Comedy magician hire in Australia: the complete guide

Nobody books a comedy magician for the tricks. They book one because a room of adults who think they are too cool for magic will forget that inside ninety seconds, and because the person who makes them laugh first can then make them gasp. The magic is real, but it is carrying jokes.

Live prices from the comedy magicians on this site sit below. This is the format that travels furthest across audiences, which is why it turns up at work functions, community nights and family parties that have to keep a grandmother and a teenager happy in the same hour.

Current figures, broken down by city, follow this section. Because a comedy magic show is usually sold as a set of a defined length, the figures compare cleanly with a stand-up spot and often come in beneath a band for the same slot in the evening.

What moves a quote is generally the format rather than the fame. A walkaround block through drinks costs differently from a seated show with a sound system and a volunteer routine, and some performers price the two separately because the preparation is not the same.

The structure is usually a show built like a stand-up set, with the magic providing the punchlines. Routines run longer than a straight trick because the performer is developing characters out of the volunteers they pull up, and the biggest reactions in the room often have nothing to do with the effect itself.

That means the audience is part of the act. A good one reads who wants to be on stage and who is hiding behind a menu, and never humiliates the person they pick. Ask how they choose volunteers if you are worried about a shy crowd or a boss who will not enjoy being the joke.

Family days, milestone birthdays and community fundraisers are where this act earns its fee. Children follow the visual gags, adults follow the wordplay, and a performer working both layers at once keeps a whole hall together in a way that a purely adult act or a purely kids act cannot.

If your crowd spans that far, say so in the enquiry. The performer will pitch the show differently, and some carry a separate version of their set for exactly this kind of room.

For company functions, this format sidesteps the thing that makes people nervous about hiring a comedian. The laughs come out of impossible objects and a volunteer's reactions rather than out of opinions about anybody, so there is less riding on how well the performer read your workplace.

Still ask about language and about whether anything in the set relies on the crowd being a bit drunk. The answer tells you whether the show is right for a lunchtime awards presentation or only for the back half of the evening.

What does the show run to, and is there a shorter version? Do you need a stage, a microphone or a spot to change? How many volunteers come up, and how do you choose them? Is there a swear word anywhere in it? And can we watch a full routine rather than a montage, because timing is the thing that cannot be edited in.

Also ask what happens if the room is still eating. Some performers will not start over the clatter of plates, and they are right, so agree the cue with your venue before the night.