Magician, who once ‘bombed’ as audience rushed to buffet, offers home theatre to nurture young performers

SAFE YET SOPHISTICATED

It may only have been 10 months since The Magic Attic came to life in January this year but already he has seen the impact the space can have on others.

For instance, when Mr Sng invited a young magician to perform there earlier this year, his nervousness and inexperience were evident.

That’s okay, he said, after all, that’s the point.

Mr Sng brought him back for another gig a few months later and the improvement was palpable in both skill and confidence.

“He must have been working hard on his own, but only when you perform in front of an audience can you see the results of the work you put in.

“You could see the transformation.”

But skill isn’t the only thing Mr Sng wants to transform with The Magic Attic, and his brush with an audience more enamoured with mussels than sleight of hand isn’t his only motivation for tearing down his family home and building it back up.

His goals are much bigger.

Like many magicians here in Singapore, he shares the view that locals tend to have a somewhat goofy impression of the craft of magic — a form that’s perhaps “lower” than singing, dancing, acting, and other forms of theatre.

This can be limiting for those who hope to make a living performing. Confined to corporate engagements and kids’ birthday parties, magic tends to take a backseat — coming in the form of a supporting act, never quite the star of its own show.

Events like these rarely give magicians a chance to interact with each other too.

While Mr Sng said these aspects of the magic scene in Singapore have improved over the years, it is still often lonely and underappreciated work, and lies in stark contrast to what he has observed while performing abroad.

“Here, magicians are often an afterthought in the context of a larger event. But overseas, people often get to know the person behind the performer — especially in a parlour show.”

Parlour shows are ones that often involve about 10 to 50 people in a setting that is more intimate and interactive than ones performed on an elevated platform.

The snug theatre at The Magic Attic can fit 25 guests and is meant to replicate that same sense of personability.

In the larger picture, Mr Sng said he wants the venue to serve two more purposes.

First, to change the perception of magic from a “circus act” for kids to something that a “sophisticated audience” seeks out, and two, to give magicians in the community an opportunity to collaborate and give each other valuable feedback.

I paused him: Isn’t there a contradiction between The Magic Attic being at once a “training ground” and a place for sophistication and premier performers?

Not at all, he said, venues are meant to be versatile.

In addition to the monthly “house shows” that feature a slate of both resident and up-and-coming magicians, he also regularly puts out “headline shows” for the best in the industry. 

I gave myself a brief moment to soak in the rest of the snazzy attic as the magician answered a caller enquiring about the space.

Just then, a deck of pragmatism had materialised from thin air, and I knew what my next question would be. He put the phone down.

“Are you thinking of making that money back?”