Article by Camille Dominique Javier
Do you believe in magic? Nowadays, we’re so heavily anchored on logic, science and facts that taking that leap of faith and succumbing to the thrill of mystery can seem impossible, or rather like a thing of the past. We watch magicians escape intricately designed traps, conjure and swallow fire, saw a man in a box in half, and other death-defying stunts and can’t help but yawn while wondering, “Is that it?”
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This holiday season, from the 25th of December 2017 to the 3rd of January 2018, treat yourself, your family and your friends to something that’ll delight, awe, and even surprise you. Witness the Impossible, the world’s greatest magic show at the Araneta Coliseum!
Believers, skeptics, and fans of all ages are sure to be kept at the edge of their seats as Impossible’s world tour performers Ben Hart, the youngest member of the team is a jack-of-all trades magician who tricks test the limits of illusion and boggle minds, along with American comic daredevil Bello Nock, one of the world’s grand illusionists Josephine Lee who set the record for most illusions performed in 5 minutes, break-dancing hip-hop magician Magical Bones, Ali Cook—alternative magic scene pioneer and escapologist, and award-winning mind-reader Chris Cox will showcase their own arsenal of tricks and put together a collective magical act.
The Impossible show is produced by Jaime Hendry who led the team through a successful, record-breaking summer tour in London’s West End. Expect the unexpected as these team of illusionists blow your mind with their debut performance here in the Philippines.
(READ: IMPOSSIBLE: The World’s Greatest Magic Show Comes to Manila!)
We sat down with the mysterious and dashing Ben Hart to get to know more about magic and what the Impossible show has in store for us.
Photo from Patrick Lasanas
How long have you been doing magic?
“I got into magic when I was about 5 or 6. I read books about it, practiced on friends and family until I eventually decided that I loved doing magic enough to become a professional magician by the age of 16. I still love doing magic to this day.”
Photo from Patrick Lasanas
As a magician, what is your specialty?
“I don’t really have any specialty, unlike my fellow magician performers. I kind of do everything. Although I do perform a wide variety of tricks from small, up-close tricks to grand stage illusions. You’ll know what I mean when you come see me perform.”
How do you come up with your amazing magic tricks?
“I constantly learn and innovate. Growing up, I had a broad spectrum of interests from chemistry, history, engineering, psychology and so on. Magic was just sort of the meeting point of all my interests. Whenever I have free time I read a book or see some new thing and an idea for a trick usually inspires me. Then I’d construct that magic trick by researching about it, designing the equipment, testing it out, then perfecting the trick—it’s a tedious process but it’s rewarding in so many ways.”
People say magic is dead in the age of science and technology. What are your thoughts on that?
“Magic will always be alive, more so today. Science and technology has always been on the side of magicians from the beginning—all the equipment and concepts behind magic tricks are all rooted in some scientific calculation and experimentation. I think magicians ought to take advantage of the new scientific research and technology to introduce something that has never been done before.”
What is your advice to all the young and aspiring magicians out there?
“Do magic for your audience, not just yourself. Don’t stick to the same old tricks you do or traditional tricks we’ve all seen before. Remember that every person in the audience is different and your task as the magician is to amaze and mesmerize them. Each trick you do for them is a gift—a gift that will surprise them. Filipinos love magic. Do you have any special tricks planned just for the Filipino audience? Find out and come see for yourself during our shows from December 25, 2017 to January 3, 2018.”
Tickets at affordable prices: Php1800, Php1500, Php1200, Php800, Php500 and Php150 (plus ticketing charge). Tickets are available at all TicketNet outlets or online via TicketNet.com.ph. For ticket reservations, call 911-5555 or 374-9999.
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