The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Every now and then, along comes a party which is different from any other party I have been too. Every now and then I also get asked to entertain at said parties, and there is usually something quite unusual that is requested as part of that performance.

Yesterday evenings show was one such party.

It was a 30th Birthday for a young lady called Heidi, who was mad on Alice in Wonderland and fairy tales. She was a member of an Amateur Dramatic Club (Am-Dram) and so were the majority of her friends. So when she decided to put on a fancy dress party, with the theme being Alice and Fairy Tales, you can imagine how her group of guests, being used to dressing up and putting on make up regularly for their own shows, reacted. It was a real spectacle, in the most over the top way possible. 

Grown men arrived with their hair dyed red, and gothic black style clothing (apparently this was also an option for the dress code!) as well as one particularly ingenious individual who dressed as the Smoking Caterpillar, by cutting holes in a sleeping bag for his arms and legs, and using it as a cover over his head... As we were inside a public building, he wasn't smoking. We even had a fluffy bunny rabbit, although he was running late!

I was invited to come along and entertain with close up magic, dressed as the Mad Hatter. While everyone was enjoying their cakes and cups of tea, I was wondering around performing miracles for people. I had a great time, especially as everyone was there to enjoy themselves. This was the second time I had been asked to perform as the Mad Hatter, the last time being at a Wedding Tea Party. This was a direct booking from the mother who saw me at the wedding.

So why am I telling you all this? Well everyone at this party will remember it for a long time. It might be because of the theme, or because of all the fantastic costumes. I would like to think it is partly because of the magic, but whatever the reason, it was definitely different, and will be remembered for that alone.

Todays Tip: When planning your party, think how you can make it different from any party you have given before, or any party you have been to. It may be that you have a theme, or a first rate entertainer, or you get creative with the food, whatever it is, try to make it different, and stand out, that way it will be remembered as something special, and will become the benchmark to which all other parties are compared with.

Drawings are from the original "Alice in Wonderland" books, illustrated by Sir John Tenniel