As if by magic . . . (From Basingstoke Gazette)

As if by magic . . .

9:33am Friday 3rd April 2009

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LEGENDARY magician and entertainer Paul Daniels is coming to Central Studio this month – and he’s looking forward to weaving his magic in front of a Basingstoke audience again.

The award-winning star, who became a household name with the BBC’s The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which began in 1979, is clearly relaxed about what mind-boggling acts he is going to perform when he brings Another Audience With Paul Daniels to the Queen Mary’s College venue on April 25.

“I’m never quite sure what I’m going to do – the whole show is ad-libbed,” he said. “I did a lot of BBC television shows for 16 years and I never had a script.

“And I update myself all the time, not deliberately – that’s just the way my life is. I don’t look backwards – it’s always today, always tomorrow.”

Paul likes the audience to get involved in his mixture of magic and comedy. He said: “Of course, the audience can butt in and ask questions – it’s a free-wheeling show.”

Paul got hooked on magic after reading a book aged 11, but he dismisses the suggestion that he has a natural gift for it.

He said: “Everything about me is learned and developed – it takes a lot of learning and study, and sometimes a lot of money.

“A new illusion I did last week set me back £4,000 for the physical props involved and about £100 to put it on the stage.”

He added: “I don’t practise physically. I practise mentally. It doesn’t matter if the television or radio are on. I’m away, working my way through it one bit at a time and I can actually see it happening.”

But the jokes are just as important as the magic in Paul’s shows.

“A lot of people say to me ‘I didn’t realise you were that funny’, because at the BBC they cut out all the gags to get it into the time allowed,” he said.

With no intentions of slowing down, the 69-year-old entertainer is booked up well into 2010 and still has aspirations to act in films and musicals.

“I’ve played Scrooge and abso-lutely loved it,” he said. “And what I find interesting is how much easier acting is than magic.

“The words are written down for you and you are told where to stand, but as a magician you have to do it all yourself.”

Marvelling at his own continued success, he puts some of it down to the Internet and online messaging networks like Twitter.

He said: “It’s extraordinary how things like Twitter and You-Tube have reminded people about me and I am selling tickets to a whole range of people who could not have seen the original shows.

“I’m amazed at the fact that I’m still working, that people are still coming and it’s still fun!”

The show starts at 7.30pm in Queen Mary’s Hall and tickets, at £12.50, with concessions available, can be purchased at the box office, on 01256 418318, or at centralstudio. co.uk.

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