Magician says people want to be amazed
Dressed in black and carrying a white dove, a magician performs a simple ruse.
It’s an illusion twenty-one year old Mike Lindsay demonstrates confidently, but he doesn’t want it to become his party trick.
‘‘As a teenager, I loved showing people new tricks... but then I got to an age where now I just want to go to a party and socialise.’’
Lindsay has been performing professionally since he was 18, but the magic of smoke and mirrors has enticed him since a young age.
‘‘I was interested in learning, I just never knew how to start when I was watching it on TV, so at that point it was just an idea in the head.’’
Now the small-town native is touring around the Waikato with his new show It’s Showtime.
Bringing with him his dove Gizmo and chicken Nugget, Lindsay said he was excited to perform in Hamilton, saying audiences were generally more appreciative and responsive in smaller towns.
Hailing from Ruawai himself, a small township located 30km south of Dargaville, Lindsay had to break the mould.
‘‘My parents are dairy farmers, and I didn’t really want to get up at five in the morning to milk cows, so I decided to get up at ten in the morning and be a magician.
‘‘The rural communities don’t think you can earn a wage from it,’’ he said.
Lindsay has performed at childrens’ birthday parties and corporate events and said despite changing times, his magic is still accessible.
‘‘People get smarter, information gets more accessible, but the good thing is there’s still enough people out there who just want to be amazed.
‘‘There definitely has been a lot of development in the sense that, a couple hundred years ago it was easier to fool someone,’’ he said.
‘‘But as a kid, everything’s impressive. Your mum puts something uncooked in the oven and an hour later it comes out cooked, and when a kid doesn’t know how that fully works, that’s magic.
‘‘There will be one day when magic will be super tough, but like everything, it’s just got to change with the times.’’
It’s Showtime, Saturday, May 27 at Hamilton Boys’ High School, 2pm and 7pm. Details and tickets from: ItsShowtime.co.nz