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spectral house
The Magic Show(eXperiments in terror #25 - for magician, assistant, and tape)Brent Fariss An electro-acoustic environment created within the world of magic showing that the two are one and the same. We bring you a magician, joined by his lovely assistant, who has studied under the greatest sorcerers and mystics from around the world. We hope to transport the audience from their seat into the magician’s head and let them look back at themselves as they witness magic like they have never seen. The Magician – Brandon Young mp3: Accompaniment (backing track)
PRELUDE (before tape starts) THE MAGICIAN and THE ASSISTANT make sure the stage is set for the performance. THE MAGICIAN is nervous, drinking not so discreetly during the previous acts. There seems to be some history between THE MAGICIAN and THE ASSISTANT. THE MAGICIAN(speaks in a mixed British-french like accent): Madams and Monsieurs, I present to you my newest and greatest triumph—a show with no compare in all the known world. I have studied under the great sorcerors and mystics from around the world to bring you a masterpiece of art and illusion. With the help of my lovely assistant… (Stammers and pauses for a second as if he forgets her name -- nods to and leers at THE ASSISTANT, who nods but frowns at not being named) THE MAGICIAN (in a Michael Caine-like inflection): I present to you: MAGIC!!!!!!!! THE MAGICIAN cues his background tape – (Cue 1 starts…timer begins). CUE 1 (Bartok) – 0’00” – 1’00” THE MAGICIAN produces his wand and (very slowly) waves wand around towards audience. After some time, he begins first trick, the trick succeeds and THE MAGICIAN overexaggerates the greatness of his magical gift. THE MAGICIAN: Your brain will not comprehend the magic you are about to see!
CUE 2 (tension builds…) – 1’00” – 3’00” THE MAGICIAN begins his second trick, the ball trick. He stumbles and almost fails at the trick and barely succeeds. He hesitates for about 20 seconds staring into space to re-focus himself, then continues. THE MAGICIAN: For my next trick, I will need a volunteer from the audience. The last trick is THE CARD TRICK. THE MAGICIAN waits for someone in the audience to volunteer, and chooses a random audience member (preferably the most attractive female) or the backup VOLUNTEER if no one offers to do it on their own. When someone is chosen, the Magician will point to them and tilt his head at the audience volunteer using his body language to signal the assistant. THE MAGICIAN: Will my lovely Assistant help the volunteer to the stage? THE MAGICIAN waits for the ASSISTANT to seat the VOLUNTEER at the table. THE ASSISTANT withdraws to the side of the stage after the VOLUNTEER is seated. THE MAGICIAN describes his next trick and exaggerates how amazed the audience will be. THE MAGICIAN attempts the third trick, but fails completely. He begins to stammer as he attempts to cover for his failure to the audience and then withdraws into himself and stands silently next to the VOLUNTEER for approximately 30 seconds before making any further noise until he screams out of rage and bewilderment…right at the point of “orchestral freak out”
CUE 4 (regroup) – 3’30” – 4’20” Begins soft gutteral growling for some time until the ASSISTANT comes to him and whispers in his ear trying to calm him down. He nods visibly that he is going to go along with what she is whispering. THE ASSISTANT withdraws to her previous location. THE MAGICIAN begins drinking, intermittently making sounds…the drinking intensifies through the remainder of the piece… THE MAGICIAN begins to speak again, but continues to stammer and lose his train of thought, self-talking/mumbling, subtle throat noises, quietly repeating phrase loops, etc…drinking continues…
CUE 5 (RETURN TO TABLE) – 4’20” – 4’50” THE MAGICIAN returns to the table and begins to arrange his tricks and stage props and continues to alternate between attempting to get his act together and becoming frustrated and venting his rage. Eventually he tries to speak again, but only fragments of gibberish come out… every time he starts he loses his confidence and train of thought.
CUE 6 (repetitive motions / random vocalizing / drinking) – 4’50” – 6’00” THE ASSISTANT comes over to whisper to him again and they begin to argue, still talking quietly, inaudible to audience (ie – stage whispers) but with vigor. The Magician stands up again quickly, but a little sloppily. THE MAGICIAN (taking a drink as he speaks): You may think your eyes have betrayed you when you see my lovely assistant disappear for my next trick! THE MAGICIAN pauses for another swig and then gets the magic cloth prop and attempts to screen the ASSISTANT from the audience. He dramatically drops the cloth and gesticulates as he would if she had actually disappeared and the trick succeeded – but of course it does not and she is still standing there.
CUE 7 (THE ASSISTANT LEAVES) – 6’00” – 7’00” The ASSISTANT and MAGICIAN stand next to each other, staring back at one another with disgust. The MAGICIAN finally steps back. THE MAGICIAN (hissing…with disdain…similar to a Swedish black metal midget…do it, Brandon. Do it): I should have known you would ruin this!!!!!! THE ASSISTANT (very slowly,in a near inhumanvoice): YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT!!! The ASSISTANT storms off the stage and out past the audience. THE MAGICIAN (speaking in a near drunken crispin glover-like shriek): Don’t tread on my magic! THE MAGICIAN (leering and addressing the audience after she has left…but in a disquieting way, not to over the top): See! I told you I’d make her disappear!
CUE 8 (regressing,,,repetitive motion) – 7’00” – 8’30” THE MAGICIAN stares in the direction the ASSISTANT left from for 1 minute, visibly trembling and begins to mutter to himself and even yell at himself in brief flashes…during this the magician should be doing some vocal utterances (whispers, throat noises, self talking, quiet groans, brief moments of quiet falsetto fragments, sounds of drinking, contained flashes of American black metal shrieks, etc…nothing too gross, but still a bit disturbing and disquieting). The magician becomes silent again, staring at the ground. His head gets heavy, his limbs grow a little loose. He ALMOST passes out, but catches himself. The magician returns to the table. THE MAGICIAN slumps into the chair at his magic table and begins to drink freely, almost gluttonously, bellowing guttural moans and cries in between shots/swigs of his alcohol. He appears to pass out for a short while, but then in a moment of rage he uses his arms to sweep everything but the alcohol off of the table and into the floor.
CUE 9 (fade out…) – 8’30” - end THE MAGICIAN takes a long, dramatic swig and tilts his head almost all the way back. He begins to stand unsteadily, gesticulating towards the audience as if about to make another grand pronouncement… then suddenly slumps back down into the chair, continuing with more and more abstract vocalizing...then slowly sets his head down drunkenly to pass out, approximately 1-2 minutes before the end of the piece. REMEMBER…not too over the top…keep it reigned in.
REVIEW FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN - 4/15/07 There's a problem with a lot of experimental art. It's bad. It's often interesting without being as moving — or skilled — as traditional forms. Fortunately, the New Music Co-op's presentation of the Wisconsin-based Nonsense Company on Saturday was a welcome change. The night opened with new local work. Steve Moore, Kirk Lynn and Slappy Pinchbottom (aka David Fruchter) showcased "3x5 Theatre," an interlude of three well-crafted narratives divided onto five index cards, shuffled and read flatly. Brandon Young brought "Curious Finger," a story about the literal meaning of "putting your finger on it." Brent Fariss showed off "The Magic Show," a noisy piece about an inept magician's emotional breakdown. All three pieces seemed dedicated to the destruction of language. Words were muted, growled, drowned out or rendered as monotonously as possible. "3x5" managed to be engaging, but the musical numbers, while interesting, were also simply frustrating. The anti-language theme continued in the Nonsense Company's "Great Hymn of Thanksgiving," a sound-based number produced almost entirely from the settings for a Thanksgiving dinner. The pot-banging climaxes drowned out military reports and poetry, forcing the audience to absorb the feel of the conversation and not its substance. "Conversation Storm" was the peak of the evening. The dialogue was audible, but the disjointed conversation about torture commented at least as much on the frustrating, repetitive nature of such talks as actual ethics. Moving, funny, and provocative, the short play was theater at its best. So here's to the New Music Co-op and promoting professional experimentation. — Joey Seiler
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