Magician's assistant

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A magician's assistant is a performer in a magic act who is not billed as the magician or principal name in the act. The role of an assistant can include holding the props that are used by a magician, shifting props onto and off the stage, and serving as a living prop in illusions that involve manipulation of the human body. Other aspects of the role can include dancing or acting as visual ornamentation, sometimes for simple aesthetic purposes and sometimes to misdirect audience attention. The figure of the glamorous female assistant has become a stereotype or icon in art, popular media and fiction.[1]

Although magician's assistants appear to play a supporting role and receive a lesser billing than the magician who appears to be the source of illusions, the assistant is often the one making the mechanics of the illusions work. In the words of Joanie Spina, who worked for 11 years as principal assistant, choreographer and artistic consultant to illusionist David Copperfield:

"...I did find fault with the term "assistant" because it sounds like someone rolling props on and off stage when many of us were highly trained actors and dancers.[1]

[edit] History and critiques

Assistants have been part of magic shows for most of the recorded history of magic as a performance art. Despite their often crucial role in magic acts they, and the work they do, have suffered from negative public perceptions. The assistant's role has often been stereotyped as consisting of menial tasks and having the primary purpose of adding a visually aesthetic element to an act. This is associated with the perception that assistants are usually female and often dressed in revealing costumes. Although there have been plenty of instances of male assistants throughout the history of magic, the glamorous female stereotype has made a particular impact because female assistants were a prominent feature of illusion shows during the 20th century, when magic began to reach huge new audiences, first through the burgeoning of live vaudeville and variety shows and then through television. The glamorous female assistant has become an iconic image that continues in modern media and literature.[2][1]

A notable feature of the glamorous female assistant iconography is the frequency with which assistants play the role of "victim" in illusions where they are tied up, apparently cut with blades, penetrated with spikes or swords or otherwise tortured or imperiled. Examples include Aztec Lady, Devil's Torture Chamber, Radium Girl and, perhaps most famous of all, Sawing a woman in half.[1][3] It is generally agreed that a "sawing" type illusions was first performed on stage by P.T. Selbit in 1921. His presentations of what he titled "Sawing through a woman" made an enormous impact and affected public expectations of stage magic for decades afterwards. In contrast to the publicity given to Selbit the name of the assistant who made this influential performance work has recived almost no publicity. According to noted magic inventor and historian Jim Steinmeyer: "Jan Glenrose was the lady in rehearsal, Betty Barker was the magician's primary assistant".[4]

Many of these illusions, together with others that involve appearances, disappearances or escapes, involve assistants being shut in boxes of one sort or another. This has led to the nickname "box jumper" which, although it could be applied to a male assistant, is usually inferred to be a female assistant.[5][6] One reason that has been given for the predominance of women in this role is that the illusions sometimes require an assistant that can fit into cramped spaces and women have an advantage in that they tend to be smaller and more limber than men.[1]

Feminist critics have taken the above aspects of illusions and performances as evidence to support claims that magic is misogynistic, but this view has been contested by some magicians and assistants. However, a few prominent assistants have gone on record stating that they deserve better recognition for their efforts and achievements (see "Documentaries" below).[1]

Some modern magic acts have preserved the glamourous elements of the female assistant iconography while attempting to give full recognition to female performers by billing women as equal partners in acts. A notable example is the husband and wife act The Pendragons, for which Charlotte Pendragon has worn very revealing costumes and done traditional "box jumping" roles yet receives equal billing with her husband and has been honoured in her own right as a top professional magician. Another example, although with more modest and conservative costuming, is Kristen Johnson, who receives equal billing with her husband Kevin Ridgeway when they perform together as a magic act and often stars in her own right as an escape artist.

[edit] Notable assistants

[edit] Assistants in art, fiction and movies

  • The novel The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett follows the character Sabine who was assistant to her magician husband Parsifal. After Parsifal's death Sabine is left to unravel the secrets of his life.[7]
  • The movie The Prestige (2006) features Scarlett Johansson as an assistant to a magician who is involved in a deadly feud with a competitor. In addition actress Piper Perabo plays the wife and performing partner of another magician.[8]
  • The movie Rough Magic (1995) features as its central character a magician's assistant played by Bridget Fonda.[9]
  • One of the central characters in the movie Leprecaun 3 is a magician's assistant called Tammy Larsen, played by actress Lee Armstrong, who appears in stage costume for much of the duration.[10]
  • The Disappearing Girl Trick (2001) is a short comedy film starring Susan Egan as a television producer who goes undercover as a magician's assistant to expose his method of performing the trick in the title.[11]

[edit] Documentaries

  • Box Jumpers (2004) was a two-part radio documentary series about magician's assistants that was made for BBC Radio 4 and presented by Debbie McGee.[5][6]
  • Women in Boxes (2007) is a feature-length documentary film featuring many of the magic world's most famous assistants and planned for theatrical release. It was made by Blaire Baron-Larsen, Harry Pallenberg, Phil Noyes and Dante Larsen.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Johnstone, Fanny (21 November 2007). "Breaking into the magic circle". The Guardian. Guardian Newspapers. 
  2. ^ a b Women in Boxes. WIB, LLC. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  3. ^ The topic of assistants portrayed as victims in violent illusions was featured in "Violent magic" the final episode of the six-part BBC television documentary series Magic in 2004, see UK Magic News. Magicweek.co.uk (20 November 2004). Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
  4. ^ Steinmeyer, Jim; Neil Gaiman (2006). Art and Artifice: And Other Essays of Illusion. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0786718061. 
  5. ^ a b "Box Jumpers". Radiolistings.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  6. ^ a b "Radio Choice". The Times online. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  7. ^ Patchett, Ann (1997), The Magician's Assistant, Harcourt, ISBN 0-15-100263-0 
  8. ^ The Prestige. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
  9. ^ Rough Magic. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
  10. ^ Leprecaun 3. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  11. ^ The Disappearing Girl Trick. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

  • "Women In Magic", an article by Dennis Regling at BellaOnline.
  • Jan Jones (editor), The Magician's Assistant, pub. 1982
  • Frances Marshall (editor), Those Beautiful Dames, pub. Magic Inc. (1984), ASIN: B00072FQ5U

[edit] External links


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