Magicians thrive in Internet-led world

Rapid spread of the Internet has given people in certain occupations a hard time. Magicians, whose cup of tea is tricking people, must be one of them, because now they have to spend a lot more time working on new tricks.

World-renowned Dutch magician Tommy Wonder, however, doesn`t seem to care much about it.

"Of course one can download a musical note from the Internet anytime for free, but playing it masterfully on the piano is a totally different story," the magician told The Korea Herald on Tuesday, as he joined the press event of "2005 World Star Magic Show" at the Holiday Inn Seoul in Mapo, downtown Seoul.

Wonder, aged 51, is regarded as one of the world`s finest performers and magical thinkers. He came to visit Korea for the first time Wednesday to perform in the magic variety show featuring him and 11 other top-notch illusionists, for four days from yesterday at Chungmu Art Hall in downtown Seoul.

"In a sense, the Internet has contributed a great deal to the growth of the magic industry, by drawing more people near to the world of magic," continued Wonder, the author of "The Books of Wonder" (1996), which is widely considered as one of the most important works on magic ever written.

For those who dream of becoming a professional magician, the magician advises one should be a good actor first. "Items and skills are also important but they are not enough."

Tony Hassini, another renowned illusionist joining the performance, agrees with Wonder on this, but added one more bit of advice: "Haste makes waste. You have to practice a trick over and over until you can make yourself accept it as real," said Hassini, the founder and president of the International Magician`s Society, which has over 37,000 members worldwide.

Wearing a beard and a mystical smile on his face, the magician said that magic is real to him, in that it has changed his life almost magically. "Before learning magic tricks, I was just a shy little boy. But I became more outgoing as I mastered more magic tricks."

Besides Wonder and Hassini, a young Argentine magician, Mirko Callaci who won the second runner-up prize at the 2003 Federation International des Societes Magiques as a university student, will match his skills with leading foreign and Korean magicians. Other acclaimed international magicians are Canadian Murray John Sawchuk, winner of magician of the year and the Mandrake Award of Excellence in 2002 and 2003, American Jason Scott-Warren Latimer, winner of close-up magic at FISM in 2003 and Kenji Minenura from Japan, who won first prize at FISM in 2003.

The magic show will also feature six local magicians: Park Ki-hoon, Han Young-hoon, Wooki Lu, Roh Byeong-wook, Kim U Jung-kuk and Choi Hyun-woo. Although they are young, all in their twenties, their talents and skills are not behind those of the foreign cast.

The sole female illusionist in the performance, Roh will showcase wedding-themed magic shows. As a former television reporter, Roh decided to become a professional magician after interviewing Choi Hyun-woo, a star magician who plays a double role of performer and host during the show. "It is a great honor for me to share the stage with such a fantastic line-up of magicians," Roh commented briefly when asked about her feelings.

The magicians showcased some of the simple but wonderful tricks during the press event, which even widened the eyes of cynical reporters. "You will have enough time to think about the secrets of all the tricks at home. So please enjoy the tricks as they are during the show," Hassini said.

Each show will select ten members of the audience through a random drawing of tickets. The winners will get the opportunity to learn magic tricks directly from the magicians.

(danlee@heraldm.com)



By Lee Yong-sung