A peek behind the curtain with David Kwong

You may already know that David Kwong: 

• constructs crossword puzzles for the New York Times
• was the head magic consultant for the movie Now You See Me 
• wrote How to Fool Your Parents, a magic book for children

We're delighted to interview David leading up to the Canadian premiere of his show The Enigmatist which runs from June 10th to 22nd at the Lighthouse ArtSpace in Toronto.  For tickets and more information visit Starvox Entertainment.  

What is your first memory of magic?

 

Like every magician, I have these indelible moments from when I was a kid. For me, the most impactful was when I was about seven years old and saw a magician performing at a pumpkin patch. He performed the sponge ball trick, which blew my mind, of course. But what happened next would change my life forever. He did the trick to my dad. Now my father is a biochemist, and still is the smartest person in the world to me. So when he opened up his hand and suddenly had two sponge balls, I turned to this omniscient figure and asked him how the trick worked. My dad flashed me a sheepish grin and said, “I have no idea." And that’s when I knew I wanted to be a magician! And this moment continues to inform my work. I recently released a kids book of magic tricks,  How to Fool Your Parents. It’s a book dedicated to smart, brainy, kids. I’m basically channeling my seven year-old self!

 

Who inspires you magically?

I’m still inspired by Penn & Teller who are going 50 years strong. I’m part of the small group of practitioners that doesn’t pretend to have super powers in any way. And I like to pull back the curtain and reveal the science behind why illusions work. In fact, as you’ll discover in my show, I liken magic tricks to puzzles: they challenge your brain to see if you can figure out the solution.

 

 

 

 

 

Who inspires you that is not a magician?

Will Shortz, the puzzle editor of the New York Times. He’s been a wonderful mentor and friend since I first met him as a teenager. Will has brought smart and accessible puzzles into the homes of millions and millions of people. He always says that a good puzzle makes the solver feel smart. I try to channel this in every puzzle I create and show that I perform. 
  

 

"... a good puzzle makes the solver feel smart."
-- Will Shortz

David Kwong, The Enigmatist
Photo credit: Yann Rabanier

Tell us about your connections to Canadian magic.

Here’s something that is the ultimate uncanny coincidence: My father was friends with Doug Henning at McMaster [Univeristy]! My father tells me that he gave Doug one of his first magic gigs: a performance at a Chinese New Year banquet on campus. Also, my father rented Ivan Reitman’s apartment one summer. As many know, Ivan produced Doug’s first magic show, Spellbound, in Toronto in 1973. This show was eventually reworked into The Magic Show, which became a Broadway hit a year later. I’ve become good friends with Ivan’s son Jason in Los Angeles, and have consulted on some of his films. It is a tangled web of magic! 

 

 

 

Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals you’d be willing to share with our readers?

The mental gymnastics that I perform in the show require a great deal of memory. So I get to the theater early and I practice with flashcards in my dressing room. I usually solve a crossword puzzle or two as well, you gotta get my brain going and I actually find it relaxing! 

 

David Kwong
Photo credit: Justin Barbin

  Crossword puzzles are like magic tricks  

Good puzzles and tricks tell stories. There are themes, twists and turns, and the surprising reveal at the end. This is perhaps my favorite puzzle I've constructed for the New York Times. It was a Halloween puzzle, a day when the constructor has license to be extra tricky.   

[Editor's note:  Have a look at the Thursday, October 31, 2013 puzzle to which David refers over at XWordInfo.com.  

Puzzle spoilers from David:
Essentially there are four monsters (from Universal monster movies). There is the entry MIRRORS in the vertical middle of the grid, which reflects them from the left side to the right. WOLFMAN becomes NAMFLOW etc. But DRACULA has no reflection! So in the lower right, all the entries are one letter shorter than you might expect.] 

 

 

 

What can your audiences expect to see during The Enigmatist?

The Enigmatist is an evening of magic, puzzles, and cryptography (codebreaking). There are brainy magic tricks, and a box that the audience must collectively unlock to reveal the mysteries inside. I also regale the audience with the story of America's first codebreakers. Also, the puzzles start right away! Audiences are encouraged to come early to the show where they have the option of solving puzzles in the lobby. This is called the Puzzle Garden and ties into the show! 

 

 

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I’ve been so pleased to see how The Enigmatist has transformed into a family show. There’s nothing more exciting than when a young audience member stands up and solves a puzzle before any of the adults. I hope to see Toronto's brainiacs, young and old, come out to stretch their brains!

[Editor's note:  highlighting added.]

 

 

 

Thank you David, for making the time to answer our questions!

Learn more about David by visiting his website DavidKwongMagic.com, following his Substack newsletter Enigmatology, buying his book How to Fool Your Parents, and following him on Facebook and Instagram.

  

  The Enigmatist  

Catch The Enigmatist June 10th to 22nd at the Lighthouse ArtSpace in Toronto.

Tickets and more information at Starvox Entertainment.  

 

 

From the May 6th Instagram post by Starvox Entertainment:

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