The Magic of Doug Henning
Many famous magicians have contributed something worthwhile to the art and history of magic. Canadian-born magician and illusionist Doug Henning most certainly was one of them. Henning (1947-2000) gave his first children’s magic shows at age 14 and became instantly popular. He obtained a University degree in psychology, and then won a Canadian theatrical grant of $4000 that enabled him to develop and build a stage television show called Spellbound. The show was so successful in Canada; in 1974 he took it to Broadway under a new title, ‘The Magic Show’ where I was privileged to see this exciting new show. It heralded a new era for stage magic that at the time was in the doldrums. Doug became almost like the Peter Pan of magic. His show was fresh and vibrant and full of music and colour. He became an innovator injecting a refreshingly new image of how a stage show could be presented. There are many lessons to be learnt from the magic of Doug Henning by the way he presented his whole show.