Cameron Woodhead
LA-based magician Katrina Kroetch (aka Magical Katrina) is heading Down Under for the first time to perform at the 19th annual Melbourne Magic Festival. If you have seen Chappell Roan’s music video Red Wine Supernovayou will know him already.
In the clip, Kroetch plays the pop singer’s romantic fantasy – a beautiful, fiery-haired witch who descends on Roan’s suburban home with a lot of tricks up her sleeve, including making the homophobic neighbor disappear.
“I’m bisexual and I have a girlfriend of five years, so (that) was really cool to do,” Kroetch says.
Initially, Roan approached him as a magic consultant, to teach the actor how to perform illusions, before realizing that Kroetch had acting training, a sense of humor and a natural rapport with the camera that made him perfect for the role.
Kroetch is a “big, big fan” of Roan’s music and admits he had to curb his “fangirling around the set” and act cool on the shoot. What impressed him most about Roan, however, was the star’s respect for artists.
“I’m often approached by stars — I won’t name names — and often they’ll ask you to work for free, or they’ll mess with you,” Kroetch says. “Chappell Roan didn’t do that, and in an industry where people often use their power to suppress artists, it was refreshing.”
‘I have a lot of anxiety and delusions, and I’m always worried about a perfectionist.’
Katrina Kroetch, magician
So, how did this self-described “theatre kid” come to launch an international career in magic? It’s still a male-dominated field, even if the typical image of a witch seeing a “good helper” in the middle is history.
“As a little girl (of) … my generation,” Kroetch says, “we weren’t given magical tools the same way boys were… So, my kind of touchstone for magic growing up was Willow from. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The most magical women I watched as a kid were like, magical, right? I really wanted to be a magician. And a vampire slayer. And a vampire.”
Starring Alyson Hannigan – who played Willow in Buffy – time to appear Penn and Speaker: Lie to us It was a dream come true for Kroetch, and strong, queer female characters continue to fire his imagination.
“I grew up with Rocky Horror Picture Show… and so pull and pull, homosexuality and beauty and beauty are very important parts of my inner environment … But my celebration of hyper-femme is also about being badass,” she says.
His latest work, I’m Not A Spy, This Is A Magical Showcertainly fits the bill. Kroetch will transform into a super spy (who also does magic) in a race against time to find the girl and save the world.
Kroetch watched about 100 spy films before he began writing and describes his show as character- and narrative-driven. It is also a different creature Magical Katrina: The Whimsical WitchChildren’s magic shows he also brings to the festival.
“I would say that the children’s show – this is a terrible metaphor because it seems violent – is more like a technique to take 14 years (of experience as a magician) and see what holds me.
“I want a time bomb. I want to fake my own death. I want to be gay. I want to be a spy. I want to kick ass in a skirt. And I want to do all this in 45 minutes.”
For all the artistry involved in the art form, though, the talent and aspirations of women in magic is a fact that will be proudly displayed at the Melbourne Magic Festival. Other female artists lined up alongside Kroetch include Calista Sinclair – a Sydney-born, Paris-born magician who came third in World Magic Tournament in Turin last year.
And in addition to his two shows, Kroetch will be giving lectures to fellow magicians in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, and hopes to expand his magic show to a full 90 minutes, taking it to Vegas and performing it on the Strip.
A final question: if magic were real, and he could cast a spell to change something about himself, what would Kroetch choose?
“My first thought was to get rid of this horrible pimple on my face that I’ve had for months,” she says. “My second thought was, ‘That’s too short. That’s a bad answer.’
“And then I thought, you know what? I have a lot of anxiety and I have delusions, and I’m always worried about being a perfectionist, so maybe I should try to be more calm and less stressed. I need to not be my own competition mom.”
The Melbourne Magic FestivalIt runs from June 29 to July 11.
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