I must have looked a bit blank, because Mary clarified this.
"Transport, is the fact that we need only have one,
admittedly large, van to get the equipment to the venues. Time
one is we don't want to spend the hours it would take re-assembling
the gear when we get to the venue. Time two is we generally want
a show that only lasts no more than two and a half hours. To do
all those would take all today and tomorrow. Audiences is the
fact that audiences easily tire of seeing what they think of as
the same trick over again, so once someone has been sawn into
several parts, the audience are done with sawing and want
something different. And James forget one, flow of show, that is
there are some tricks you can't easily do immediately after
others, such as you can't saw an assistant's legs off if you have
just vanished her."
All this seemed obvious once mentioned. I said, "So, you
have to put together a show that will fit in the van, will last
long enough without being boring, that flows naturally and gives
me and Mary sufficient kicks to make it worth it."
"Precisely," agreed James, "except that we want
several, so we can suit the show to the venue, the audience and
the stage. Getting a show the right length is easy. You plan the
big stuff to be twenty minutes less than the full show and fill
in with rope tricks, card tricks and a pick-pocket routine.