PALAISTHEATRE,MELBOURNE-SATURDAYJUNE(^29) *matinee
PALAISTHEATRE,MELBOURNE-SATURDAYJUNE
29
DARLINGHARBOURTHEATRE,ICCSYDNEY-FRIDAY
JULY 5
THESTAR,GOLDCOAST-MONDAYJULY 8
CANBERRATHEATRE,CANBERRA-SATURDAY
13 JULY
ENTERTAINMENTCENTRE,ADELAIDE-TUESDAY
16 JULY
CROWNTHEATRE,PERTH-SATURDAY 20 JULY
TICKETSONSALENOWatlivenation.com.au
TRADING PLACES
Is there a trick that you would
one day love to master?
Yeah, as a little boy I saw a
very famous magician when
he came to Australia. His name
was David Copperfield and he
was able to fly on the stage, not
just levitate, but actually fly like
Superman. That’s the trick that I
really want to do.
What do you think is the best
part about being a magician?
You don’t have to grow up. All
the things that I wanted to do
as a kid, if I dream about it I can
actually make it become real!
That’s the best thing about
being a magician; you can use
your wild imagination and do
anything you want.
What are three things every
magician should own?
A packet of playing cards, a
mirror to practice in front of
and a close-up table or mat to
practice your magic. They’re the
three things you need to start
with.
How can a kid get into magic?
What would be their first step?
You know what? I wouldn’t
go online. I wouldn’t look at
YouTube. I would go to the
library. The reason being, if
you borrow a book on magic
then you have to read it and
understand it and you’re
not going to mimic or copy
somebody else by watching
them online. You’ll develop your
own style and personality. And
then when you’ve got that,
you can go online and watch
other people perform which
is great because you can see
how it’s supposed to look. But
if you read a magic trick and
kind of adjust it and adapt it to
yourself, you’ll be a much better
magician in the long run.
someone asks?
I don’t reveal my secrets. There
is a special code that magicians
never reveal how the trick is
done. But if someone is sincere
about learning magic then you
can teach magic.
Have you ever had a trick go
very wrong while you were
performing?
I do a lot of dangerous escapes
and I was underwater going
down 10 metres deep and I
was chained and locked up
and I blew my eardrum going
underwater. Then when I swam
to the surface and my ear was
bleeding and I had to cancel
the ending of my TV show. I’ve
also been slashed by a knife
and had to get 12 stitches in my
chin and seven in my forehead.
I’ve broken ribs and I’ve broken
my ankle from hanging upside
down, so YES things definitely
do go wrong!
Who is your favourite magician?
A guy called Harry Houdini.
He’s passed away now. He
died in 1926, but he was the
world’s first celebrity! There
were no celebrities before Harry
Houdini. He came along and
created that whole world that
we now take for granted. He
was an escape artist and back
in the 1900s they believed that
Houdini would melt through his
handcuffs. So he’s my first hero.
Then there’s David Copperfield.
He’s a great illusionist. He
made his shows so fantastic
and theatrical and as a little
boy seeing his show was
extraordinary. His show wasn’t
just a magic show, it was like a
big rock concert. I’ve never seen
anything like it!
What do you like to do when
you’re not doing magic or
working?
That’s a good question. You
know what? I’m always doing
magic and I’m always working,
the reason being I love it so
much that it’s not a job for me.
If I go watch a movie I usually
get ideas for my own magic
show, if I’m reading a book, I’ll
get ideas, so I never switch off,
I’m always thinking of different
ideas. But I do like to watch
films and I like to go and watch
musical theatre.
Lastly, can you tell us a
completely random fact about
yourself?
Oh, that’s another really good
one! I love animals. I have
two cats, I have three birds. I
have a dog. I used to have a
cockatoo and I used to have
12 birds, so I’m a big animal
lover. Also, I have a secret
facility back home that we call
‘Magic Land.’ No one is allowed
there. It’s a private place,
but in there is where we
create all of our illusions and
come up with our ideas. We
rehearse in there. It’s really,
really cool. We have moving
bookshelves, we have rock
climbing walls and arcade
machines and video games
and it’s a place where I get
really, really creative. So
that’s something not many
people know about me and
how I bring my magic to life.