I show up early and look like a guest
I get there about half an hour before we start, dressed like everybody else. I find the host and ask who the guest of honor is and whether there’s anyone I should be sure to see. (There always is. Usually it’s somebody’s skeptical dad.) Then I walk the space so I know where the bar is, where people are going to bunch up, and where the quiet corners are.
I pick a group
I’m looking for three to eight people who seem open to company. They’re standing, they’ve got drinks, and they aren’t in the middle of something serious. I say hello, tell them the host asked me to come and show people something strange, and ask if they’d like to see it. Nearly everyone says yes. If a group’s busy I move along and try them again later.
Something impossible happens to one of them
The pieces are short and direct. Someone thinks of something private and I know what it is. Someone makes a choice that’s entirely theirs and it turns out I saw it coming. I’m not going to be more specific than that, partly because I don’t want to spoil it and partly because every group gets something a little different.
Each piece takes a few minutes, and the group stays right where they were standing.
Then the reaction does my job for me
People shout and laugh. They swear a bit and grab each other’s arms. The groups nearby look over. When I move on, the first group spends ten minutes telling each other what they just saw and trying to work it out, and then they tell whoever they talk to next.
If you’re the host, that’s the part you’re paying for. A party with three friend groups in it, or two families, or four departments, ends up with something in common before the first hour is over.
I keep a map of the room in my head
Over one to three hours I work through the whole party and keep track of who I’ve seen, so the table in the far corner isn’t skipped. A comfortable pace is forty to fifty guests an hour.
I save something for the person the party’s for
Near the end, or just before a toast, I do one piece for the birthday person or the couple or the client, with more of the room watching. If you’ve given me some details ahead of time I’ll build it around them.
What you have to do
Tell me when to start and point out the guest of honor. After that you can go and enjoy your party.
A few things it isn’t
I don’t do psychic readings, and I won’t tell anyone their future (more on that here). I don’t do roasts, and I don’t do hypnosis, so nobody’s going to cluck like a chicken. I don’t work kids’ parties either.
If you want to see how this turns into an actual booking, have a look at strolling mentalism or private parties.
The short answers
What does a mentalist do at a party?
I go from group to group and do short pieces of what looks like mind reading. I might reveal what someone’s thinking, or predict a choice before they make it. Each group gets four to six minutes.
Does everyone have to stop and watch?
No. The party carries on. Only the handful of people I’m standing with are involved at any moment.
Will my guests be put on the spot?
Not by me. I ask for volunteers and never force anyone, and the people who help come out of it looking good.
How long does a mentalist perform at a party?
One to three hours, depending on the guest list. Plan on an hour for every forty or fifty guests.
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.