Magician prepares for Wild Adventures escapes

By Dean Poling

VALDOSTA — Preparing for an escape is hard work, especially if it includes handcuffs, chains, being sealed in a wooden crate, and dropped into a lake.

That’s exactly the kind of escape magician Aaron Radatz is preparing for next week as part of Wild Adventures All-American Weekend.

“This is a straight-forward Houdini-style escape,” Radatz says. “Some contemporary magicians use steel boxes and other materials. But I like it old school, using wooden crates like Houdini used to use.”

Radatz will use several elements at once though. He will be chained, handcuffed, sealed in the wooden crate and dropped into the Wild Adventures lake. Holes will be drilled into the crate so water is flowing inside as Radatz works to escape.

“Houdini did this to show how quickly he could escape,” says Radatz. Harry Houdini often used only one restraint at a time to demonstrate how fast he could free himself. With Radatz using several restraints, his feat will take more time.

Two minutes, 10 seconds is his best time underwater, Radatz says. A clock will be set at two minutes, 10 seconds. A countdown will start once he’s lowered underwater in the lake.

No one will be underwater with him. Emergency personnel will be on stand-by.

That’s when the rehearsals and preparation should pay off.

Radatz adds these escapes to his magic act every year to 18 months. He works with scuba divers, initially in a pool. He then works his way into the water site of the escape. Preparing in the actual water is important since it is usually a lake or pond. This work prepares him for the water’s temperature, the available visibility, sediment, plant life, fish.

He started working in the Wild Adventure lake this weekend. Prior to the July 4 and 5 public escapes, he will run through the procedure.

“There will be several full rehearsals prior to the actual escapes,” Radatz says. “This is done for security reasons as well as to ensure the quality of the entertainment.”

Usually, Radatz entertains audiences with more practical magic. Since earlier this month through early August, Radatz has been performing in a Wild Adventures theatre several times a week. At the park, he performs his one-man show, which he compares to a guitar player working unplugged.

He works with items from audience members, finding “the magic in everyday things.” He also performs a bit of Houdini on stage with a straight-jacket escape.

Radatz says contemporary magician David Copperfield has had the biggest influence on his work. He has even worked with Copperfield. Yet, even 80 years after his death, Houdini is the name, the idea, which still resonates as The Magician with the public, Radatz says.

“Houdini inspired many magicians,” Radatz says. “There’s a raw danger to his escapes and audiences respond to this raw danger. Will he get out or not?”

Radatz’s magical journey started at the age of 6, when his grandmother gave him the gift of a magic kit. An only child, the magic kit allowed young Aaron to entertain himself, though he did make his parents sit through numerous attempts at early tricks.

By an early age, he knew he wanted to be a magician. He continued learning tricks and working on an act. He made a deal with his parents. He would pursue his magic career, but he would earn a college degree. The career took off. Radatz had to finish school via the Internet. He earned a degree in marketing.

As a magician, he’s worked in 32 nations. Before his Wild Adventures gig, Radatz worked in Beijing, China. No need to speak the language, he says. Magic trumps all language barriers.

Aaron Radatz will perform his escapes twice, prior to the dusk fireworks displays, July 4, 5, Wild Adventures lake. His escapes are part of the park’s admission. Radatz also has a regular Wild Adventures show, Wednesdays through Sundays, and magic workshops Saturdays and Sundays, through Aug. 2. More information: Visit wildadventures.com; or call 219-7080. The Valdosta Daily Times is a partner in Wild Adventures All-American Weekend.

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