Dealing With Bad Spectators

Dealing With Bad Spectators

Every magician who has performed in public for very long has run into a bad spectator…a heckler. Its always a disconcerting experience but can be more easily handled if you are mentally and verbally prepared. Most often hecklers appear in shows that are performed in venues where alcohol is being consumed.

Smart come-backs like “Can you keep a secret? So can I!” or that awful line that bad magicians use “How do I do it? Very well!” dont work and usually just serve to antagonize the heckler.

Some bad spectators actually think they’re helping you with their, they believe, funny remarks. Often simply ignoring them will do the trick; they’ll take the hint and shut up. Sometimes, though, they’ll be more persistent, in which case you may have to try to shut them down with a topping remark, glaring them down with an icy, “You know, sir, I can make something other than a bunny rabbit disappear.”

Be warned, however, that they may have a comeback—an invitation to verbal combat that you MUST win in order to retain the audience’s respect and control. If you’re not up to it, have a staff member of the establishment quietly ask them to hold it down or get out.

On rare occasions you may run into an abusive drunk who is clearly out of control and ready to complain about everything and everybody—usually at the top of his lungs. Arguing with someone this far gone is useless and holds up the show—they must be removed for the good of everyone else in the audience so that the performance may continue.

Controlling an audience is never simple, and can only be learned through painful experience. Experience is great training, but the easiest way to keep the show rolling is to be consistently entertaining. If everyone’s having a good time the show can become like one big party, and you won’t have to worry about audience control—they’ll already be in the palm of your hand.

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