Chair Suspension

Type: Stage, parlor

Skill Level:

Retail Price: $399

Effect: The Chair Suspension is a practical, angle-proof suspension. It can be performed on a banquet hall floor surrounded by people or on a brilliantly lit stage well clear of drapes and other suspicious devices. A board is placed atop the backs of two ordinary-looking folding chairs. Any person from the audience (weighing up to 140 pounds) reclines on the board and is covered with a velour cloth. First the chair supporting the person's feet is removed, then the board! The person remains suspended in mid-air. At the end of the trick, the chair and board are returned to their original place and the person is dismissed - none the wiser...even the spectator doesn't know how it was done.

Performance Time: About five minutes


Angles:

Quality: The chairs are standard commercial quality folding chairs, the board measures 45" long x 13" wide and the cloth is 43" x 53". The support on which the floating person rests is made extra large to provide a feeling of stability. It measures 10.5" wide 36" in length. Everything including the chairs weighs about 30 pounds and packs flat.

Dr. Mitch: PLEASE people...this is a great effect. Take your time...and come up with a patter. Too many people I have seen doing this effect are letting the effect carry the show....this is a MISTAKE. YOU are supposed to be the magician...so Magish ! Do something other than..."LOOK AT THIS...cool huh ?" I mean for Pete's sake...at least wave your hands dramatically above and below the suspended person...DO SOMETHING. In my opinion it really says a lot when the trick can overshadow the trickster. This IS a strong effect and will surely overshadow the weak performer.

Mike Maione: This is great trick. It is very easy to do and gets a great reaction. It is one of the most practical illusions I've seen. It really doesn't take up too much room in the car. yet it's big enough to be used on stage. In fact, I even saw Penn and Teller perform this at the huge Staller Center several years ago. And, they didn't even give away the secret. If you want to know the secret (as if you can't figure it out) see the Maury Povitch show which featured Herbert Becker. In the show he wrecked this and many other great illusions...the jerk.

There are some things to consider if you are planning to get the Chair Suspension. There are at least two (probably more) versions of the trick. One allows you to remove the chair...step away and then remove the board, the other only allows you to remove the chair and then remove the board....you can't let go of the board and step away then return and remove the board.

Which is better? They both have advantages. Obviously, the one which allows you to let go of the board and step away provides a second climax when you remove the board. But, everything has a price. There is some visible settling of the subject when you remove the chair which kinda gives away the gimmick some. The other version hides some of this sway. Also forget about 140 pounders. No way. Stick to sixty pound kids. I've found the perfect subject to be a little girl about 10 years old. She can act a little and the capacity of the prop and your liability insurance will not be put to the test.

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