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Singapore magicians take their stunts to the next level - literally

SINGAPORE — There’s something magical about this year’s Night Festival. And yes, we mean that literally. Singapore’s premier magician duo, J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning were tasked to come up with something spectacular for this year’s edition - a feat that are meant to stun audiences.

J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning will perform at the Night Festival on Friday and Saturday.

J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning will perform at the Night Festival on Friday and Saturday.

SINGAPORE — There’s something magical about this year’s Night Festival. And yes, we mean that literally. Singapore’s premier magician duo, J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning were tasked to come up with something spectacular for this year’s edition - a feat that are meant to stun audiences.

In typical form, they have come up with two “mega stunts” instead. On Friday night, they will stage The Water Vault, in which Ning performs a Houdini-esque underwater escape in less than two minutes; and on Saturday night, the pair attempts Ultimate Inversion, the world’s first tandem upside down strait jacket escape, suspended from a burning rope some 50 feet above the ground.

“The most challenging bit (is) creating a spectacular mega stunt worthy of closing this year’s Singapore Night Festival and not die in the process - because that would be pretty inconvenient,” quipped Ning. “In this case, it was twice as difficult since we had to come up with two exciting stunts, one underwater and one 50 feet in the air.”

And yes, there is the pressure to perform as well, not least because the pair is expected to receive an award for “outstanding achievement and contribution to magic” this weekend. They will also be travelling throughout Asia with their illusion show, and they’re in the midst of working on their “top secret TV project”.

“Yes, there is an expectation from fans, clients and even the international magic community to outdo ourselves each time,” said Sum. “But, we are our biggest critics and put pressure on ourselves to create new acts or stunts never been done in the world before.”

“Awards are a form of recognition, however, we never let it get to our heads and we don’t do what we do for awards,” asserted Ning. “We’re really much more practical: We do it for the money - I mean, art.”

You guys recently curated a “history of magic” exhibition for the National Heritage Festival, featuring acts by Singapore magicians of the past, but what do you think of the future of Singapore magic?

J C: There is a lot of potential with the next generation of magicians but they really need to be innovative and create original acts instead of doing what others are already doing. They also need to work on their personality brand beyond their technical magic skills.

What’s the one trick in your repertoire that you never tire of doing?

Ning: For me, I’d never get tired of dividing J C in half or cutting off his head. How many lucky people actually get paid to do that to their boss on a regular basis?

I’m sure some people have come up to you with requests for certain magic tricks. What’s the most outrageous one you’ve heard?

Ning: Performing my Double Strait Jacket Striptease act but wearing absolutely nothing underneath!

What’s the craziest thing a fan has done for you?

Ning: Hands down, the scary person who mailed me his trimmed public hair, wrapped in my FHM magazine cover (from 2009) with a love note scrawled on it in blood red marker pen. It’s seared in my memory; I honestly still have nightmares.

Guys do that because you’re hot, Ning. So what it will take to get a date with you?

Ning: I don’t think I’m asking for much but I’d be mighty impressed if you’ve got style, can cook, and conjure up world peace. In other words, only superheroes need apply! (Laughs)

If your date turns out to be a disaster, do you turn them into toads or newts?

Ning: Neither. I simply magic them into something hot and sexy so the night can be salvaged. How’s that for making the impossible possible?

Why do you keep doing this?

J C: Putting Singapore on the world magic map.

In a battle between Harry Potter and Hermione and you two, who would win?

Ning: As long as the battle takes place outside Hogwarts, we will win. If it takes place in Singapore, the heat and humidity will obviously do half the job for us. Those robes will give them a heat stroke. And the haze from Indonesia would help too.

Magic Babe Ning performs The Water Escape on Aug 30, while J C Sum and Ning will perform Ultimate Inversion on Aug 31, at the National Museum of Singapore facade. 10pm on both nights. Free.

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