Less than two years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Vinh Giang,
Together we formed a stage show titled “3” which was highly successful at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe and completed a sell out, and award winning run.
In 2014 we were given the opportunity to extend this show and become a feature act of Adelaide Fringe and our venue Gluttony.
ORIGIN Matt went to Brighton Secondary School, but admits he was rarely focused on his studies. “I used to sing at weddings,” he says. “Then my voice broke and I had no idea what to do with it.”
MAGIC CALLS Matt first fell in love with magic when he saw Rudy Coby at the Adelaide Fringe in the early ’90s. “He was this uber-cool magician who had an international TV special The World’s Coolest Magician. After that moment I just loved magic.”
Adelaide based magicians Matt Tarrant and Vinh Giang kick their show off by paying tribute to the magicians who’ve inspired them throughout their careers. Houdini, David Copperfield, Derren Brown, among others. The two devote time in the show telling the audience their desire to be on the same platform as these world-famous tricksters. As far as I’m concerned, they are already in the same league as these greats.
Deception is both a wonderful magic show and a hilarious cabaret about Vinh Giang’s and Matt Tarrant’s journeys to become magicians. These young illusionists have honed their craft well and perform their various forms of magic with ease and proficiency. What causes them to stand out from their contemporaries, however, is their interaction with the audience and the theatrical nature of the show.
The clue to the show is in the name and I’ve never been so deceived by such an honest-seeming, down-to-earth, personable couple of good blokes.
If charm were under review, I would summarise by saying that Matt Tarrant and Vinh Giang have it in spades. From poignant tales of ancestry to their humorous digs at each other, the duo are a perfect stage match, and their passion for their craft alone, makes this a show worth supporting. The time taken to perfect their trade is not something many of us can comprehend and I enjoyed this insight into their journeys.
Sitting down with Vinh Giang and Matt Tarrant, neither embodies the quintessential image of a magician. They are, however, two of Adelaide’s most celebrated and successful young magicians, and after an award-winning, sell-out season at the 2012 and 2013 Adelaide Fringe, they will be returning in 2014 with their new show, Deception.
Forget top hats and capes, Giang wears Ralph Lauren casual business attire while Tarrant has a lip ring, tattoo and headphones resting on his neck. While both are from Adelaide, the duo met online and joined forces to perfect their chosen brand of magic — mentalism — a term they say is best described as “mind hacking”.
