Travelling Illusionists bring their magic to town
On the heels of a multi-city tour and run on Broadway, The Illusionists is coming to Vancouver. Touted as “the world’s best-selling touring magic show,” it features five practitioners of the magic arts, including An Ha Lim, Colin Cloud, Adam Trent, Jonathan Goodwin, and Darcy Oake. Originally from Winnipeg, Oake performed (at the age of 18) at Hollywood’s prestigious magic watering hole The Magic Castle, has appeared on Britain’s Got Talent (in a breakout performance), and headlined 10 shows at the Calgary Stampede. We talked to the 31-year-old magician about bear traps, idols, and dinner with the Queen.
Q
This show recently completed a run on Broadway. Did you do the trick where you hang from a bear trap and have to escape before it closes onyou?
A
No. That thing stresses me out. I only do it for certain gigs. My mom hates it. (Oake’s parents were in New York over Christmas for some of the shows.)
Q
What was the inspiration for that particular feat?
A
I wanted to do something that wasn’t magic, but was real. The upside-down straitjacket escape is something that’s been around forever. We were putting a different spin on it.
Q
There must be quite a lot of pressure to come up with the next thing.
A
Exactly. You’re always trying to work on new stuff. But at the end of the day, there are the classics people know and expect. It’s a balance of the two.
Q
Is there anything new in magic, or are there only so many magic tricks or illusions, and just variations on those?
A
I always say that there are only eight tricks you can do. You can make someone appear, disappear, float in the air, read someone’s mind, escape from something, switch places, you can move something with your mind. It’s how you weave them together. The question is, what is it, outside of the trick itself, that you are trying to convey? How are you connecting with the audience? The magic is the vehicle for connecting with the audience and conveying a particular emotion.
Q
Who were your idols while growing up?
A
David Copperfield for sure. David Blaine. Anyone who carved out a specific niche, who became known for their particular style.
Q
The deeper you get into magic, how much esoteric knowledge is out there — stuff you can’t find on the Internet?
A
There’s a lot of it, and that’s where a lot of the best stuff comes from. A lot of the stuff that’s online is New Age-type stuff. But if go back and dig deep, say to the old vaudeville days, once you understand that you can apply it to today and take it to the next level.
Q
You performed at the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration. Do you remember what was served?
A
I have the menu. It was an extravagant meal. Pretty decadent.
Q
Are you learning anything from the other magicians on this tour?
A
The nice thing is that everybody
has their own solo show. For us to come together, it’s more of a jam session. We bounce ideas off each other, we share material.
Q
All the magicians on the tour are male. Why is that? Do you think it’s changing?
A
On the Broadway show there was one woman (Chloé Crawford). We need more of them. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about magic and illusion — there are a handful of really good ones and then a lot of hobbyists. When a female magician comes along, it’s really cool.