“I’m not really a magician,” insists magician Ben Hart.
“My job is to be a tour guide to reveal the feeling of amazement inside the audience. I don’t make that amazement, I can’t create that feeling – it has to come from them.”
A man of many contradictions – “fiercely atheist” but “deeply spiritual”, “disillusioned” but “often amazed” – 32-year-old Ben is quite at home in “the business of lying to people for their own enjoyment”.
After placing third in the 2019 series of Britain’s Got Talent, the Englishman rocketed to fame almost overnight, becoming a household name as far and wide as the Indonesian resort he flew to straight after the final.
“The level of attention I got that year was so big,” Ben recalls. “I don’t know if it’s like that for everybody, but I couldn’t even step out the front door without people recognising me.
“It was true fame, and it lasted about a year – and then that kind of disappeared.
“I came to the conclusion that I’m completely not motivated in any way by fame. And that was the moment I decided I was moving everything I did to be about the audience, the shows I want to make and about live touring.”
Now after a stint of 35 cities in 35 different countries and a successful run at the Fringe in Edinburgh, he’s bringing his latest touring show, Jadoo, to Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre.
“I love touring in Scotland,” says Ben. “I’m usually sat stuck in the back of a van, and part of the joy of touring is enjoying the journey. And it’s so beautiful in Scotland.”
Eat, pray, pick a card…
Named after the Hindu term for magic-working, Jadoo takes inspiration from Indian street magic, and was inspired by Ben’s own trip to India earlier this year to connect with his ancestral roots.
“My dad was born in India, his family came here when he was quite young. One of my ancestors moved to India in 1860, I think, so my family had been there quite a while, but I’d never been before,” he reveals.
“My experience was a bit like the cliché journey to India to find yourself – and that was good! My whole time in India, I was like: ‘This whole place is like a magic trick.’
“The atmosphere might feel one way and then a second later, it’s different. Or you might make an assumption about a person you see, and then find out you were completely wrong. Everything was an illusion there.”
New show inspired by Indian street magic
Inspired by a story his grandfather told him as a child about a ‘jadoo-wallah’ or travelling magician, Ben made a point of observing and studying real Indian street magicians while putting together the new show, in the hopes of getting back to a simpler type of production, “without any of the extra rubbish”.
“The idea of doing a show inspired by the type of magic where a performer turns up with just a bag, surrounded by the audience and with these really humble mysteries, without the showbiz cheesiness, was really appealing to me,” he explains.
“So some of the stuff in the show is hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.
“In the entire first act of the show, the only things I use are like a length of wire, some wire cutters, some paper bags – simple things.”
Known for his “storytelling style”, Ben assures audiences that he’ll keep the narrative element in this new show, and his signature humour too.
“There’s a humour to magic that I really like. I cannot get over the fact that no matter how serious I try to be, I’m still a grown man playing with toys for a living,” he laughs.
Teaching magic to Tom Cruise was ‘badass’
As well as touring his own live shows, Ben designs and builds all of his tricks, writes books on the craft of magic, and even consults on and creates magic for plays and movies – including this summer’s smash hit, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
And though he seems unruffled by fame or celebrity, he admits that working with Hollywood legend Tom Cruise was “pretty badass”.
“He must be the most famous actor in the world, and then there’s little ole’ me!” Ben chuckles.
“And it’s interesting, because magic is acting. It can’t be anything else but acting, because we can’t do magic!
“So suddenly I realised: I’m actually teaching an acting lesson, to the most famous actor in the world. It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment.
“If anyone’s seen the movie, they’ll know there’s this big magic plot that runs through it,” he continues.
“There’s a key that appears and disappears with sleight of hand. It’s the first and last scene in the film, it’s ended up being a big part of the story, so it was pretty high pressure.”
Lonely at the top
A serious magician since the tender age of eight and a member of the Inner Magic Circle now at 32, Ben is well-versed in the practise of keeping his cards close to his chest.
But doesn’t he ever wish he could talk to someone about his work?
“Always,” he says candidly. “Because magic is like an iceberg – what you see, the trick, is such a small part of the whole process. And the more I’ve gotten into magic, the better I’ve gotten, the more work it takes.
“Even most magicians are not at the same place in their career as I am, and won’t understand.
“Which is why my best friends in magic are all more successful than me!”
Ben Hart: Jadoo is at Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre on September 29 2023. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the venue’s website.
