A real-life superhero _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

When I call up professional dancer and illusionist Anthony Street, he answers chirpily that he’s currently en route to the warehouse where he’s getting organised for his upcoming tour of Aotearoa, which reaches Wellington’s Opera House on the 20^th of July. After wishing him tidings of good weather while he’s on our shores, his reply is warm and fuzzy:

“I love touring in New Zealand! I’ve been touring since around 2009, and I always love coming back over there. It’s one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to.”

That means a lot from an internationally renowned performer who has travelled the globe with acclaimed shows like Celtic Illusion, Ballroom Blitz, and Lord of the Dance. His newest endeavour, ILLUSIONIST ANTHONY STREET, is a more personal one, where the spotlight falls not just on magic, but on the man behind it. Expect intimate, jaw-dropping illusion, packed with audience interaction, personal storytelling, and mind-blowing moments that unfold right before your eyes.

“It’s not just about grand-scale illusions anymore,” Street says. “It’s about connection. It’s about those close-up, intimate moments that feel even more impossible. And it’s about inviting the audience right into it, getting people up on stage, making them part of the experience.”

Whether it’s mind-reading, levitation, vanishing, escapes, or simply watching Street charm a crowd with nothing but a deck of cards, the show will leave audiences of all ages spellbound. I got to have a peek behind the curtain with Street in the lead-up to his Kiwi tour.

I hear there was a specific moment in your life that made you fall in love with magic.

Yeah, at the carnival. I was about eight or 10 years old, and I used to always hang out with my granddad when he would perform. He was a singer, so he was always at markets and carnivals and things. This one particular day at a carnival, I was just looking around and checking the place out when I came across a magician, and it was the first time that I’d ever seen magic being performed. I was hooked – instantly obsessed, straight away. That was a massive turning point. That Christmas I got my first magic set, and then it just all began from there. Doing magic with my cousins and doing little magic shows for my family all the time. It just grew and grew and now I tour the world with my own production, which, at the end of day, is every magician’s dream.

I do share that story in the show. The stories in the show that relate to each trick are true. It’s the evolution of where it all began, what inspired me, who helped me achieve these goals, and how I got to where I am. It’s quite a personal show with a lot of personal stories. People find it quite endearing and heartwarming, which wasn’t my intention but an unexpected result. Magicians are professional liars, but I’m not just spinning some tacky story, it’s all real. It helps make whatever trick I do a bit more special.

How does it feel to have the spotlight on you and your story?

I like it! The other shows that I’ve brought to New Zealand, I don’t talk in the show. They’re mostly big dance productions, so all I could do was dance. Storytelling and sharing moments with the audience is the best part of this show, not even just performing the trick. It’s connecting with the audience, laughing with them, and them responding to what I’m saying or doing. That’s what makes this show a lot more enjoyable. It’s a show for the entire family. All ages. Everyone.

What was it about magic that hooked you in?

One story I share is when I was a kid, I used to always want to be a superhero, like a lot of kids do. Having an ability or a power that no one else has is really exciting. Being a magician kind of gives you that ability, to a degree. Doing something that no one else can do is kind of like having a superpower. So, I haven’t grown out of it. I still love it.

What have been some career highlights?

Just the fact that I actually have a career in magic. That I am continually doing it, and we’re not only just doing it in Australia, we’re performing on world stages – New Zealand, Hong Kong, America. That to me is a highlight as a whole. There’s no particular one moment because every day there’s something new and exciting we’re doing. The show is constantly evolving and growing and we’re expanding. Every day I feel super lucky and thankful that this is my life.

That’s such a testament to your dedication to your craft.

Well, not only just me or the craft, it’s the commitment of all my crew, artists, performers, and the people who are behind the scenes. I’m just the frontman of the whole product. You strip back the curtain and there’s a whole crew of people who are working tirelessly and very passionately who don’t get seen, running mad trying to make it all happen. It’s all their commitment that makes the shows successful and adds the wow factor for the audience.

On that note, how do you go about creating a high calibre show like this one?

It’s a lot of work. The general consensus of an illusion is people assuming it’s just putting a girl into a box and it’s all easy, and sleight of hand is harder, whereas actually it’s the opposite. To do illusions it takes a lot of work with choreography, lighting, music, and the coordination of all the crew backstage. If one person slips up on their cue, it can ruin the whole effect. To make an illusion successfully, everything has to line up perfectly to make it appear seamless and believable for an audience member. Sleight of hand, once you’ve got the skill, you can perform right under their nose. That’s the easy part. Whereas illusion, I’ve got all these big things happening – it’s not easy to make a full human body disappear! There are only so many places it can go. So we have to convince you. It takes lots and lots of hours and days and weeks of rehearsal.

No pressure [laughs].

The pressure never ends! It’s constant. Even when you’re backstage and a routine is happening, we’re all on the edge of our seats hoping that everything goes to plan. Every night is a different show with a different audience, different stage, different lighting. So we’re constantly being thrown different challenges while having to make the same effect work every single night.

What kind of tricks can Wellington audiences look forward to?

This show is more participation and the magic happening with them in their hands. There’s a few grand illusions as well, but I don’t want to give too much away. My favourite trick is a card trick that involves everyone in the audience. It leaves everyone stumped. The small things are what seem to blow everyone’s minds – even more than the big things.

What’s a phrase that you live by?

You’ve put me on the spot now! Something like, nothing great is easy work or, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.