Fun Endings

1. Turn the small pizza into a LARGE and after applause and while you're putting it away say "now that's what I call a snack for the drive home!...let's give our chef assistant a big hand" etc. (Axtell)

2. turn the small pizza into a LARGE pizza and take your applause, then pull them apart into 2 LARGE pizzas..."Hey look it was a double deal" (or 2 for one)...then as you put them away say "now that's what I call a snack for the drive home!...let's give our chef assistant a big hand" etc. The Double Deal presentation requires that you hold the pizzas horizontal as in the picture, so it is comedy and surprise you are going for here....not absolute realism. Obviously you don't hold real pizzas like this, but at this point no one cares...they love the surprise and cleverness of the presentation. (Axtell)

3. Have a single slice of real pizza hiding in your magic stand. After you put the pizza away as in 1 and 2 above, come up with one slice and take a bite out of the slice....mumbling "mmmmm! I couldn't wait"....then get rid of it. (Axtell)

4. Say, "later, after the show I'll do my favorite trick....making a pizza dissappear" as you lick your lips. (Axtell)

Routine Ideas

Anyways, here is what I have thought about pizza to go - it´s not new, but I guess it´s an entertaining and rewarding 10 to 15 minute-try. The pizza to go is - because of its marvellous small-to-huge-effect - perfect for the place of the climax in a magic or vent show, especially for kids 8 - 12.

I would use the pizza to go from the very beginning of my show as a running gag.

I tell the audience that I wanted to eat something before the show but somehow the time passed by, and now I can´t eat it, because I have to do my show. But I let the kids guess what I wanted to eat and show them the pizza box (for the dumber kids I even give a hint that it´s something my grandma from italy used to make me every week once or twice) - and the kids shout "pizza", yeah, they´re right. But I don´t let them see the pizza, it might lose heat , I just peek through the box and tell the kids five toppings which I can see on the pizza.

Then I start the show, and after 20 - 25 % of the show time I ask them what it is what I want to eat after the show and the kids again shout "pizza". Then I ask them what is on the pizza and I name five toppings that are simply unbelievable (a screwdriver, a banana, a green shoelace....), so the kids correct me and tell me what is on the pizza. I say "ah, uh, thanks for telling me" and ask them if they want to see the pizza. Of course they want ; but I don´t want to show them my pizza yet, because of the heat, I don´t want to have a cold pizza............ this biz is repeated once or twice after another 20 - 25 % of showtime, and finally I get to the pizza baking routine itself, pre-last trick in my show.

I run through the complete running-gag-patter again and ask the kids if they now want to see the pizza, and of course they want to see. So I pick up my pizza box (for additional laughs I might even pretend to burn my fingers because the box is so hot - ouch) I open the box towards the audience, show them gleefully and ask "Well, isn´t it nice ?" and the kids tell me that there is no pizza at all - magcian-in-trouble-syndrom again which can be milked another few seconds until I realize that my pizza is gone.

Two possibilities : 1.) I can take it easy and decide to bake myself a pizza with magic and the help of someone in the audience, a nice and quiet person who raises quietly his or her hand....mmmh.....what about the girl over there ...... 2.) I can milk the moment once more and pretend to cry with my hands over my face and finally return to 1.)

Anyways I end up with FOUR kids from the audience, two girls, two boys ; I dress all of them up as "my assistant cooks" with white aprons (cut from old bed sheets), and have them standing two of each side of me. One, my "kitchen assistant" holds the instant pizza bag, another one, my "delivery assistant", holds the pizza box, on my other side is my "chief assistant" wearing the Chef´s hat, and the "magic assistant" holding the magic cook book or any fun magic wand available. I tell my assistant staff the magic words of today for baking the pizza and voila...nothing happens. I repeat the shouting of magic words once more and voila....my magic wand is gone and I have a poon in my hand ! Something´s wrong with the magic words ! I carefully read the cook book by loud hum-hums and finally only my four assistants and I call the magic words. Voila, we have made our pizza at least. But it´s far too small !! Now, the entire audience must shout the magic words for me and..........wow !!!!!!!!!!!!

give it a try !

Tom Miehl

Steve, I've used it at one birthday party already and I showed it at the last IBM meeting. It went well both times .My son,who is my assistant,kept pretending to be munching my pizza,no matter how many times I had to speak to him My pizza was still gone when I went to show it to the audience.Good running Gag.Still need to smooth out the part of putting the ingredients in Thought I might try to find some plastic ingredients to put in the bag Otherwise it's a good solid routine.
Tim Cleary