The Boudoir of the Dancing Girl
By T. Page Wright and William Larsen

STYLE of performance in magic is something seldom discussed, but it is vital in the consideration of this particular illusion. A broad comedy presentation or one of heavy mystery would be equally out of place. The illusion must be handled lightly and deftly in a style of high comedy; comedy not in the sense that the magician is working for laughs, but simply that the illusion is presented as divertisement, not to be taken seriously either from the standpoint of effect or mystery. It is in a measure curious that although the gruesome is frequently used as an illusionary background and, occasionally, the broadly spectacular the elements of simple beauty and grace are almost entirely neglected. Yet beauty dwells in smaller things than expensive scenic effects, and grace is an addition to any presentation.

The entire effect not only should be, but absolutely must be done to the accompaniment of music throughout. The whole experiment can be handled better in pantomime than with the aid of speech, and music is essential to the atmosphere. The illusion is best preceded by a small item which can be done before the front curtain, so that the effect may be discovered ready set. At the conclusion of his minor problem, the magician steps to one side and, as the music starts, motions the front curtain up. Upon the stage a girl is discovered. As the curtain rises she begins to dance. She is young, she is pretty, and she dances well--a light dance utterly free from any suggestion of "jazziness." The stage need not be too brilliantly lit--better that the lights be somewhat dimmed that she may stand out more strongly in contrast in the brilliance of the spotlight. To one side of the stage the magician stands, motionless, as much a spectator for the moment as anyone in the audience The dance ends, but the music continues through the illusion, though more softly, as a delicate accompaniment.

Lightly the girl runs over to where, slightly to one side of the stage, stands her "boudoir." This is a cabinet, without front, decorated inside in light colors as a lady's boudoir might be decorated, and containing for furniture a light dressing table, standing with its back against the back of the cabinet.

The cabinet is raised from the stage a foot or two, so that the audience may see underneath it at all times. Into this the girl steps, still moving in time to the music. She smiles out at the audience, then around at the performer, who has moved across the stage and now stands beside the cabinet. She reaches up and pulls down a spring blind on a roller, like a window curtain to close the front of the cabinet. As she does, the magician pushes a switch in the side of the cabinet and a light is switched on, set in the middle of the inside back of the curtain.

She is starting to disrobe, as the audience watches her silhouette form she reaches down and daintily pulls off one slipper, then the other. Then, one at a time. she rolls down her stockings, and slips them off. Next she allows her dress to slip from her and drop upon the floor of the cabinet, and finally her underthings. She stands posed for a moment in shadow. As she does, the magician leans over and takes hold of the bottom of the roller curtain and raises it. But the gasp of the audience dies as it begins, for the shadow has vanished instantly and, as the curtain goes up, it discloses the boudoir empty. Nowhere is there room inside for the girl to be concealed, yet she is not there. The assistants turn the cabinet about. Since the front of the cabinet is open, there can be no question about the matter. Inside and outside are visible at the same time, but the girl is gone.

Though it will be recognized that the instantaneous and almost visible vanishment provides mystery, it, is subordinate to the general effect. The whole illusion carries something of the atmosphere of a modern revue. And why not?

We can hardly wish to compete with that form of entertainment entirely, but we may well derive from it what we can in the way of diversion to give variety to our own performance.

But, if this be done, it must be done properly. The girl must be a good dancer, must be dainty and pretty. Costume and setting must be fitting and good looking, and the performer must be able to carry out his part of the performance with grace, playing it as light comedy, yet permitting nothing in his behavior that will give the effect to the whole of vulgarity. Unless it is done thus, the atmosphere will suggest. not a revue, but a cheap burlesque.

Magically, the arrangements are simple. The cabinet is no more than it appears to be. It is fitted, however, with two lights inside, one at the back and the other at the top, near the front. The wiring is so arranged that throwing a switch at the side of the cabinet, on the outside, will switch the current from one light to the other. The two are on a single switch so that the light change will be instantaneous. At the start the top light is on.

During the dance the magician yields the stage entirely to the girl. He stands to one side watching and motionless, for no attention is being paid him anyway. But as the girl finishes and steps into the cabinet he comes across the stage and stands beside it. As she pulls down the spring blind, he throws the switch go that the top light of the cabinet goes off, and the back light goes on. This he does just as she has the curtain half way down, so that the shadow movements may be followed from the beginning. The light must not be switched on too soon, however, or it would shine directly into the eyes of the audience, and as it must be sufficiently strong to throw a single sharp shadow of the girl upon the shade it would prove most disagreeable.

When the disrobing has been completed the magician leans over and throws the switch again and then deliberately takes hold of the curtain and raises it. The throwing of the switch has, of course, made the shadow invisible since it is the top light which is now on, and as the magician moves deliberately there is a space of about five seconds before the curtain is raised; time enough for a well- rehearsed girl to get safely into her hiding place. But where is her hiding place?

Apparently there is no space where she could be concealed. Actually, however, the innocent-looking and thin dressing table is not what it appears to be. For from the leg toward the audience against the cabinet wall a mirror runs to the leg diagonally opposite, creating a triangular space of just sufficient size to contain the girl. As the only clothing she wears at this time consists of garments stretched flesh-tight about her breasts and hips, the table may be quite small. It is hardly necessary to remark to an audience of magicians that the reflection of the opposite side of the cabinet will appear to be the back of the cabinet seen under the dressing table, and that the reflection of the third leg will appear as the fourth leg.

The decoration of the interior of the cabinet as a boudoir, the presence of the chair and general use of the cabinet as a dressing-or rather un-dressing-room-- serve to make the dressing table fit in with the mise-en-scene and a natural furnishing for the cabinet. It might be pointed out that the mirror to be used in this experiment is smaller, and consequently more portable, than in the majority of such self-contained mirror illusions.

It will be obvious that the exact time taken by the girl in getting out of sight must be ascertained by careful rehearsal, for upon her speed depends the effectiveness of the mystery. Any seconds that the magician may waste before raising the curtain once she is out of sight will lesson the effect of the illusion by that much. For him to raise the curtain even a fraction of a second too soon, on the other hand, would end the performance then and there.