For over a decade, the maestro team of illusionists, Lawrence and Priscilla, has been making things happen. Together, this father-daughter magician team has continuously brought the craft of magic and illusions up to new standards. And just when you think you have seen it all, the duo returns again with new tricks up their sleeves to impress the audience… And… impressed and entertained the people, Lawrence and Priscilla did. More importantly, they did these not just with their hands but also with their hearts. By pioneering community projects like Project SMILE and the School of Magic, Lawrence and Priscilla have shown that magic is not merely an illusion. When they touch the lives of the underprivileged, true magic happens. We bid you welcome as you explore the magical world of Lawrence and Priscilla.
Performed to sold-out capacity crowds, world-renowned illusionists Lawrence and Priscilla Khong reached a new milestone in their illustrious 11-year career with VISION. True to their signature trademark of staging stunning theatrical illusions, this world-class theatre masterpiece garnered more than 16,000 ticket sales (92.5%) over its successful eleven-shows run at the Esplanade Theatre in July.
Asia’s first Elite Diamond Merlin Award recipients showed their mastery of the craft as they seamlessly blend elaborate illusions and the sweeping splendor of a theatre production with artistry and finesse. Combining spectacular giant props with state-of-the-art technology, VISION broke new ground with 3D projection mapping to enhance the illusions for greater visual depth and maximum impact.
“We set out to create a show that is the first of its kind - not just in Singapore but in the world. With 20 illusions, 16 dancers and 100 costumes, VISION is one of our largest and most ambitious production,” says Lawrence Khong. “Achieving more than 92% of ticket sales is a clear statement of theatre goers’ strong endorsement of our efforts to blend magic with theatre, music and dance. There is simply no other productions in the world today of similar scale and presentation.”
“Merging magic with theatre to transform it into an art form, we constantly push new artistic boundaries as theatre goers today expect to be entertained with world-class entertainment,” says Priscilla Khong. “That is why VISION combined the best elements of theatre and magic to deliver a truly mesmerising experience.”
The uniqueness and world-class appeal of VISION drew some of the biggest international creative talents in the industry, including music maestro, Kenn C, Don Wayne – the award winning magic consultant for David Copperfield and renowned choreographer extraordinaire, Lisa Keegan.
Christmas Magic(2010, Singapore)
Singapore's only father-and-daughter illusionist team, Lawrence and Priscilla Khong celebrated 10 years of enthralling audiences and the spirit of Christmas with Christmas Magic at The MAX Pavilion from 17 to 19 December 2010. Christmas Magic, a three-day illusion spectacle produced by Gateway Entertainment, dazzled and mesmerized over 18,000 audiences with world class performance by the Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla.
Lawrence said: "What inspired us to do Christmas Magic was really the overwhelming success we had in 2009 with Christmas Stomp which was staged at The MAX Pavilion to a sold-out crowd of 7,000. People loved what we presented to them. I think it revived, if not triggered, an interest in Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla's brand of theatrical entertainment where we combine elements of magic, music, drama and dance to go beyond the stereotypical magical performance."
"Growing up in a family of magicians, magic has been my life," said Priscilla. "I am truly honoured to celebrate10 years of working with my father in Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla with Christmas Magic. It was really exciting for both of us and memorable to celebrate this special moment with the audiences."
Watched by over 16,000 audiences in Singapore at the most premier performance venue in Singapore, The Esplanade Theatre, it is Lawrence and Priscilla's most successful production to date. It also paved the way for the pair's prestigious performing honour at the Chingay Singapore Parade 2009, a spectacular annual street and floats parade.
Magic of Love(2001 – 2007, World Tour)
The debut production by Lawrence and Priscilla premiered at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in September 2001. Since then, their flagship show has been played to more than 208,000 audiences around the world, in countries Japan, Korea, East and West Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau, China, and even in the USA: notably in Las Vegas at the famed Legends of Magic show.
Evening of Enchantment(2001 – 2007, Singapore, China, Japan, Malaysia)
What was launched as a magic-theatre performance has today turned into highly successful corporate show. It has been engaged by corporate bigwigs in China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA. Some of our clients includ the Asean Federation of Endocrine Societies (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Philip Morris International (Hong Kong, China), Magic Castle (Academy of Magical Arts 2006 Award Banquet, Hollywood, USA), Mediterranean Shipping Company (Dinner and Dance 2008, Singapore), Nomura Group (10th Nomura Investment Forum 2007, Tokyo, Japan), and Social Innovation Park Pte Ltd ("I've Got Talent" NETS cashcard launch 2008, Singapore).
The Spook Show(2004 & 2005, Singapore)
It was staged at the Singapore Kallang Theatre (2004) and the Suntec Convention Hall (2005). For two consecutive years, young adoring fans were especially thrilled by this bold and ingenious "Halloween comes alive" magic show, presented during the unthinkable Chinese lunar 'Month of the Hungry Ghosts'.
The Great Escape(2003, Singapore)
As a magical performance created with an oriental touch, it catered especially to the audiences in China, Singapore and the region.
From Illusion To Reality(2000, Singapore)
Premiered at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, this groundbreaking show by Lawrence and Priscilla was later featured live on Taiwan's Good TV network.
Aside from making magic productions that shaped the entertainment world, Lawrence and Priscilla also participated in landmark events and supported significant causes:
Asia's First Elite Diamond Merlin Award Recipients
(31 December 2010, Singapore)
Lawrence and Priscilla Khong have raised the bar yet again by being the first in Asia to receive the Elite Diamond Merlin Award conferred by the International Magicians Society.
Lawrence and Priscilla joined the ranks of fellow magician luminaries such as David Copperfield, Siegfried and Roy, Penn and Teller and Criss Angel who have also received this prestigious award. This award is equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for films and the Emmy Awards for television productions.
The award was presented to Lawrence and Priscilla by Mr Tony Hassini, Founder and World President of International Magicians Society on the 31st of December 2010 at the world's largest giant observation wheel, The Singapore Flyer.
"I am very honoured to receive the Magician of the Year award and for Priscilla to receive the Female Magician of the Year award from Mr Tony Hassini himself! It is such a meaningful way to mark the tenth year of Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla, and is also a great encouragement for us." said Lawrence Khong, (PBM – Public Service Medal) Founding Chairman of Gateway Entertainment.
Project SMILE's Milestones 2010
Qian Qian Shou 千牵手 (Thousand Linking Hands) 2010
(13 to 19 July 2010, China)
Gateway Entertainment's Project SMILE (Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere) was proud to be invited by TOUCH Community Services International at Qian Qian Shou from 13 to 19 July to share the spirit of volunteerism and promote a cultural exchange between youths from Singapore and China. This year's summer camp was held in Dujiangyan (Sichuan) where 143 youths were trained in Service-Learning and Project SMILE, bringing smiles to the communities through magic. As part of the finale, an outdoor community magic show was performed by Priscilla and Project SMILE volunteers at a transitional camp, housing communities affected by the Sichuan earthquake.
Magic Circle of Lawrence & Priscilla's Milestones 2010
*SCAPE's Grand Opening 2010
(19 and 29 June 2010, Singapore)
Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla was proud to be part of *SCAPE's Grand Opening held at Orchard Link. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan – the Former Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Magic Circle of Lawrence & Priscilla members were mobilised to join the street parade from three designated locations on Orchard Road, leading up to a convergence at *SCAPE the Playground for the official launch of the brand new *SCAPE building!
Magicians from the Magic Circle of Lawrence & Priscilla enthralled the general public with close-up magic during the street parade and ended each performance with an exclusive *SCAPE promo trick!
Gateway Entertainment Milestones 2010
Gateway Entertainment's sponsorship to Hougang Secondary School
(10 October 2010, Singapore)
Gateway Entertainment's (GE) sponsorship of upgrading Hougang Secondary School's multipurpose hall further solidifies its commitment to support the performing arts and education among Singaporean youths.
GE celebrated its tenth anniversary, starting with the launch of a significant partnership with Hougang Secondary School (HS). This marked the company's corporate social responsibility efforts to improve the lives of the public at large through the refurbishment of HS's existing multipurpose hall. This effort by GE aims to inculcate the learning of the arts in the students, as well as to promote the venue as a prime location for conducting recitals, concerts and theatrical productions. On non-school days, the hall will be opened to the neighbouring communities for various activities including mass yoga, family days, and fun fairs.
This multipurpose hall is named MAGICBOX@HS, after GE's most successful magic theatrical production to date. In conjunction with HS's 10th year anniversary, a banquet dinner graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Ser Luck – Former Senior Parliarmentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports & Ministry of Transport, was held on 10 October 2010 where MAGICBOX@HS was officially inaugurated.
"Gateway Entertainment shares our mission and our commitment to the communities we serve. We are proud to work with them," said Mr Ng Tiong Nam, principal of HS. "With this upgrading project of converting my school hall into a performing arts centre, we are looking forward to organise with GE, regular performing arts events for the Hougang community in our school hall in the coming years."
"Our partnership with HS was promising from the onset, ever since the school engaged Project SMILE to lead and facilitate a magic camp for its secondary two cohort as part of their Service Learning," said Lawrence Khong, (PBM – Public Service Medal), Chairman of Gateway Entertainment.
"I am excited with the collaboration between Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla and HS. We see potential in youths and I have personally witnessed the joy and confidence exuded by the students when they performed in front of an audience at the end of the three-day Project SMILE at HS camp we held in March this year. Seeing that compels me to take action to nurture these youths, who are also the future of our country. As such, I believe this contribution by GE would further ignite their passion not only in magic but also in the performing arts and culture and unleash their potential in these areas. I hope that someday all Singapore schools would have performing magic as one of the core subjects in the GCE 'O' levels curriculum!" added Lawrence Khong, whose ultimate aim is to raise a new generation of confident and compassionate young magicians through Project SMILE's initiatives.
HS collaborated with Project SMILE to introduce Service Learning to 312 lower secondary students in early 2010. It marked the students' first foray into an uniquely themed Service Learning experience, which included a three-day camp where they were taught the basics of magic, artistry and performing arts by Project SMILE's co-founder Priscilla Khong and her team of magician-facilitators. The programme ended with a one-day community service project at 16 difference homes islandwide, where students shared their newfound magic knowledge and joy to those less fortunate than them.
Chingay Parade Singapore(2009, Singapore)
For two days on the 30th and 31st of January 2009, Lawrence and Priscilla led a team of 300 performers, comprising dancers, levitators, magicians and skyrunners, to stage the grand finale act, "MAGICBOX @ The Banquet", at the Chingay Parade Singapore 2009. This annual event is a colourful, multi-cultural street and floats parade, staged as part of the Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore, that is watched by over hundreds of thousands of spectators at the performing venues and by millions more in Singapore and around the region through its television broadcast. Lawrence performed Asia's first-ever "Burnt Alive @ Chingay" death-defying illusion as the climatic highlight of their inaugural magic performance staged in the history of the parade to date. Read more…
10th Nomura Investment Forum(2007, Japan)
In 2007, Lawrence and Priscilla were invited to perform at the 10th Nomura Investment Forum in Tokyo, Japan, a high-profile seminar attended by investors from all over the world, high-calibre CEOs from major Japanese companies and senior representatives from blue-chip Asian companies.
Academy of Magical Arts Awards Banquet(2006, USA)
In 2006, Lawrence and Priscilla flew to Hollywood, California to perform at the Academy of Magical Arts Awards Banquet, a ceremony devoted to the advancement of the art of magic and its history, and attended by illusionists and magicians worldwide.
40th Anniversary of Singapore-Japan Diplomatic Relations(2006, Japan)
Lawrence and Priscilla were also invited to mount Magic of Love as a key performance in the commemorative event marking the establishment of 40 years of Singapore-Japan diplomatic ties in 2006.
International Festival of Magic or IF Magic(2003 & 2005, Singapore)
Following their dream to promote magic as a world-class art form in Singapore and to create more opportunities for amateur magicians to hone their craft, Lawrence and Priscilla organised the first-ever International Festival of Magic (IF Magic) in Singapore in 2003. Attracting a crowd of over 950 local and foreign participants, including Jeremy Pei and Joe Yu from Singapore, Kim Jung Kuk from Korea, Dai Peng Heng from China, Maebaya Kyoto from Japan, Panjarat Chairattine from Thailand, PJ Wen from Taiwan, and Danny Cole from the United States, the event was such a huge success that another four-day magic convention was later held in 2005.
Singapore’s 40th National Day Countdown Party(2005, Singapore)
Lawrence and Priscilla became part of our nation’s pride and joy when they were specially invited to perform at Singapore's 40th National Day Countdown Party in 2005. As a demonstration of their love for Singapore, the duo staged a rousing performance where they patriotically crafted the appearance of our national flag into their act. Read more…
Singapore’s Yellow Ribbon Project Charity Concert(2004, Singapore)
Lawrence and Priscilla brought their flagship show, Magic of Love, to the inaugural Singapore Yellow Ribbon Project Charity Concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, in support of its worthy cause to offer ex-offenders and their families' acceptance and reintegration back into society.
4th China Shanghai International Arts Festival(2002, China)
Lawrence and Priscilla took centre stage with other world-class artists to perform at this prominent Chinese arts festival. It was hosted by the Ministry of Culture in China, which is committed to presenting the best in world culture, encouraging innovation while re-introducing the classics.
Project SMILE ( Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere)(2002 – Present, Asia)
To brighten the lives of the less fortunate in the community, the father-daughter duo pioneered this first-ever magic training programme, conceptualised by Lawrence, in the Asia Pacific region to groom youths and adults in the art of magic, and through them, bring smiles into the lives of the needy in the community. To date, they have successfully impacted more than 2,400 participants both locally and overseas, and have reached out to over 11,000 disadvantaged beneficiaries in day care centres, homes and hospitals.