Psych, Illusion & Magic
Venue: Glennie Hall
Next performance: Monday 30 June 18:00
Interview & Review
By Thubelihle Mathonsi
I was already questioning my reality when I arrived at Li Lau’s Psych. I was without my glasses and squinting so I wouldn’t miss anything.
But the chaos of my day subsided when Li Lau stood under the lights in front of the audience. And then there was magic.
After calling up from the audience a non-French speaker – someone with no idea whatsoever of the language – Li Lau told them that he would give him temporary knowledge of French.
“No way,” the sceptical people sitting behind me said. But he magically delivered on his promise by handing the audience member a tiny blue skull that supposedly would help him with his task.
The sceptics behind me were suddenly filled with wonder when the volunteer became fluent in the language.
The show was highly interactive. Time flew by. When it ended I thought it a bit too early, only to realise that it had in fact ended on time.
One of Li Lau’s hopes for the audience is that they come to watch him and forget about the stresses of the day. Magic box ticked.
Lau has performed for over 13 years and has been returning for about eight years during the Festival to perform. Although he has been to big stages, he is thankful for the National Arts Festival because this is where he began his career.
But, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. In 2019, a show went horrible wrong when his co-performer accidentally shot Li Lau in the head with a crossbow. Luckily the arrow did not penetrate his. “That was when I received a call from Britain’s Got Talent,” he said, and was given further opportunities.
For Lau there is magic in all of us. He said that “Science does not tell us everything. Some things in life are more than just coincidences.” He gave an example of how one could be delayed for a few minutes by a car only to later encounter something new or discover one has survived something.
Although a magician never reveals their secret he did tell me that in some cases his knowledge of criminology comes in handy on stage. It helps his read people from observing their body language and reactions. ”In general people don’t like lying.“
At the end of the show he stood by the door and greeted the attendees as they left. ”There is magic in all of us,” he said, “The impossible might be possible.” The sense of happiness I felt as I left was pure magic.
