" and other classics, though? Certainly, in a chop cup or monte routine (magic; not con) the specs have an idea of what is about to happen. Without asking the question, they anticipate a vanish or a manifestation. Right? Final loads excluded, that seems to be what's going on without the question being raised.

In kidshow magic, I've always found it helpful to let the audience know what is supposed to happen. A surprise ending doesn't make sense to the very young. The "magician in trouble" bit works far better in that case, of course, although that's not what I'm refering to. Sometimes they need to know that if you cut a rope, the object is for the rope to again become whole.

Adults are often of the same mindset. Certainly in mentalisn, letting them know what should happen is a good idea. If there's a "kicker" ending, that's fine; it reenforces the improbability of what's being done.

I guess that if it works for a performer doing coins, great! I wouldn't take it as a RULE, certainly. If it fits your personna, go for it. If it doesn't.....well, pass it by.

-MJ