What’s On speaks to Dutch magician Hans Klok ahead of his show, The World’s Fastest Illusionist, at the du Forum on Aug 21 and 22.

Dubbed “the world’s fastest illusionist,” Hans Klok is coming to Abu Dhabi to dole out his tricks in record time. The special show, a sort of homage to the great Harry Houdini, will be hosted at the du Forum for two days on Friday August 21 and Saturday August 22. What’s On spoke with Klok to find out more.

You hold a world record for 15 illusions in five minutes. Tell us more. It started out in Holland for a Dutch TV show and then I did it for Japanese television, French television and the BBC two years ago. And every time I’ve beaten the old number – it started with ten.

Tell us about the show. It is a full evening show with dancers, my assistants, special guest stars and circus acts. I’m telling the story of Houdini, the most famous magician and escape artist, so it is a very spectacular grand illusion show. Anything you can dream of, I can do onstage.

Did you always want to be a magician? For me it is a dream come true. I wanted to be a magician since I was eight years old. So I’m living the life I was hoping for.

Which celebrity would you like to work with? Tina Turner. I’ve worked with Madonna, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, Pamela Anderson but never Tina Turner. She is one of my biggest heroes. I really like her style and her music.

Who would you like to work with again? To be honest, Pamela Anderson. I worked with her for a year in Las Vegas and it was a great experience, she really loved it. So that would be something for the future maybe, to have a comeback together.

What’s the best part of doing illusions? I love to amaze. The golden rule in show business is never what you do, but how you do it. We all know nobody can fly or disappear, but when you see it in front of your eyes, it’s something.

What’s the next big trick? I was thinking about copying myself. So out of my body steps another Hans Klok and out of that body steps another one. So at the end you have like 12 mini-mes. I still haven’t figured out how to do that. I’ve been working on that for years.

August 21 and 22
du Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, 8pm, Dhs195 to Dhs495. Taxi: du Forum. abudhabievents.ae