Magician Ben Hart brings a sense of beauty to his magic shows – combining world class illusions with stunning visual effects. He tells Entertainment Now why the Edinburgh Fringe is one of his favourite places – and why he really does believe in magic.
Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?
The Labyrinth is a show about getting lost. It wanders through cave paintings, forgotten objects, impossible coincidences and the strange routes our lives take. There are astonishing illusions yes, but they’re really just a way of exploring a bigger idea. If you enjoy leaving a theatre with more questions than answers, you’ll probably enjoy this. What happens when someone documents your small choices – can they use these to predict choices you haven’t even made yet…
What is your favourite thing about your show?
I love that every night feels totally new – like an expedition. I know where we begin but the audience make decisions that change the route we take and that uncertainty is the part of the point. Magic is at its best when nobody, including me, feels completely in control. Somehow by opening the door to chance, impossible coincidences seem to come flooding in…
Do you have a Fringe idol?
I’ve been performing here every year since 2011 so I’ve seen plenty of great fringe artists come and go. I think my fringe hero are the acts who make it past being flashes in the pan and who achieve longevity here, re-inventing themselves year after year just to surprise their audiences.
What three words best describe your performance style – and why?
Curious. Precise. Unsettling.
Curiosity is the engine behind everything I make. The shows come out of my curiosity and whatever I find interesting when I am writing. Precision matters because the smallest detail can completely change how something feels and it is the hidden precise machinations that make the ordinary seem extraordinary in a work of magic. And I like work that leaves a tiny stone in your shoe… Something that follows you home afterwards.
Who are you looking forward to seeing in Edinburgh?
One of my favourite things about the Fringe is wandering into shows I know absolutely nothing about. The discoveries are almost always more memorable than the ones you’ve planned months in advance. In truth, I watch very very little at the Fringe but this year I am looking forward to seeing a work-in-progress for a new show by Mischief Theatre called “We Have a Problem”.
What do you hope to achieve in Edinburgh – what are your hopes and dreams?
I’m motivated almost entirely by curiosity. Success is a nice by-product but curiosity is the engine. I want to make the best show I’ve ever made and find out what happens when I put it in front of thousands of strangers. For me. Edinburgh is like a laboratory for testing ideas. If people leave thinking they’ve seen something they couldn’t quite categorise, I’ll be happy.
What are the biggest obstacles you face as a performer at the Fringe?
Time and sleep.
What do you hope the audience will take away after an hour in your company?
A slightly altered relationship with coincidence. I cannot claim to be able to do real magic, but I promise you I can make things connect in ways that are surprising and seem miraculous. I’d love people to leave noticing the world a little differently; paying attention to the patterns they usually ignore. Not because I think the universe is sending us secret messages, but because paying close attention makes life far more interesting.
How do you plan to relax and recharge when not on stage?
Walking. Edinburgh is a wonderful city to get lost in, which is fortunate given the title of the show. I like to disappear into bookshops and antique shops in search of objects I absolutely do not need. Sometimes they make their way into the show.
What is your idea of a perfect Fringe day?
A good coffee. A full house. A show that surprises me. Seeing something brilliant by another artist. A late-night conversation that turns into a new idea. Then going to bed telling myself I’ll have an early night tomorrow, knowing full well I won’t.
Ben Hart, The Labyrinth, 18.30, Assembly George Square, August 5 – 30
https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/ben-hart-the-labyrinth
