Singapore has its very own Houdini. This weekend, Lawrence Khong will be chained and submerged in a suspended tank of water. But don't worry, says GREGORY LEOW.

PICTURE more than 900 litres of water in a glass and metal tank raised nearly two metres above the ground.

Local magician Lawrence Khong steps into the tank all chained up like Houdini and then is submerged, with only the air in his lungs to sustain him. The door to the water tank is sealed.

All of a sudden, the tank, weighing more than a tonne, revolves at a breakneck speed of 17 rounds per minute.

A curtain is closed. Several minutes pass.

Suddenly, Khong reappears on the stage - out of his chains and completely dry.

And when the tank is revealed, not a drop of water has spilled onto the ground.

What is even more amazing is that when Khong's magic musical extravaganza, Secret Of The Escape: Magic Of Love 3, opens tomorrow, he would be the only magician in the world to have done this brand new magic trick, called The Ultimate Water Torture.

The audience who will watch it at the University Cultural Centre will be the first in the world to see this trick being performed.

The trick was developed by America's foremost inventor of magic effects, Andre Kole, considered to be one of the world's greatest magic performers of all time and who has won the highest award given out by the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood.

As creative consultant to one of the most famous magicians in the world, David Copperfield, he developed a trick that Copperfield called "one of the most remarkable illusions ever attempted on stage, anywhere in the world": the disappearance of a 3m tall wood, fibreglass and steel replica of the Statue of Liberty.

"According to what Andre told me, certain world-class magicians are offering to pay tens of thousands of US dollars for the rights to use the Ultimate Water Torture,' said Khong.

But not only is Khong the first to use this trick, he also got it for only a small sum from Kole.

"Andre was in the process of developing the trick and offered it to me for free as a gesture of friendship. I only paid a small royalty fee of US$3,000 (S$5,167) to use it," said Khong, adding that he is very grateful to Kole.

The two men are close friends, both being magicians and staunch Christians, he said.

He spent 10 months in Los Angeles with Kole and top illusion prop builder, John Gaughan, to develop the trick. The cost of the building and testing of the prop cost about US$50,000.

"It was a new trick, so we were treading virgin territory. We had to figure out things like the speed at which the motor runs and how to spin that much water in the air," said Khong.

He said that the high cost was due to a lot of conceptualising and testing of equipment.

Khong recalled one incident that could have ended tragically, when his team was testing how long he could stay inside, so they wanted to spin the tank for six rounds. He held his breath but the person closing the latch took longer than usual.

"I had less breath in my lungs as a result. By the fourth round, I became nervous and was struggling for air as a result. I had no way to communicate to them that I was running out of air. Luckily, one of them decided to cut the testing short to be on the safe side."

One of the things he has learned: The more tense one is, the shorter of breath one can be.

Khong has secured new projects just based on the strength of the new magic trick alone, such as 10 shows in five cities in southern China.

The Secret Of The Escape: Magic Of Love 3 will run in Singapore for just three shows. Besides southern China, it will also tour Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Said Khong: "(Andre) has given me a significant cut above other magicians, an opportunity. For that, I am extremely grateful."

The Secret Of The Escape: Magic Of Love 3 will be performed tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm at the University Cultural Centre. Tickets are priced at $38, $48 and $58. For tickets, call 6278-2777.

Permission to use this article has been given by SPH AsiaOne Ltd.