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Mar.13,2005 -Mar.20,2005 |
Some Tricky Talent
Magician David Ben showcases world's greatest magic
By Sarah B. Hood
Originally Published: 2004-12-05
David Ben performs impossible feats for a living. Over the past few years, Toronto's homegrown magician and scholar of the conjuring arts has created a series of shows recreating the greatest and most elegant magic performances of the past. In his persona as The Conjurer, he has evoked period pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries with costumery and props of the appropriate eras.
Now, as himself, he is presenting a showcase named simply Tricks. "Most people know me as The Conjurer, with historical recreations of great magic pieces," says Ben. "I wanted to explore the great repertoire of that period. Now I want to explore other repertoires."
Ben's current production is very intimate - it takes place in a very small theatre where audience members may only be a few feet away from the performer at floor level. It is also much more improvisational than Ben's previous shows.
As the title suggests, Tricks is simply a collection of the most puzzling, astonishing and amazing feats of magic ever performed before an audience. "Some tricks are just great tricks: mysterious, visceral: they hit the whole range, and I don't have to be 'The Conjurer', I can just be me and display my obsession," he says.
The show opens with Ben painting a psychic portrait of a member of the audience. He performs "an old spiritualist stunt where a wooden hand tells who's lying by rapping on a table." Then there are classic tricks with props, like the cup and balls. Also, "I've picked three cards tricks; I think they're the three greatest card tricks you'll ever see."
"A lot of magicians are afraid to use the word 'tricks'. These are a bunch of tricks, and there's no shame in that," says Ben. "Everything in the show is a trick; I lie constantly. We're doing tricks here, so were trying to mess with your mind."
However, he adds, not all tricks are for kids. Ben suggests that his current show, which runs 90 minutes with no intermission, might be appropriate for children over the age of eight, depending on their level of maturity. "We only do a couple of things that are physically and morally dangerous," he quips.
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