Present Company by Tom Stone

I have now read your “Present Company,” and I like it. I particularly like the layering of methods. If I had seen you perform this, it probably would have fooled me."
Max Maven

In Present Company, the magician explains that most of the excitement with giving and receiving gifts isn’t about the actual gifts, but about the festivities and rituals surrounding the sharing of gifts, and about watching how others react. That, if the rituals are expanded, fewer gifts are necessary to reach the same collective enjoyment.

To prove this point, the magician puts down one single gift-wrapped present and says -“With just one single gift, I will give all of you enjoyment and amazement!”

Five randomly selected spectators are asked to participate. They are asked to change their positions and form a line in a random order. The participants make secret wish-lists of what gifts they want to get, without showing anyone. All but one of the participants are randomly eliminated. The remaining participant reveals, for the first time, their secret wish. The gift-wrapped present, that has been in full view the whole time, is opened and is found to contain exactly what the participant had wished for – and the participant gets to keep the gift.

As an example: If the participant’s secret wish is a bottle of wine, the gift-wrapped box will contain an actual real bottle of wine.

Even though the theme is specific to a particular season, it can be performed any time.

No stooges & no pre-show work.

9 pages. 21 illustrations.