This is Royle’s Comedy Cabaret Sponge Ball Routine exactly as he started performing it in the Northern Working Men’s Clubs in England — around 1990.
There are plenty of high-impact, magical moments. Additionally, there are numerous opportunities for laughter, gags, and bits of business along the way.
Depending on your performing style and pace, the length of this route can vary. It can be a complete 8 to 10-minute feature cabaret routine, or it can be sped up and streamlined to a 5-minute close-up presentation – it’s up to you!
This PDF eBook contains 60 full-color photographs, and provides access to well over 60 minutes of instructional videos. You will learn every element of this audience-tested, “workers” routine in a simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step manner.
During this fast-moving routine:
*An observation game is played with one red sponge ball. After much comical byplay, the red ball disappears. Lo and behold, the magician is now holding a red sponge cube in one hand and a black sponge ball in the other.
*These are then discarded into the magician’s pocket. A small, metal purse frame is shown held in empty hands. Magically, a sponge ball is produced from within this “invisible” purse.
*The ball is rubbed and visibly split into two balls before the audience’s eyes.
*One ball jumps from your left hand to join the other ball in your right hand.
*Then one ball vanishes from your hand and joins the other ball inside the volunteer’s hand.
*Another ball is introduced. On two occasions in quick succession, two balls are placed into the volunteer’s hand and one into your pocket. It vanishes from your pocket and appears inside the spectator’s hand, along with the other two balls.
*You then appear to reveal to the audience how the trick is done by introducing a fourth ball. Unexpectedly, all of the balls disappear completely from your hands and appear back in your pocket.
*To bring the routine to a big finish, two of the balls are placed into the volunteer’s hand and two are held in your hand. The aim is to make your two balls vanish and appear inside the volunteer’s hand. But all seems to have gone wrong — your hand is opened to reveal a sponge male body part (The Magic Ding Dong – adult audiences only please).
*The volunteer then opens their hand and, instead of the two balls they were holding, they now have dozens of small baby balls popping out everywhere — much to everyone’s surprise.
*Several alternative, 100% clean replacement endings for the “Ding Dong” are also included, making this routine adaptable to all ages, audience types, and venues.
*You will also be taught how to combine other sponge gimmicks, such as Goshman’s Growing Ball Outdone, And Then There Were Four and other similar marketed effects, to make this routine even more amazing!
*Finally, you will learn numerous other sponge ball sleights, tricks and techniques. These give you the option to then add to, adapt, alter, and change the routine to suit your own performing needs if desired.
As you can see, Royle’s Comedy Cabaret Sponge Ball Routine is quite versatile. It can be performed with some or all of the above stages — all up to you!