Paul Romhany (born 25 October 1968) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-born magician best known for his Charlie Chaplin magic act. He has been awarded many industry awards including the PCAM Gold Medal and the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

Top Variety Act award. Paul has entertained the royal family of

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

, performed at the famous

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

in Hollywood, and appeared in over 100 countries.

Biography

Paul Romhany was born in 1968 in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. At the age of eight he saw his first Charlie Chaplin film, '' The Circus'', attended a live magic show, and became interested in

ventriloquism Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

. He joined the Shore City Magicians Club, a

magic club A magic club is any group of local magicians who meet regularly. A club can be open to all with an interest in magic or it may be only possible to join by invite or by meeting some sort of notability criteria (e.g. professional magicians only). ...

with a focus on youth. At the age twelve Paul won his first talent quest and began to perform semi-professionally. He graduated from

Auckland University , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1990 and a Diploma in Teaching from Auckland Teachers Training College in 1991. Paul's first break in showbusiness came when he toured New Zealand and Australia as part of the World Festival of Magic show alongside American performers Chuck Jones and Ricki Dunn, who became a lifelong friend and mentor. After many years of experimenting with different performing styles and characters Paul decided to concentrate on a Charlie Chaplin silent magic act, for which he has become internationally known. Paul has written over 24 books, including a best-selling book for the general public on cat readings. Paul releases a new book each month as part of his Pro-Series range of books for magicians. He has released over fifty original magic effects and routines, ranging from close-up to stage. He regularly lectures to magic clubs, and consults for magicians for both television and stage. In 2012 he created 'Vanish' magazine, a free downloadable trade magazine for magicians. 'Vanish' is read by over 80,000 magicians worldwide. In June 2013 VanishLive was launched. VanishLive is a daily roundup of magic news from around the globe plus articles and reviews of magic products, tricks, DVDs etc. In October 2015 Paul Romhany was presented with the

Grand Master of Magic Award The Grand Master of Magic Award is a lifetime achievement award presented by the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians Incorporated on behalf of the magicians of New Zealand. It was first awarded in 1969 and to date it has been awarded on nineteen ...

, the highest honour for a New Zealand magician.

Awards and honours

* 2015

, New Zealand's highest honour for a magician * 2014 Robert Houdin Award, presented by Stevens Magic Emporium, Kansas, March 2013 * 2012

Top Variety Act * 2003 PCAM Gold Medal, People's Choice Award * 1992

Rising Star Award

Publications

* The Real Deal - 2012 * Flown Away - 2012 * How To Tell Anybody's Personality By The Way They Laugh And Speak - 2011 * Briefcase Illusion - 2011
Top Ten Travel Picks
- 2011 * Performing Mentalism for Young Minds Vl. 2 - 2011 * Mental Epic Compendium - 2010 * Extreme Magic MakeOver - 2010 * Performing Mentalism for Young Minds Vl. 1- 2010 * Magic from Down Under - 2009 * Lunch Is Served - 2009 * Extreme Magic Makeover - 2009 * Entertaining On a Cruise Ship - Edition 1 - 2008 * Laughter in the Workplace - 2008 * Secrets of a Walk About Ventriloquist - 2004 * Pawmistry - 1998 Pro-Series Books : * SwitchBoard Clipboard * Winning Numbers * Multiplying Bottles * Signed Card on Blue Stake * Bearly Impossible * Bill 2 Can * Color Change Hanky * Headline Prediction * Orange, Lemon, Egg & Canary * Six Card Repeat DVDs : * Multiplying Bottles with DVD and Audio CD * Romhany On Stage * Lunch Date * Minuette Aces

References

External links

Paul Romhany Official Website

Vanish Magazine

Paul Romhany Interview on Talk Magic, June 2021

Paul Romhany - Revolutionizing Live Performance and the Online Magazine, The Variety Artist Podcast, December 2018

Romhany Report Blog

Interview with The Magic Convention Guide, 2009

iTricks Feature Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romhany, Paul New Zealand magicians People from Auckland Living people University of Auckland alumni 1968 births