Magician and mentalist Matt Tarrant will present his show 'Honestly Dishonest' in Brisbane.
Performing as part of Wonderland Festival, the show combines razor-sharp wit, sleight of hand and even access to the secret life of becoming a magician. He's dishonest, but at least he's honest about it.
Here, he lists five magic moments from his career over the years.
Las Vegas
I was fortunate enough to head over to America in 2015 and travel across the whole country meeting my magic idols – in particular those in Vegas. I was able to rub shoulders with the likes of David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and Justin Flom. It totally opened up my eyes to the opportunities in my industry, and how fortunate I am to be friends with some of the world’s best.
My First Award
In 2012 I wrote, directed and performed in my very first show at the Adelaide Fringe – and in its first season at the Adelaide Fringe it won the People’s Choice Award for the most popular act across the entire festival. It helped me to get my start in magic, and touring – and I have been fortunate enough to win a major award each year since.
Highest Selling Act at the Adelaide Fringe
In 2017, I became the highest selling solo act at the Adelaide Fringe, which for a solo Australian performer was a fairly big deal! The Adelaide Fringe is the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere and each year has the likes of Arj Barker, Dave Hughes and Peter Helliar appear – so to beat some of the biggest pros was a huge honour – to do it again in 2018 with even higher sales was even more gob-smacking!
Image © Andre Goosen
The Spike Trick
When I first started performing magic I always wanted to be a little bit edgy, and there was one routine in particular that I wanted to do more than any other – The Spike Trick. The premise is usually; a knife or sharp object is hidden underneath a cup or bag, and after the cups are moved around – a process of elimination of smashing your hand on the safe cups should eventually reveal the final bag containing the knife; all while being blindfolded. One night I decided to perform it after one or two drinks, backstage – and got it very, very badly wrong. Fortunately, there was no physical damage; but it was remarkably close and not only would the spike had gone through my hand – but also a young girl I was performing it with. I dropped the routine and didn't perform it again for 7 years; until I decided to bring it back for this show. Fingers crossed the same doesn't happen.
Chris Kenner
When I first got into Magic I was fortunate enough to meet Chris (David Copperfield's Executive Producer) via the wonders of the internet and both Chris and his partner at the time would always offer help, support and magical items from his collection to help me learn. To have one of the very best in magic be so welcoming was a huge step in my career, and when he visited Adelaide we spent the week together where I was able to learn and digest everything from his hugely successful career.
Matt Tarrant plays Brisbane Powerhouse 29 November-2 December.
