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Manage episode 521606613 series 3552922
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The motorbike appears four feet from the front row. A lady floats just beyond the lip of the stage. That proximity rewires what audiences believe about illusion and it’s exactly where Harry DeCruz loves to live: smiling, present, and letting pure astonishment carry the room.
We dive into Harry’s journey from creative consultant to centre-stage performer, drawing on years with Derren Brown, Dynamo, and major West End productions. That backstage pressure, writing predictions, guarding contingencies, built a calm that now anchors his stage work. He explains why Ring Flight felt like real magic as a child, how Sneak Thief becomes a playground for storytelling (tattoos, perfumes, nicknames), and why stack work turns a deck into a quiet superpower. We unpack his silent celebrity painting reveal, an “invisible” drawing dusted into view and the subtle design choices that make silhouettes land from the stalls to the balcony.
Then the dials turn up. Harry walks us through building a paintball bullet catch: rehearsing in a builder’s yard, safety layers that still leave bruises, and a presentation that balances danger with humour. We go deep on translating Dynamo’s phone-in-bottle from TV to arena stage, custom labels, bottle tolerances, timing, and choreography that lets the miracle read clean and fast. And we explore the “annoyingly perfect” mass phone effect that detonates in any room, giving every spectator a personal climax they can verify on their own device.
Throughout, Harry champions props and methods that feel organic and modern, pushing back on dated optics that hold magic back. We talk books and real study (annotating Derren Brown’s Notes from a Fellow Traveller), the value of a trusted WhatsApp braintrust that pressure-tests ideas, and why the Young Magicians Club’s supportive culture is shaping the next wave of performers.
If you care about building miracles that stand up at close range and still crush in a theatre, this conversation is a masterclass in design, discipline, and delight.
Harry’s Desert Island Tricks:
- Ring Flight
- Sneak Thief
- Deck of Cards in Mnemonica
- Silent Painting Routine
- Spooked
- Paintball Bullet Catch
- Phone in Bottle
- TOXIC +
Banishment. Being More Mindful of Props / Large Ring on Rope
Book. Notes From a Fellow Traveller
Item. Phone with his Whatsapp Group Chat
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Chapters
1. Joy Of Performing Big Illusions Up Close (00:00:00)
2. Introducing Harry DeCruz And His Credits (00:04:28)
3. Life In New York And Learning Jamie’s Material (00:08:45)
4. Intimate Venue, Massive Illusions (00:14:35)
5. From Consulting To Stage Confidence (00:17:55)
6. The Desert Island Tricks Setup (00:22:35)
7. Ring Flight As A Defining Memory (00:25:03)
8. Why Sneak Thief Is Infinitely Flexible (00:31:20)
9. Stacks, Control, And Real-World Card Work (00:36:05)
10. Creating The Silent Celebrity Painting (00:44:40)
11. Spooked And The Power Of Borrowed Props (00:51:10)
12. Ad Break: Alakazam Convention Details (00:58:00)
13. Building A Paintball Bullet Catch (01:00:40)
14. Dynamo’s Phone In Bottle For Live Stages (01:10:15)
15. The “Perfect” Mass Phone Effect (01:20:25)
16. Banishment: Props That Date Magic (01:24:20)
121 episodes
