Worldclass illusionist ready to dazzle fairgoers

By Ethan Cartier, Tribune intern
Posted 7/23/24

Illusionist Murray Hatfield has performed all across the world — Australia, Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore — and this week, he’ll work to …

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Worldclass illusionist ready to dazzle fairgoers

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Illusionist Murray Hatfield has performed all across the world — Australia, Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore — and this week, he’ll work to delight audiences at the Park County Fair.

Based in British Columbia, Hatfield brings “over three decades of training and experience in drama, dance, music and theater,” his website says, which he combines with “breath-taking magic, contemporary music, interactive comedy and some of the newest, most exciting, and most up-to-date illusions in the world today.”

As a “master illusionist,” Hatfield excels at tricking the eye to make an audience think one thing while doing another. He was named magician of the year in 2005 and 2012 and taken home many other awards over his career.

“Everyone I talked to had a fantastic time, and confirmed that this was the best entertainment we’ve had in a long time,” one attendee wrote in a review.

On his site, Hatfield says he witnessed his first magic show at age 10 and was immediately “bitten by the magic bug.”

“From that moment on Murray [Hatfield] invested all of his time and energy into his new-found passion,” his site says.

Alongside his longtime assistant and life partner, Teresa, he’s experienced significant success. They’ve regaled audiences on cruise ships, at fairs, corporate functions and more; the couple even got the opportunity to perform before legendary illusionists Penn and Teller on their CW show, “Fool Us.”

Hatfield will be plenty busy during this week’s fair, as he’ll perform three times a day on the Pepsi Free Stage — more times than anyone else.

For those interested in watching, or even participating in, Hatfield’s show, he’ll be performing at the fair on Tuesday and Wednesday at 2, 5 and 8 p.m., on Thursday at 2, 5 and 9 p.m., on Friday at noon, 4 and 7 p.m., and on Saturday at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.

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