| myeck's
great-uncle, the stage magician known as Vagaofechado,
never really got his career back on track after the
tragic death of his first violinist in a tragic onstage
accident. Although no charges were filed, no one could
deny that Vagaofechado had a hand in it - indeed, one of
his cufflinks had been found embedded in the man's inner
ear. After that, no theatre manager would touch him. |
| Luckily, in those days before
televisions and VCRs, there was always a slim but steady
income to be had for a magician who was willing to work
office Christmas parties, children's birthdays, bar
mitzvahs, and the like. Vagaofechado would never go
hungry.
Unfortunately,
not only his entire stage act but also most of the skills
he had perfected over the years were totally unsuited for
the intimate settting of parlors and sitting rooms.
|
 "Are
you sure this isn't your card?" |
| Realizing that he was too old to learn the
slick maneuvers necessary for proper sleight-of-hand, he
wisely settled for a "comedy" approach to
magic.
The
centerpiece of his new act was a series of card tricks in
which he cleverly disguised his total lack of ability by
appearing as a bumbling buffoon, constantly picking the
wrong card and displaying ever escalating desperation as
the debacle continued.
|
| Crowds
lapped it up. Each incorrect card produced, each dropped
pack, each mumbled protest
brought bigger laughs, louder applause. The audience
laughed, applauded heartily, tipped handsomely, and
remembered him when they hosted their own social events.
Vagaofechado was the cream that rose to the top of the
bottom of the barrel.
Everyone who
attended his show loved it. Everyone laughed all the way
home. Everyone told their friends about "the world's
worst magician."
|
His
show-stopper, trying to actually peek to see the
volunteer's card, never failed to bring down the house. |
And no one
ever caught on to the fact that it
wasn't an act. |
