6:54am Friday 29th February 2008
By Kathie Griffiths
Be under no illusion - Bradford's Industrial Museum is the place to be this weekend to see a modern day Houdini attempt a death defying stunt.
Tomorrow 29-year-old escapologist Daniel Hunt will dare to be lowered headfirst and handcuffed at his waist into a padlocked, clear box which will fill with water right before the audience's eyes.
He will have less than 80 seconds to free himself from his restraints as well as pick the padlocks and get out. The last time he tried this feat he almost died.
He said: "My friends have told me not to try it again but I'm ignoring them, they'll probably never talk to me again. I'm excited but nervous too."
The Water Torture Cell, inspired by Daniel's hero Houdini, is due to start at 1pm at the museum in Moorside Road, Eccleshill, and marks the opening of a magical exhibition.
"When Houdini did it, it was in a bigger water tank and he used to have a curtain in front of him - I'll have nothing. People will see everything," Daniel said.
The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Robin Owens, will be in the audience holding his breath.
Dare-devil Daniel is hoping the escape bid will be as successful as some of his other break-outs including freeing himself from the Condemned Cell at York Castle Museum which once housed the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin.
The great escape' stunt celebrates the opening of Bradford Magic Circle's 60th anniversary exhibition - As told by the Bradford Magic Circle'.
It will be open daily until April 13 with lots of workshops, shows and lectures being pulled out of the hat to keep visitors entertained.
The Magic Circle has just made honorary members of Daniel and his assistant Annette, also known as Amethyst, who have lent the exhibition some of their own mind-blowing memorabilia including magic sets, costumes and props used by several famous magicians and escapologists including Houdini himself.
Industrial Museum manager Maggie Pedley said: "Museums are famous for many things but not as performance spaces for escapologists, this has to be a first."
And she said setting up the magic Circle's exhibition had been a top-secret mission.
She said: "Because we don't want to give secrets away a lot of the setting up has been done under-wraps.
"We've been working very closely with the magicians from Bradford Magic Circle to make sure we don't let anything slip. We're all very excited."
To find out more about the Exhibition visit bradford magiccircle.co.uk e-mail: kathie.griffiths @telegraphandargus.co.uk
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