This is something I've been wanting to write about for a couple years now, and was actually what first made me realize my other site was down.
Back in 2013 I was working at a bank. My branch manager was (probably still is) a member of the Masons. There was some sort of charity event where the lodge was open to the public and had entertainment, singers, comedians, etc. He knew I was a magician and asked me if I would be willing to do something for the lodge, and I agreed.
I had a couple months to think about what I was going to do. I knew I wanted to tie it in to the Masons somehow, not just do some card tricks. While doing some Googling, I found out Harry Houdini used to be a Mason, the date he was sworn into his lodge was within a few days of 90 years from my performance, and I had a full view mail bag escape I bought from Cannon's years ago that I loved to perform but rarely did. Perfect.
Normally the escape is done by having a spectator create their own 4-digit combination on the lock and "figuring it out" through the canvas bag. To streamline the performance, I set the combination to Houdini's day of death (1031) and focused the presentation on figuring out the position of the dials through the canvas even though I knew the combo. I had a set of leg irons and handcuffs connected with chains attaching to a chain padlocked around my waist. I used a paperclip as a tie clip to pick my way out with, and I was all set.
Getting to the lodge I noticed two things right away. First, there were a ton of people. Many, many more than I expected. Nerves kicked in a bit, but I was okay. I figured the escape was a good way to go for a good sized crowd. The second thing I noticed was that it was fucking hot. The lodge was in the upper floors of an old brick building with no air conditioning on a hot summer afternoon. Even with windows open and fans on, I was sweating like crazy just sitting still. I was a little concerned about that since the bag gets hot quickly, but I figured I could get out quickly and be okay. We all have to suffer for our art, right?
The event was already going on when I got there, so I found my manager found out when I would be on, and got a bottle of water to sip on while I waited. I was going to be going up last, right after an historical impersonator. He was dressed up as an historical figure and was supposed to give about a five minute talk in the first person about this guy's life. Instead, he went on for over a half hour, taking us from birth through death. The audience was getting restless and as soon as he finished, a good two-thirds of them got up and left.
Fantastic. Here I was ready to go on and most of my audience has walked out and the ones that are left are just oozing with "Oh fuck, there's more?" Oh well. I got introduced, said my piece, got locked up and locked into the bag. Then the trouble began. Almost instantly I was drenched in sweat. That bag was hotter than hot and it was almost hard to breathe.
I figure if you've read this far, you deserve to have the curtain pulled back a bit. It makes it easier for me to explain what's going on without spilling the beans too much, too. The paperclip does nothing. Although I can pick cuffs open with a paperclip, I had a handcuff key in my pocket. I got out of the cuffs quickly, popped the lock holding my belly chain (self gimmicked to easy open), opened the cuff on my left ankle, then dropped the fucking key.
I felt around on the bottom of the bag for it briefly, but it wasn't readily available and I was way too hot. I decided to forget about it and just get out the bag, taking the one cuff as a loss and trying to spin it somehow. The lock holding the bag shut it a very clever gimmick. There's something you can do to it from inside the bag that lets it open, regardless of what the combo is set on. I did what I needed to do, and the lock wouldn't open. I tried again, still nothing.
Now I was starting to panic a bit. I didn't want to admit full defeat so I punted for a plan B. I managed to force the cinched top open just a hair and was able to swing the padlock up and maneuver it inside just a bit. Fortunately I knew what the combo was this time and was able to open the lock the traditional way. I dumped the lock, opened the cinch, and climbed out drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
I did get a heavy round of applause from the people who were left, and my manager had an ice cold bottle of water waiting for me. I used my paperclip to pop open the cuff on my right ankle in full view of the audience which got me a little more applause. People mostly left after that, but I did have a few people come by and shake my hand as I was packing up and tell me it was good.
Since then I've discovered that the lock basically works when it wants to. The best I can figure out is that once you open it the gimmicked way, it needs to be opened the regular way before the gimmick will work again. But that's not always the case either, so I have no idea what's going on with it. If anybody has experience with this effect, shoot me an email because I'd like to talk it over with you.
I had a lot of fun with the performance and the escape. I wish it had gone a little smoother but I think I managed to take something going bad and turn it into something decent. It's like using an Invisible Deck as a backup during a card trick: Might not be what you wanted to do when you started, but the audience doesn't know that and they're still entertained.
- Andster
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