Strolling mentalist & magician in Los AngelesTurn a room of strangers into a room of people comparing notes.
This is the thing I’m best at. Instead of a show your guests have to sit through, I go to them, a handful at a time, and leave each group with a story they’ll be telling the next group before I’ve even reached it. Your party never stops for it. It just gets louder.
Why it beats a show, for almost every party
A stage show asks a hundred people to stop what they’re doing, find a chair and face the same way for forty minutes. That’s fine at a conference. At a birthday or a wedding or a reception it’s the opposite of what you want, because your guests came to see each other.
What I do fits into the gaps instead. I’ll walk up to a group, say hello, and four minutes later one of them is staring at me because I’ve just told her something she was only thinking. Then I’m gone, and they spend the next ten minutes going over it, usually with the people standing next to them, who they’d never spoken to before. That’s the part you’re paying for. The mind reading is just how I start the conversation.
It’s also about the easiest thing you can book. I’ve got no gear, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re in a living room in Los Feliz, a rooftop downtown or a ballroom foyer in Century City. Low ceilings and bad sight lines aren’t my problem, and neither is the rule your venue has about amplified sound.
How a two-hour set usually goes
- Half an hour before
I get there, find you or your planner, and walk the space. I’ll ask who the guest of honor is and if there are any VIPs, in-laws or bosses I should be sure to see.
- The first twenty minutes
Early guests, near the bar or the door. I keep these short so nobody misses saying hello to the people they came to see.
- The middle hour
This is the main stretch. Group by group, four to six minutes each. I keep track of who I’ve seen, because the quiet table in the far corner always ends up being the best one.
- The last twenty minutes
By now people are dragging their friends over. I save something personal for the host, the couple or the client, and that’s usually where I finish.
Numbers for whoever’s planning this
- Length
- One, two or three hours, without long breaks.
- Pace
- About 40 to 50 guests an hour, in groups of 3 to 8.
- Best timing
- Arrivals, cocktail hour, between dinner courses.
- Space
- Anywhere. Indoors or out.
- Power, AV, staging
- None of it.
- What I wear
- A suit, unless you tell me otherwise. Black tie is fine.
- Optional
- A short parlor show for the whole room.
- Price
- From $700. More here.
Questions about strolling sets
Strolling mentalist, strolling magician, walkaround magician. Same thing?
Same format. The difference is what you see. A strolling magician is mostly doing sleight of hand with cards and coins. I do some of that, but most of my set is mentalism, which means names, numbers and drawings that are only in somebody’s head.
How many people will you actually get to?
Forty to fifty an hour, in groups of three to eight. If you’ve got 150 guests, book three hours or make peace with some people hearing about it secondhand. (They will hear about it.)
When in the evening should you start?
When the first guests arrive. Early arrivals are the ones standing around with nobody to talk to, so they’re the people I can do the most for. I’m also good between courses at a seated dinner. I’m no use during speeches or once the band gets loud.
What do you need from the venue?
A place to park. That’s honestly it.
What if some guests aren’t into it?
Then I leave them alone. I can usually tell from ten feet away whether a group wants company. If they’re mid-conversation I’ll come back later or skip them.
Does it work outside?
Yes. Patios, lawns, rooftops, pool decks. Wind is the only thing I plan around, so if it’s a beach wedding in the afternoon I’ll leave the loose paper at home.
Tell me about your party and I’ll call you.
I’d rather talk for ten minutes than trade six emails. I’ll ask about the crowd and the timing, tell you what I’d do, and give you a price before we hang up. You don’t have to decide on the call.
Sets start at $700.