High jinx at the palace

A young magician who recently appeared on ITV’s hit show, Penn And Teller, is bringing his own show to the Palace Theatre, Newark, on Tuesday at 1.30pm.

Michael Jordan, from the High Jinx Magic and Circus Roadshow, and his assistant, Tamsyn Sear, will take the audience on a journey of magic and illusion.

Although only 20, Michael has been practising his magic tricks since he was nine and was recently voted Young Magician Of the Year by the Magic Circle Club in London.

His latest show comes direct from an appearance at Disneyland Paris.

Michael said: “The show is pretty much a magic show.

“It is full of illusions, juggling, and escapology with some comedy thrown in.

“Magic is making a comeback on television and is proving to be popular entertainment once more.”

Michael, from Huddersfield, was introduced to the world of magic as a young boy by his grandfather.

“He used to do a bit of magic as a hobby and would do the odd card trick for me.

“He then bought me a Paul Daniels magic set for Christmas and I was hooked.

“Whenever I went to see my grandparents they used to let me watch all the magic shows on television and then bought me a better magic kit the following Christmas.

“I joined the local magic clubs and then the Magic Circle in London, going once a month.”

As well as magic, Michael is a unicyclist, juggler, stilt walker and fire eater.

He said he was still learning all the time and finding new tricks to do to delight and amaze the audience.

“I picked up my circus skills and escapology along the way, which I put into the act. Although I do build some of the tricks myself, most are made for me by a firm in Blackpool who specialises in this kind of thing.

“My favourite trick at the moment is The Walking Knot. I have a rope tied between two ends. I then cut the rope, tie it into a knot and it walks up and down the rope.”

He said he liked to get the audience involved in the show by getting some of them to take part in the tricks.

Michael said he enjoyed taking part in the Penn And Teller Show and meeting the host Jonathan Ross.

“We performed the splitter, where Tamsyn is in a box and is split into five sections. Unfortunately Penn and Teller guessed how we did it but it was a great experience to perform in front of them.