Unfurl the red carpet

I get excited when September starts winding down. October is my favorite month of the year, ending with my favorite day of the year. Every year a new Pumkina is born. This year is no exception. Her Royal Majesty's thrown will be right next to Nancy's at the box office starting tomorrow night. If you're coming to the show this week make sure to say hi - she might just have a treat for you.

"Pumkina" 2007:

Spots

This is Caesar.
I'll write more about him later this week.


I had a great weekend in Sarasota. It's quickly becoming my favorite home-away-from-home, and a beautiful contrast to the whirlwind life I have in Miami. Remind me to go more often. Then it was off to the Carnival Triumph. The flights were great, and all three of our shows were fantastic. Five standing ovations was the reward for no sleep and 8 hours of airports, planes, and taxis. It's the bittersweet trade off I enjoy week after week.

Time for bed.

A sincere thanks to these audiences for sharing part of their cruise with us:
8:30pm show:


10:30pm show:

Rush

Tonight's show at the Deauville Resort was excellent, another full house! It's almost midnight, and I'm just about to leave for Sarasota to spend a couple days with David.

Long drive ahead. Gotta go.

Thanks to this great audience for spending the evening with us:

Driven

Today I spent trying to make sense of the ever increasing mishmash of hoopla that I can't really justify calling an "ad-campaign." Days like this always end the same; a sigh of realization - I have so much to learn.

In my defense, promoting a show, or anything, that only happens once a week is a herculean task. Restaurants, nightclubs, or even retail stores have all week to recover the cost of their ads. We get one shot, creating a marketing catch-22. The exposure we need costs too much to recover in ticket sales with just one show. I escape this trap by trying to be as creative as possible with our small ad budget. The most important part is maintaining the network of free support we get from a medley of event calendars and theater listings. This combined with trading tickets and word of mouth make for most of our audience each week.

Getting on the "A-list" of established attractions in Miami Beach is the goal, but the causeway to get there is paved with fierce competition. Good thing it's a fun drive.



Thanks to this great audience on the Carnival Triumph this week:

Tues/Wed at a glance

8:am - get up, coffee, shower
9:am - pack for work
10:am - leave for airport
12:30 - AA Flight #775, Miami - St. Thomas
3:pm - arrive St. Thomas, get in taxi
4:pm - arrive to Carnival Triumph, sign in
4:30pm - start pre-sets for the 3 evening shows.
8:30pm - perform first main show
10:30pm - perform second main show
midnight - perform Adults Only comedy magic show
1:am - start cleaning up
3:am - food & shower
4:am - sleep
7:30am - Arrive San Juan - immigration/customs
9:am - leave ship for airport
11:20am - AA Flight #627, San Juan - Miami
3:pm - back home, loooooong nap.

I'm tired just thinking about it.
Nite Nite.

Here's a backstage picture from last week between shows doing a photo-shoot for Currents Magazine:

Lazy Sunday

I took the day off for some well desired rest and fun. You'll notice I used desired , not deserved. As a general rule, I try not to leave the house until I can at least see the surface of my desk. I'll pay for it tomorrow; which I've already predetermined a stereotypical Monday.

Last night we had a full-house after all. I don't know where they came from, but I'm glad they did. Only a few scattered empty seats, and a great crowd. We had one MAJOR technical problem during the Houdini routine, which I'm sure a lot of the audience appreciated - for all the wrong reasons! It was my fault entirely. My invisible check-list got lost again, so I forgot an important preset.

It's always nice when other magicians take time out of their busy schedule to come see our show. Last night we had two of South Florida's finest. "Not your typical magician" Dylan Ace, and "The world's most fabulous magician" Cashetta were both in the audience. If you can, try to catch their act sometime - I know I will. For more information check out their websites at www.DylanAce.com and www.Cashetta.com respectively.

Thanks to these cool people for spending their Saturday night with us:

Farewell. Fall.

A busy week, to say the least. I'll briefly summarize the highlights.

Although only 90% in content - our shows this week on the Triumph went well. The untimely demise of the theater's main video projector accounts for the lost 10%. This, of course, coincided with editors, photographers, marketing reps, and writers from a cruise industry magazine watching the show for an upcoming issue featuring the Triumph. Luckily most of the lighting problems had been fixed and they seemed to enjoy our production.

Wednesday and Thursday were spend with Louise, who said goodbye early this morning after spending a very creative six weeks with us. As a final farewell, we went to our new favorite Italian Restaurant in Coral Gables (Pepe's)... And we ate... And we ate.. And we ate. The last few hours of conversation before bed were limited to a vocabulary of heavy sighs and moans - etching memories soon to known as the good-ol-days.


Ticket sales for the next few weeks reflect the summers passing. With two months before the "snowbirds" come down from the North, I've been spending double-time networking and promoting our show. The hotel itself was only at 35% occupancy last weekend, meaning we aren't alone. Even Pepe's was empty last night. If nothing else, at least Miami's tourist fluctuation is predictable. September and October weren't our best months last year either. Or the year before. On the other hand, I've found that pre-sales don't always matter. Most people come at the last minute, and since our theater is so small it always seems full regardless.


Thanks to these 2 great crowds on the Carnival Triumph this week!
8:30pm show:


10:30pm show:

the Sewing Machine

If Caruso and I are the arms and legs of this operation, then Christine "Louise" Wallace is certainly the backbone. Louise has made every single costume in our show by hand since the beginning. This adds up to hundreds of one-of-a-kind creations that rival Ziegfeld and Mackie. At '70-something' years young, she's unstoppable - which I attribute to an admirable work ethic that sadly has skipped this generation.

Each year she visits us in Miami turning our sewing room into what she calls the 'salt mine' (more like 'sweat shop.') Her "normal" sixteen hour work days are measured out in short bathroom and Cafe Con Leche breaks. And Tea. She loves tea.

The past few weeks Louise has been here creating some very unusual costumes. For lack of better words, Green Showgirls from Space sort of describes the end product. Green because I needed them to match the new laser project I've been working on. Plus, I love green.

When Louise leaves on Friday, a familiar emptiness will once again fill the guest room. I'll miss her as always, but like the seasons I know she'll return soon.

Here are two of her creations from the last visit, headpieces courtesy of Mr. Caruso.



The 3 of us in Nassau last week on our way to the Carnival Triumph.

This n That

Skate.
Swim.
Mall.
Obscene amounts of food.
Nap.
TV.
Book.

Luxuries I don't indulge often; Welcome Sunday.

First, a quick update -
John Heald - the industries leading "cruise director" - interviewed me on Friday for Carnival Cruise Lines official blog, which he hosts daily. I was honored to be included. Unlike this blog, that blog has set many milestones. I still marvel at how he has time to write so much every day on top of everything else he does. A man of many hats.

Scroll down toward the bottom to read the interview:
http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/07/its-kind-of-magic/


In other Carnival news, on Friday I pitched an ambitious proposal that includes building 5 new shows over the next 4 years. I'm ready for it , there are many cool ideas brewing in my brain. Besides that, hard work keeps me out of trouble. My proposal ended with "I hope this meets Carnival's equally aggressive urge to grow." Cross your fingers with me.

Finally - last night's show at the Deauville Resort was great - we were near capacity again. I hope this continues, adding a second show has been one of our goals.

A sincere thanks to this audience for spending last night with us:
(notice the cute lady in pink, front row - I'll write more about her next time)

Spam I am

I admit it - it was a bad idea. A back door approach better left for dogs... no, weasels. It won't happen again. I learned my lesson. ::insert bowing my head in shame::
There, is that enough?

See, I used an large e-mail list that unfortunately contained some bad eggs. Forgive me Holy Mail-God, I might have sent... um... er....
Es Pee Ay Em. I can't even say it. I know what you're thinking, but I'll exercise my right to silence when it comes to revealing my e-mail list resource. Suffice to say my level of gullibility ran parallel with my naiveness in internet advertising.

The positive feedback outnumbered the bad for sure, but the bad was bad... Intimidating threats and name-calling combined with rage just isn't my thing. I personally don't get mad when Pizza Hut sends me coupons in the mail, and I actually like when new businesses let me know they're in the neighborhood with clever advertising. I don't look at e-mail any differently. In fact, I find it much less intrusive. You hit delete and it's done. Thats it! Less than a second, opposed to fetching your mail at home, thumbing through it, and then deposit the 'junk' in the trash bin. The odds of advertising have remained the same for centuries; Some do. Some don't. So what. Once in a while you find a real gem, and that's what I ultimately wanted our e-mail to be.

None the less, I'll never do it again. Our image and reputation isn't worth compromising. Spamming is bad. I'll stick with our many other methods of promotion that continue doing us well. We'll send our e-mail blasts to only to those who have requested to be on our list.

---

Oddly enough, one of the signature pieces of our show is when a freely selected card is destroyed, then re-appears restored inside a sealed SPAM can.

Too dark

It's good to be back home. Our shows last night on the Carnival Triumph were great, sans the lighting issues that won't seem to go away. Technology - a double edged sword. In the old days you just changed the light bulb and you're back in business. Now there's computer boards, power cards, colour wheels, effects wheels, gobos, and the light bulb.. all in each fixture. It is comforting to know that the audience doesn't know what it's 'supposed to look like', rather they accept what they see as the finished product. What I might consider a mistake, they may consider art direction. Being able to adapt is imperative - as the show must go on.

Special thanks to these great audiences last night:
8:30pm show:


10:30pm show:

mi casa

I got a new laser to play with. It's very impressive considering it was less than $300. A nice, bright, fat green beam that even a few years ago would have cost several thousand dollars. Although not quite bright enough for the new illusion I've been working on, it's perfect for all the testing & rehearsing that's soon to invade my living room.

The Kevin & Caruso house has many disguises, including; office, costume shop, rehearsal space, and for lack of a better word - laboratory. I've always felt both comfortable and productive working from home. Boredom is buried by the graveyard of unfinished good ideas that still demand - and deserve - more attention. Likewise, since backstage storage is virtually non-existent , the other graveyard of genuine "junk" is best left here to retire or reinvent itself.

Our show is always a work in progress, and it will never be 'complete.' I've witnessed many talented performers stop growing after their first big ovation, then quickly get stale. Giving birth to new material is very exciting , but not something to be rushed. Each element is inspired at its own leisure. You can't force creativity to follow a deadline, or you end up with a black and white Mona Lisa. Having the house double as the studio gives full time access to pursue any untimely moments of genius.

Squeeze together

Standing room only last night. Sold Out.
How can these two simple words be laced with so many emotions.

Sadness: Those who waited until the last minute were told that (un)fortunately we had reached capacity. It's a bittersweet feeling to turn down business this way.

Anxiety: The 30 minutes before show time seem like 30 years. One cocoon after another hatching their butterflies. So much to double check; and triple check. Costumes, Props, Animals, Lights, Computers, Lasers, Pyrotechnics, Smoke Machines, Projectors, Sound Equipment, Microphone. Invariably, it's right at 8pm when I have to pee... and there's no bathroom backstage.

Fear: What if something goes wrong!?! The place is packed. Reputations on the line. The laws of chance don't apply here. The bigger the audience, the bigger the blunders. That's just the way things are. If the old legend every theater has a ghost is true, then a full house is akin to Halloween.

Suspense: This is serious business. There is an expectation in the air that needs to be gratified. No two shows are ever the same. Half of my brain meticulously rehearses the backup plan to every possible situation.

Excitement: My life's work is on display. I love what I do. Nothing to worry about, I've done this a million times. It's like clockwork. The video overture is about to begin, as the energy in the theater approaches overload.

Grateful: These 260 people fought their way through traffic and parking to watch us perform. I'm truly appreciative that people have put this trust is us and will give 100% of myself for this performance.

Validation: The show went without a hitch. Full standing ovation. The autographs and photographs remind me that on some level what I do is important. Word of mouth will again secure the future.

Satisfaction: The week has once again come to an end. It was the best-case scenario thanks to the dedication of our incredible cast and crew. I lock the theater door with a big smile.


Now for the encore.... My Sweet Bed. The one night each week I get to sleep for 12 hours.


A special thanks to this great audience for sharing their Saturday night with us: