This all depends on the type of venue and function and your frame of mind at the time. If it is a family restaurant then it is easier to approach the tables, as most adults will be comfortable to have Mr. Magic come over and entertain their little darlings.

The environment of such restaurants allows for the approach to be more direct… "Hi I’m here to show off my tricks whether you like it or not." Normally works!

There is a certain amount of subtle persuasion on your part to break into their space and not to back off. But I have to remind myself if they do not want the experience it is their choice. That is where I will say something to the effect that if they want me over to show them something call the waiter. I then head straight to the kitchen and put arsenic in their food. Hey I’m tough and can handle rejection!!

The sad thing is when one member is Mrs. Grouchy ... who influences the rest of the group.

At an adult banquet a similar approach is possible as the vibe is relaxed and laid on entertainment is expected.

At a pub or a more up market venue where people did not expect to have a person bugging them it leads to a more subtler approach, by pulling out an AK 47 and tell them to "shut up and watch!!"

Al Capone once said: "You can get further with a kind word AND a gun than you can with a kind word alone".

I have found that if you can get the people into a receptive mood before you approach them the easier it is to entertain them. That is why the time you perform can make a lot of difference. This is actually one of the core methods of hypnotists. They actually weed out the undesirable ones and are left on stage with the most susceptive audience members.

Wouldn’t this be great in a magic presentation!

The hardest type of function I have done was for invited guests for the relaunch of a seedy hotel in Edenvale, Jhb at about 5 pm. The people were so stiff and uptight coming straight from work it was madness. Add to that, particular function I had the booker's wife wanting to show me the rooms. Nudge, nudge!!… Wink, wink!!

I believe as performing entertainers it is our job to get the bulk of the audience into this happy state as quickly and smoothly as possible. The first few minutes can make or break your performance.

The ideal type of performance is where the public comes to you. Derren Brown,in his books mentions this same point. This way the audience are in a more receptive mood to receiving you, they have consciously chosen to watch you.

My experience in street performing has taught me a vast amount about audiences and the psychology of entertaining them. You have to make them stop long enough to watch your show and then convince them to pay all out of their own free will! Considering that they were not planning to stop and watch you, as a street show is not advertised, it makes it more fun!! Thank God for human inquisitiveness!

This was an experience in salesmanship at its best.

Performing too early at a function is disastrous and vice versa where an audience has had so much on in the evening and have drunk too much it is also not ideal. They are distracted very easily. This is where experience counts, to be able to suggest the time of the performance to the booker.

Another point on this subject is agreeing to perform for too long at a function. You can do the overkill and ruin everything by trying to make up time by doing less than adequate material. I find out how many are at the function and what type of function and suggest what I can offer them. I know my stuff better than any agent; they are there to get you the job not do the job for you!!

I work on a 2-hour performance per 100 people for a closed function. Less is better! If they want longer I suggest they hire another performer or I will offer some of my other skills depending on the function. In other words I am able to sustain the entertainment.

Anyway back to the approach to tables.

The more aware you are of the audience BEFORE you are in their space the better. I scan the room when I arrive and then constantly keep updating who’s where and who’s still waiting for food etc.

The best time to perform is just after the main orders have been taken and to finish just before the meal arrives or after the desert menu although this time at a family restaurant is when mommy wants kids to go to bed so your rising card routine can very easily be cut short.

In more adult venues the late night spot can be hectic with the drunken party or gems depending on whether Mars is aligned with Jupiter and the woman’s name is Cindy who lives in Benoni!! In other words one never knows until the night!!

It doesn’t take much to see if the table is OPEN or CLOSED. I do concede there are the ones you just do not expect but hey that’s life and my system isn’t perfect.... yet!

My belief is this - if there are enough tables to get through in my allotted time I will leave the undesirable types of tables till last or never!!

My reasons are this - if they aren’t going to warm to you then why bother! By the time you get to them they have seen you are a cool dude and aren’t going to be obnoxious and obviously they might have had an extra glass of wine to chill out MAKING YOUR JOB EASIER and lastly they might leave before you get to perform for them! It sounds like a lazy attitude but it is simply not your job to make everybody happy - a subtle difference to having them enjoy your performance.

You never know what they are doing there, so assuming that it’s a party isn’t always wise. I recently approached a table and asked "Why the long faces?" They had all just come from a funeral!!

So what do I do if I have to approach such tables? Well I take a deep breath, a couple of whiskies and dive in. Seriously I have found that a silent, quick and visual routine gets me off to a fine start. I have either done enough or they then warm to me by seeing I can actually entertain them and not interfere with their space - enabling me to continue with some more effects. But even here I keep it short unless encouraged!

This "you are bothering us" attitude projected from clientele is a common attitude in the more pretentious venues and corporate functions where they (the delegates) are trying to conduct business and you seem to be a nuisance! I find a big smile and a louder than normal voice (ok so I m softly spoken) helps project a more confident attitude to the clients, added to this a short confident routine and I find there isn’t a problem. I am aware there is experience, which plays a big role in this as well. How to read the crowd, the general mood of the room and to go with the flow all help the performer when a crowd is tough.

I have also been hired to perform at religious functions or groups. I find it amazing that they even contemplated having entertainment in the first place because they give me a list of do’s and don’ts as long as your arm, you wonder: "Why bother?"!!

I find that in South Africa, there is still a big stigma that magic is just for kids, even though you have just blown them away with the best Triumph routine and executed the perfect faro shuffle and produced live gold fish from your hat!! (And that’s just with your left hand!!).

This obviously affects the initial receptiveness of the audience to you. But most of the time it is in a kiddy environment such as a family restaurant that this occurs. My worst-case scenario was a time at a restaurant where both adults sat reading the Sunday paper while I entertained the kids, I left with not a single glance or note of thanks from the parents from behind the newspapers. I felt the kids would have really enjoyed me lighting the bottom of the newspapers and walking away!

I felt more sorry for the two kids to have parents like that.

That is why I will not take on work at such venues any more. But saying this, these performing venues are great places to pick up extra work in the kid markets as long as one doesn’t have high expectations of the type of performance one gives there. Or you do not put high expectations on being asked to perform for some big corporate function from that type of job. But I say this - I must admit I have had my fair share of corporate work from a family restaurant - more often than not it is for their kid’s party I'm needed.

I have found that at male dominated conferences there are a lot of male egos and business maneuvering which you have to deal with. You don’t score brownie points with anybody by coming in with the "Mr. Big Deal, check me out" while they are trying to talk business.

This brings up the question of how to deal with the heckler or loud mouth in the group.

I have found generally there is always one guy who wants to be the comedian and upstage you. Most of the time it can be handled by acknowledging the guy and if his comment received laughter then acknowledge it with a smile but then take firm control and direct the audience back to you.

The more attention he gets the more he thinks he can continue with his comments. Most cases are as a result of the excessive intake of some of earth’s finer nectars!! If you are not in a stand up comedy venue I would not suggest using any stock heckler lines on such a person, you will more than likely alienate the rest of the audience or group.

On my recent contract in Europe I invited an audience member on stage who turned into the comic and loud mouth, I simply thanked him for what he had participated with so far and brought up another spectator to continue with the show, I had to remind myself that the rest of the public aren’t stupid and can see the bloke is being an idiot.

I also found that obtaining two audience members from the same group or party is a definite no!! The one will lead the other on and then you have major disruptions. I choose two from different parts of the theater. I try choosing the happy looking guy or the real weird hairstyle or clothes type I can get some sort of humour from the guy without belittling him so much the better.

I have on many occasions had to jump over the stage lights and straight into a black auditorium and try choosing the correct guy. It is pretty stressful Especially when some refuse to come up on stage and your show relies on audience members and situation humour. Add to that, that some places you get the geriatric brigade and can’t do the stuff you require of them and they do not speak English!! All in a days work for the working pro!

I also try not performing too long at functions especially corporate or private parties where the alcohol (or drugs) takes over. Yes I mean drugs; I was ONCE booked at a big rave to perform close-up magic for the party animals!!

Man I certainly received some of my best reactions for some of the simplest effects possible. I would love to know what the guy saw coming out of his hand when all there was were two sponge balls because he jumped about 3ft backwards!!!!

I also try and steer away from the pub areas at functions for this reason. Having said that I have performed for many seasons at a McGinty’s pub as magic bartender but that’s another story!!

The formula for drunk people… jokes more, magic less and keep it fast paced and do not hand them anything to hold. I had my bowler hat filled with beer, the chosen card torn into pieces and the deck of cards dropped onto the wet bar floor!!!

I have come to see that the move or sleight can be done much later and slower than one expects. The more comfortable you are in the space of others the more time you have to do the move. It becomes a more fluid type of performance where the magic trick and the entertainment experience merge together.

For example the card is returned to the deck, I hold a break (this is the hottest moment to do the move), and I will pause and direct my attention to an audience member by looking up and away from my hands. At this point I might ask a question or make a more assertive and slightly louder sentence to direct their attention up to my face.

I also freeze my hands and you’ll find the spectators will get bored with watching nothing and will then look up at me. It is then that I will do the move.

I have found there is ample time to perform a move before the spectators refocus on my hands again.

I have often stalled the move and routine because one guy is keeping watch on my hands, this is where I will direct all the attention onto him!!

Normally he will be forced to look up with all the attention on him. I do this by saying something like "check this guy out he is going to watch my hands all night and nothing else" or something to that effect. I obviously do the move as everybody looks at him and as he looks up at me!!

At functions where a little crowd develops around me and to direct the attention onto the one guy will not work I use body movement to cover the steal or whatever.

Working too fast is a common mistake and when it is for a larger group and you work too fast your actions are lost and hence they (the audience) will be distracted and start watching places they shouldn’t or worse still walk away.

Directing the attention is a better word than misdirection and this is a Tommy Wonder principle, which I firmly believe in.

I do not believe in trying to perform a pass so perfectly while all the heat is on my hands without adding some sort of attention getting method away from my hands.

I am there to entertain these people and the fewer things on my mind like worrying about the perfect pass in full view doesn’t go by me very well.

However I don’t advocate sloppy sleight of hand either. I just like making life easier for myself.