Imagine being handcuffed, lowered upside down into a tank of water and having to escape while hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people are watching your every move.
It’s all in a day’s work for Point Cook illusionist Ben Murphy, whose brand of comedy magic has resulted in him entertaining audiences all over the world.
Mr Murphy has just returned from four months away in Japan, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Cairns. For the next 10 weeks, he will be performing two shows a week at Witches in Britches, then flying to Sydney and Adelaide for weekend performances.
“I think people are quite surprised when they see my magic show that it’s funny,” he said.
“So many magicians are so serious and dramatic with what they do, our show is a bit anti-magician in the way that we make fun of the magic a little bit.
“Even the big illusions, where we’re cutting people in half, or floating in the air, there’s a twist in it that makes its humourous.
“It’s more about being entertained and having a good time … we know it’s not real, and the audience knows it’s not real.”
Mr Murphy first fell under the spell of magic as a child when he came across clown doctors in hospital.
Today, he holds the world record for the most escapes from the Harry Houdini water torture tank, having performed it three times a day, seven days a week, for three months.
He’s currently working on a new version of the old sawing a person in half trick, but without the boxes hiding the person’s body from view.
