Interview with magician Ben Hart

Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

I’m Ben Hart and people describe me as a magician but really my shows are quite a hybrid of ideas, incorporating comedy, fantasy and storytelling. People might have seen me on TV where I have done all sorts of interesting things or at the Fringe - this is my 9th year at the festival.

How would you describe your show?

A magical, twisted, fantasy world filled with my very best mysteries and a killer plot-twist, now super-sized for this great big venue. I promise you have never seen a magic show like this before… What happens if you lock up a magician for a pandemic and unleash them back into the world at the most exciting arts festival in the world…

Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

There is no place more exciting than Edinburgh in August. I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world and to countless cultural events but nothing compares to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It makes me feel proud to be a human. All kinds of creativity are un-canned and un-filtered here and I just love it. It forms the backbone of my year and allows me a place to display my new work. It’s a laboratory for developing ideas.

What differentiates it from other festivals?

Scale. It’s the biggest festival in the world by miles and that is reflected in the diversity of work you can watch here. Also, it’s set to the backdrop of the most stunning city which makes it feel particularly magical. The audiences are really experienced which means that they appreciate originality and that’s a great environment to come into.

What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?

I got into magic in a bit of an empty patch - Paul Daniels was no longer on TV and David Blaine was yet to arrive, so what attracted me was how mysterious the industry was then. There were a couple of books in the library and they listed specialist magic suppliers in the back, so I would write letters to these strangers and get all these bizarre replies.

Eventually my inspirations started to appear as I accessed VHS recordings of magicians and specialist books. My inspirations are almost entirely magicians who wouldn’t be remembered now, having never made the big-time or now lost to time. Now, I can watch my inspirations on YouTube but back then I had to imagine them. The first time I went to a specialist magic shop they showed me a trick that fooled me and I have made it my mission to not learn how that one is done, even all these years later. 

I was and still am motivated by mystery.

How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career? 

I didn’t got to uni and I failed my exams at sixth form but I did use school as a place to develop my performing abilities. I was that kid who was a bit of an outsider and did magic in class etc. That’s a tough environment to perform in, which formed a good grounding for later life! It’s funny that I was the kid that said things in class like “when will I ever need Trigonometry” and I sit here writing this in my office surrounded by technical drawings, and the types of things I thought I wouldn’t need in school are actually my day-to-day now.

My dad is a mathematician and I definitely have a mathematical approach to solving mysteries - I’m prepared to sit and try to solve a problem and won’t stop until it’s solved. I often describe making a show as “balancing an equation” to get the shape of it right.

I didn’t come from a showbiz background, so I remain very down-to-earth and critical of some aspects of the entertainment industry.

What is your earliest childhood art memory?

That’s a difficult question. My parents used to take us to art galleries and things of that kind so I was lucky to have been bought up with a spirit of curiosity. 

I remember really enjoying anything artistic even from a very young age. I wish I could remember my specific earliest childhood art memory, but I think I totally fried my memory in my teenage years.

If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing?

I think I’d do well in some sort of design scenario. I’m interested in the development of ideas and I don’t get turned-off by problems in the process. I actually get excited when things don’t work! So, I’d be good in some sort of design research and development situation... Or maybe I could just sell necklaces on a beach somewhere.

Did Covid-19 change the way you create work? Do you approach shows with a different mentality now? 

It’s amazing how quickly I’ve been able to forget about Covid. Honestly, I can barely remember those lost years and hope it stays that way. I suppose now it feels like every show is a bit more precious. In fact, my new show really is a celebration of how precious life is. I think this Fringe everyone will be bringing their best work and their full passion - I know I will be.

Describe the last year in 5 words or less?

“What year? Made it vanish”

Do you subscribe to the idea that art should be exempt from ‘cancel culture’? 

It’s a complicated question that needs a longer answer, but essentially the minute anyone makes any piece of art it represents a fictional reality where all rules, laws and expectations can and should be manipulated. Therefore, if the offensive or outdated idea is contained within a constructed world then yes, I believe it exists beyond that type of criticism. However, that requires the viewer to understand that the idea is indeed contained within a constructed alternate world and not within this world. If I saw a person in half onstage, I don’t expect the audience to call the police, however if you looked into the warehouse where I rehearse and you saw me sawing someone in half who is screaming etc, then you should! It’s all about context…

If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?

Roald Dahl. His stories for adults are my biggest writing inspirations in terms of structure, brevity, humour and their wicked plot twists. His understanding of “magic” was very sophisticated and uncompromising. I think he’s my single favourite artist in any field.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?

Be yourself. In a marketplace crowded with dozens of shows of every kind of entertainment, the only real differentiator you have is your uniqueness. Embrace it. Don’t try to be someone or something else - the best show is you. Stay magical.

When and where can people see your show?

Ben Hart, “Wonder” at the Pleasance Grand (venue 33), Pleasance Courtyard, 7:50pm.

And where can people find, follow and like you online?

I’m in all the usual places: @itsbenhart on Twitter and Instagram

Ben Hart on Facebook

www.benhartmagic.com

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