Brecht on Magic

IAN: People often ask me how I became a socialist magician.

Not necessarily in exactly those words, of course. Sometimes its after we've been talking for some time, and they say "Oh yes, you're a socialist magician. How did that come about?" or something like that. Anyway, in one form or another, the question comes up often. Very often. Very often indeed. In fact I'm getting sick of the question.

And that's why I devised this show. In order to answer that question, and the other questions that people ask a socialist magician. There are in fact three questions that people ask a socialist magician, and they will all be answered during the course of this show, though not necessarily truthfully.

As I say, the first question is "how did you become a socialist conjurer?". Now, in order to dramatise my transition from bourgeois imagician to socialist conjurer, I'll be using a number of theatrical techniques, dramatic devices, some of which you may not be entirely familiar with, so I thought I'd better just go through them now, so you'll know what's happening. For instance there's a technique which I'll be using throughout this show, a technique known as acting. I don't know whether you've seen that, but I will be acting throughout this show. In fact, I am already acting, because the words that I'm speaking are part of a prepared text, which I've memorised and am now reciting with certain emphasis and gesture and, erm .... You see, even that little hesitation is written into the script, in order to foster an atmosphere of informality, and I think it works quite well. And, of course, that explanation is in the script. And what I just said. And that. We could go on all night like this. And that wasn't an ad lib either. Nor was that.

So that's acting. Don't worry, I am trained in this, so there's no danger involved. But apart from acting, there's another thing I should mention. because in order to show you how I was in the past, I'll use a technique borrowed from the films, the flashback. But I won't go straight into a flashback, because then you'll be confused - you'll think, "why's he suddenly behaving in this strange way?". No, I'll have to give you some warning that I'm about to go into a flashback. For instance, there'll be a line in the text, a textual cue, that will hark back to the past. For example, to be concrete, there's a line coming up fairly soon which goes "I well remember" (that already gives it away, you see), "I well remember my last performance as a bourgeois magician". And when you hear that, you'll probably think to yourself "Oh, he's harking back to the past. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes into a flashback". And you'll be right.

But I won't go straight from the line into the flashback, because what I'll need to do then is change the atmosphere here subtly, which I'll do with a sound cue, by playing a couple of chords on this autoharp, like this. (Gets autoharp and plays chords). There you are, you see how that's changed the atmophere. But could you go back to how you were, because I'm not doing the flashback yet. (Puts autoharp back at side of stage).

But I won't go straight from there into the flashback, either. Because this is a very visual show, as you've probably already noticed, and so I'll give you a visual cue before I go into the flashback. This is something also borrowed from the films - you've probably seen this many times - a technique known as the wavy body. (Demonstrates wavy body technique).

So that's filled you in on the techniques. What was I talking about, before I was so rudely interrupted by myself. Oh yes, I was telling you about the time when I was a bourgeois magician. Well, it was a phase of my life which lasted some time, and I look back on it without any regret, but it was a period which came to a sudden and rather dramatic end. In fact, I well remember (yes, that's right), I well remember my last performance as a bourgeois magician.

(Gets autoharp and plays chords, then rushes back to replace autoharp).

(to himself) Wavy body, wavy body...

(does wavy body movements)

And we're in the past.

(Changes title on flip chart pad to:

FLASHBACK: BOURGEOIS CONJURING.)