Comedy stars defy the odds to share magic show online

FORMER students of the College of Magic have banded together to put their comedic skills to good use.

Stuart Taylor, Conrad Koch and Riaad Moosa will be joining forces with Cape Town’s only magical arts organisation to celebrate its 40th anniversary of what it calls “sharing wonder with the world”, with its very first online fund-raising show, next weekend.

The trio will host the online fundraising show in association with Web Shows (Pty) Ltd, an online platform that connects artists and audiences.

will feature local and international magicians, including Khayelitsha’s Olwethu Dyantyi, and David Ben from Canada and Chris Capehart from the US.

Taylor said College of Magic would always need assistance in the work they do since they are a non-profit organisation.

“We were going to do a big comedy and magic show at Artscape in May. That, of course, got cancelled. Once I did my first online show, I realised we could use the platform to go ahead with the college show. We think it’s a great opportunity to expose the college and the great work they do to an even broader community. I’m a product of their 40 years of work, so this is a small way I get to give back,” he said.

Koch said the Claremont-based college had been a community-building institution for years.

“It helps young people build selfesteem, develop skills and brings people together. Its work should be hugely supported by everyone.

“It’s incredibly exciting that we are now able to perform globally and create unique virtual experiences that we’d never before have imagined. The line-up is outstanding and it all goes to a brilliant cause,” he said.

Moosa said: “The college is the reason I’m in entertainment. It allowed me to break through my introvert shell as a teenager. It’s a wonderful institution run by wonderfully warmhearted down-to-earth people.

“Online shows are the new normal. Obviously, I’d prefer the audience to be laughing uncontrollably in front of me. But I may have to settle for a ‘laugh out loud’ in the comment section.”

College of Magic director, David Gore, said: “As magicians, we thrive on making the impossible, possible. The current health crisis presented us with the unique opportunity to reinvent our 40th anniversary fund-raising show and the art of sharing magic with audiences around the world virtually.

“We’ve been delighted with the response of world-class performers and our own successful graduates, who’ve come to our aid and are generously donating their time to our show.

is going to be a fantastic event and we can’t wait to share the wonder online with the public.”

Tickets cost R150 and are available on Quicket. Once audiences buy their tickets, a unique streaming link will be sent to them.

PICTURE: CHAD FINDLAY