Magic - by David Haig (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Harry Houdini is the greatest illusionist the world has ever known. Arthur Conan Doyle is the creator of literature's most brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes.

When their mutual admiration blossoms into a profound friendship, they discover a shared obsession with spiritualism. But while Conan Doyle believes fervently in the psychic world and the promise of reunion with his dead son, Houdini is determined to demonstrate it's a cruel fraud. Which of them will be proved right: the genius writer of fiction or the master magician?

Based on extraordinary historical events, David Haig's play Magic asks what we're prepared to believe, and why. It was first performed at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2026, directed by Lucy Bailey and starring Hadley Fraser as Houdini and Haig himself as Conan Doyle.

Review Quotes

"Spellbinding"-Guardian

"A moving exploration of the tensions within and between its two main characters... pleasingly theatrical"-Observer

"A fascinating historical clash of ideas... thoughtful and engaging"-The Stage

"Entertaining and gripping... Haig has a fine sense of the theatrical and draws his characters colourfully and sensitively... you could hear a pin drop during the séance scenes"-Theatre & Tonic

"Fascinating"-Telegraph

"Gripping, surprisingly emotional... asks questions that are just as relevant for modern audiences as they were for Conan Doyle and Houdini themselves... a masterful analysis of the truth and lies we tell ourselves and how we distinguish between them... a superb script... an absolute treat"-All That Dazzles

"Elegantly, artfully gripping"-TheatreCat

About the Author

David Haig is an actor and playwright. His stage plays include: Magic (Chichester Festival Theatre, 2026); Pressure (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, and Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 2014); The Good Samaritan (Hampstead Theatre, London, 2000) and My Boy Jack (Hampstead Theatre, 1997).

My Boy Jack was filmed for ITV, starring David Haig, Daniel Radcliffe and Kim Cattrall, and broadcast in November 2007.

His distinguished acting career includes West End appearances in Yes, Prime Minister (a transfer from Chichester); Art, Dead Funny (a transfer from Hampstead), Journey's End, The Country Wife and The Sea. At the National Theatre he appeared in Alan Ayckbourn's House/Garden, and at the Royal Court in Hitchcock Blonde and The Recruiting Officer. He has worked extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing, amongst others, Angelo in Trevor Nunn's production of Measure for Measure. He won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for Our Country's Good at the Royal Court, and received nominations for Mary Poppins and Donkeys' Years, both in the West End.

His television and film appearances include Yes, Prime Minister, Mo, The Wright Way, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Thin Blue Line, Talking Heads and Crime and Punishment.