MAWEEGE
A giant cootie catcher scientifically measures
the compatibility of a husband & wife.
PreSale Begins: February 16, 2023, noon Atlanta, GA
Until then, I’m sharing this series of post to let you see the strengths of Maweege. Whether you perform Maweege or not, the contents of this series will make you a better magician.
I perform the egg bag in my show because of the late, great Denny Haney.** He was an evangelist of the egg bag and I’m far from Denny’s only convert. One of the many things I have Denny to thank for.
After I had a few performances under my belt I asked Denny, “Why do you bring up two spectators for the trick when one would would still work for the trick?”
Denny replied,
“Because I have twice the chance of getting a good reactor.”
Eleven words. So smart. So practical. So Denny.
While I’m not saying someone can’t do a great egg bag routine with only one volunteer (and neither was Denny) his clear cut reasoning of the advantages of two people was spot on. All magicians have been in the situation where the person you have invited on stage isn’t reacting much.
You’re dropping miracle bombs on them.
The same miracle bombs that have nearly started religion in other shows.
But with that volunteer? You get bupkis. Ugh.
Routines where you can get two people on stage can be dependable comedy gold. Why? Pardon the crass term, but you cut your chances of getting a stiff in half.
Want even better odds?
Perform routines where you bring up a married couple.
You have the benefit of two people.
Doubles the odds of funny.
You have the benefit of what they may say about each other.
Doubles the odds of funny again.
You have the benefit of playing off the relationship.
Doubles the odds of funny a third time.
Now I confess, expressing this is in math terms like “doubling the odds” is not a literal, measurable statement. Rather, it’s a way to express who how much MORE potential comedy gold you have to play with when you bring a married couple on stage.
Let’s call it the Double Trouble Rule (DTR).
On February 16th we’ll be releasing MAWEEGE, a routine that exploits the Double Trouble Rule to its fullest, but until it’s released …
Look at your own work. Look at the routines you regularly do right now. How can you get some DTR in them? As Picard would say, “Make it so, Number One.”
Here’s an example to start you on the path. Sponge balls and net.
A spouse on either side of you. Make the funny. Get the funny from the magic AND get the funny from the relationship. Have fun. PLAY!
Best,
Doc Dixon
*To be clear, nearly everything Denny had to say about magic was genius, not just these 11 words.
**If you’re very new to magic and the name is new to you, Denny Haney was an incredibly successful magician in the corporate and college markets in the eighties and nineties, and then became a legendary magic shop owner and teacher and mentor to many magicians, myself included. He passed away in 2019 at age 73.