'I think magic can take itself too seriously'

The British magician-comedian Paul Zenon was in Dubai recently for a show. Gautam Raja asks him about the tricks of his trade


In show business, magic and comedy usually marry inadvertently. The rabbit wriggles out early, the wrong card is pulled, the girl drops the axe. After seeing Paul Zenon's act, it hits home that comedy and magic are apple and cinnamon, movies and rainy days — combinations that, once experienced, are irresistible. The British comedian/magician was in Dubai recently to perform at a Laughter Factory '100% Comedy' event.

Says Paul, "I think magic can take itself too seriously… David Copperfield — he pretends to be the master of the universe… smoke machines… wind blowing through his hair. I've never liked that kind of magic."

Apart from the image, Paul found the message of traditional magic not to his taste. "Part of the problem with magic is that you can look as if you're saying 'I'm cleverer than you. I can do something and you don't how to do it.' And that's a bad way of entertaining. Comedy lightens that."

Paul Zenon has never done straight magic or straight comedy, but conjures cackles with his special combination.

According to Don Ward, producer and managing director of the London-based club, The Comedy Store, Paul Zenon is unique. "He has the wonderful talent of being very funny and has the brilliant talent of his magic. So he's quite unique — there isn't another performer…"

"The good thing about the whole street magic scene is that it's revolutionised the image of magic," says Paul. "The idea of magician wearing a T-shirt and jeans was quite radical five years ago but it's now brought up to date." That said, Paul looked most natty on stage that evening in his black pin-striped suit.

Unfortunately for performers such as Paul, every conversation on the new magic has to include the magician David Blaine. He took it without a sigh in the interview, but his show had a jibe or two.

As with Blaine before his hanging aquarium days, Paul keeps the scale of his tricks small. The emphasis is on close up magic with ordinary objects. "The problem on TV if you're doing a trick with the Statue of Liberty or the Great Wall of China [both subjects of famous David Copperfield tricks] the assumption is that you're going to use camera tricks. It's so large scale that you think some mechanics are involved, or stooges. The great thing when magic happens right under somebody's nose and it is much more impressive."

Paul has related to his subject for as long as he can remember. He says he's always been interested in "deceit" in general — tricks, practical jokes, cons. So was he a terror when he was younger? "When you're younger you don't know the difference between what's wrong and what's playing a joke," says Paul. Yup, terror he was.

Paul's other love is films about criminals. Not violent ones, but intellectual criminals who carry out elaborate crimes. Paul mentions The Sting, Paper Moon and Catch Me If You Can.

"What was interesting is that these people didn't use crime against individuals. They didn't rob an old lady or a family. They would only do it against the government or an art gallery or a bank — kind of like 'just crime'."

'Just crime' fascinated Paul, but, "I didn't fancy spending any time in prison, so I thought I'll go the show business route instead." Paul's been on that route 20 years now, one of the stalwarts of The Comedy Store.

So what does he think of Dubai? Sitting with an Englishman in the dimly lit Trader Vic's on a cloudy afternoon, his answer shouldn't have been a surprise. "I'm very disappointed with the weather. Last year I was here for two and a half days and it was the same. But the venues are nice, the people are responsive. Bring back the weather and I'll be happy."