Ben Murphy is putting the magic back into the craft of illusions. 86883 Picture: CONTRIBUTED
By LAURA WAKELY
MAGIC made an impression on Ben Murphy early in life.
In and out of hospital as a child, it was the tricks of a magician that gave him an escape to the sometimes unpleasant, boring or scary place in his hospital bed.
Now the Kings Park resident is an internationally acclaimed illusionist, wowing audiences around the world with his shows.
It was “never really a conscious decision” of Ben’s to become a ‘magician’ but the hobby turned into a casual job at kids’ parties and soon escalated into a legitimate day job.
While Ben holds bragging rights to the person with the most escapes from the Chinese water torture cell – an escape-trick created by Houdini himself – his proudest achievement is working with Paul Osborne.
The legendary illusionist designer and producer, who has worked with Crsis Angel and David Copperfield, invited Ben to the United States to tour his shows.
In a world where the use of special effects and magicians’ secrets are well known, it can be a tough line of work, but Ben leans towards the comic side of magic.
“I’m not trying to fool you, I’m trying to entertain you,” Ben said.
“The audience knows what they’re watching’s not real, so let’s just have a good time.”
It’s not all fun and games though. One trick involves an assistant balancing her spine on the tip of a sword.
Trust is an important part of the job.
“I don’t think there’s ever a time where you know nothing’s ever going to go wrong, but it’s our job as performers to make sure the audience doesn’t know if something is going wrong.”
The illusionist will perform his show at the Clocktower Centre on Saturday 6 October in Moonee Ponds.
For more information, visit www.benmurphy.com.au
