MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN has announced that its show Quest seeks out magic. The show’s host Richard Quest seeks to discover the truth behind the dark arts of illusion. The Las Vegas glitz and glamour of David Copperfield contrasts with the cauldrons of English witches as Quest prepares to emulate the magicians with a trick all of his own. The show airs on 23 December at 12:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 24 December at 12:30 pm.
Topping the bill is American magician and illusionist, David Copperfield. During the past decade, his shows have grossed over one billion dollars, and his television performances have won him 21 Emmy Awards. He has vanished the Statue of Liberty, walked through the Great Wall of China and levitated over the Grand Canyon. Constantly redefining the realms of possibility, he has become the best-known illusionist of our time. The program reveals that he also covets a more secret passion – preserving the history of magic for future generations. With a few surprises along the way, Quest gets a guided tour of the Copperfield private collection, containing 80,000 objects of magic memorabilia, some dating back to the 16th century.
From the grandest of stages, the program moves to the intimate surroundings of the dinner table, with Fay Presto. This British magician plies her trade on the London restaurant scene, entertaining customers between courses, and she shares her passion for close up magic with Quest, and gives him an insight into the trials and tribulations of the nomadic ‘magician-for-hire’.
Aside from entertainment, it’s worth pausing to remember that there is perhaps a darker, mythical origin to the modern art of magic. In the quaint Cornish village of St. Buryan in the UK, lives certified witch Cassandra Latham, who could be described as a throwback to the village ‘wise woman’. Working from her cottage, she receives all manner of visitors, who request everything from a love spell to an old school cure for warts. With Cassandra providing Quest with a glimpse at ancient rituals, who has to question whether real magic exists!
Next, the show’s host visits ‘Sin City’, Las Vegas, where there’s ample scope to uncover what motivates the master magician. On stage at the Monte Carlo Hotel, Lance Burton creates a world in which gloves turn to doves and girls levitate across the stage. From sleight-of-hand tricks to grand illusions, Burton does it all and has been the hottest act in Vegas for over ten years. He describes his deep connection to magicians of the past, his philosophy of performance and why some tricks are timeless.
In addition to meeting some of the biggest names in the business, Quest faces his own ordeal as he seeks out the ‘magic touch’. Not content just to stare in wonder, he takes to the stage at London’s Magic Circle, alongside some of Britain’s top magicians.
