TRICKSTERS GEAR UP FOR MAGIC HOLIDAY FUN
17-29c
IT all started with a simple magic set gifted to Jason Gray when he was six.
Now, more than two decades later, the naturopathturned-magician levitates children for a living.
“I wanted to be a doctor but my parents wanted me to be a magician,” he said laughing. “It’s a hobby I never grew out of.”
The 27-year-old said he was often asked to perform at parties in high school as he grew up, which eventually grew to corporate events.
Alongside his illusionist partner Jason Lambeth as the Coast Magicians, the pair have wowed thousands of adults and kids.
He said one of their most interesting tricks was a comedic sketch where one of them escapes from a suit jacket and handcuffs, while the other escapes out of a straitjacket.
“It’s a bit of a signature thing that no one else does,” he said, adding they could also levitate a table, which people found fascinating.
“I also do real crazy stuff like swallow a lifesaver and pull it out of my neck with an iPod cable.”
Mr Gray said they were grateful they could bring smiles to people’s faces through magic – even if tricks did go wrong sometimes.
“I do this trick where I make a watch stop,” Mr Gray said. “One time at a corporate event, I made a watch stop and then it wouldn’t start ticking again.
“But Jason (Lambeth) did a bit of hypnosis and the man went off believing that his watch was working.”
The Coast Magicians will be performing as part of Surfers Paradise Kids Week, which runs from September 23 to 29 at Cavill Avenue.
Weatherzone Meteorologist Kim Westcott said temperatures would be above average this week.
“The long-term average in September is 24 degrees,” she said. “In the next few days the temperature will reach 25C and will reach a maximum of 32C by Monday.
“We could see some showers or a thunderstorm on Friday afternoon.”