If you’ve ever watched a magic show, you might think everything is carefully planned. Most of it is – but every now and then something completely unexpected happens, and that’s where the real fun begins

Many years ago, I was performing a comedy handcuff routine for an audience of about 300 to 400 people. The show was on a stage about four feet high, and I needed a volunteer. The routine worked best with a lady who was trim and a little shorter than me, so I spotted what looked like the perfect volunteer sitting far back in the audience.

I sent my assistant to ask if she would be willing to participate. He came back and said, “She said yes.”

Halfway through the show, I invited her on stage.

As she walked up and stood next to me, I immediately realized I had made a mistake. From a distance, she had looked several inches shorter than me. Standing beside me, she was actually several inches taller!

No problem, I thought. We’ll make it work.

The routine involved both of us being locked in handcuffs, with the cuffs linked together in a way that appeared impossible to escape. At one point, she was supposed to step through my extended arms, creating a funny situation before the magical escape.

The problem was that she was too tall.

As we tried to maneuver, we became completely tangled. The audience started laughing. She started laughing. I started laughing.

Then her long dreadlocks got caught in the handcuffs.

Now we were really tangled!

The audience was roaring. She was laughing so hard she could barely stand. I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.

To this day, I honestly don’t remember exactly how we got ourselves separated and finished the trick. Somehow, we did.

What I do remember is the laughter.

That experience taught me something about performing: sometimes the moments you never planned become the moments the audience remembers most.

And after all these years, I still laugh every time I think about it.