How Chappell Roan’s ‘Red Wine Supernova’ magician Katrina Kroetch is bringing her act to Australia
Cameron Woodhead
Los Angeles-based magician Katrina Kroetch (aka Magical Katrina) is heading Down Under for the first time to perform at the 19th annual Melbourne Magic Festival. If you watched Chappell Roan’s music video Red Wine SupernovaYou will already recognize it.
In the clip, Kroetch portrays the pop star’s naive romantic fantasy come to life: a dazzling, flame-haired female magician descends on Roan’s suburban home with a bag of tricks up her sleeve, including taking out a homophobic neighbor.
“I am bisexual and I have a girlfriend of five years. [that] It was really nice to do that,” says Kroetch.
Initially, Roan approached him as a magic consultant to teach an actor how to perform illusions; He later realized that Kroetch had studied acting, had a comedic presence, and a natural rapport with the camera, making him perfect for the role.
Kroetch is a “big, big fan” of Roan’s music and admits that she had to restrict her “fangirling on set” and keep her cool during filming. But what impressed him most about Roan was the star’s respect for the artists.
“Stars approach me often — I won’t name names — and often they ask you to work for free or they negotiate with you,” says Kroetch. “Chappell Roan didn’t do that, and that was refreshing in an industry where people routinely use their influence to rip off artists.”
‘I’m super anxious and have imposter syndrome, I’m always anxious and a perfectionist.’
Katrina Kroetch, magician
So how did this self-described “theatre kid” embark on an international career in magic? Although the classic image of a magician cutting his “cute assistant” in half is a thing of the past, it’s still a very male-dominated scene after all.
“When I was a little girl [of] …my generation,” says Kroetch, “we weren’t given the magic kit that boys were given…So, my touchstone for magic development was Willow. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The most magical women I looked up to as a child looked like witches, right? I really wanted to be a witch. And a vampire hunter. And a vampire.”
Performance of Alyson Hannigan who plays Willow buffy – during an appearance Penn and Teller: Fool us It was a dream come true for Kroetch, and strong, quirky female characters continue to spark her imagination.
“I grew up with this Rocky Horror Picture Show… and so drag and queerness, homosexuality, glamour, and vaudeville are very important parts of my inner landscape… But my celebration of hyper-femme is also about being able to be a badass,” she says.
His last work, I’m Not a Spy, It’s a Magic ShowIt definitely fits the bill. Kroetch will transform into a lesbian super spy (who also does magic) racing against time to catch the girl and save the world.
Kroetch watched nearly 100 spy movies before he started writing and describes his show as character- and narrative-driven. Also a different creature Enchanted Katrina: The Weird WitchIt is also the children’s magic show that he will bring to the festival.
“I would say the kids are showing – it’s a terrible metaphor because it sounds violent – it’s more like the 14-year shotgun approach [of experience as a magician] and seeing what sticks. Whereas a spy program is more like a sniper rifle: I know exactly what I want to do.
“I want a ticking time bomb. I want to fake my own death. I want to be gay. I want to be a spy. I want to literally kick ass in a skirt. And I want to do it all in 45 minutes.”
Despite all the trickery of the art form, women’s talent and ambition in magic is a fact that will be proudly displayed at the Melbourne Magic Festival. Other female performers scheduled with Kroetch include Sydney-born, Paris-based magician Calista Sinclair, who came third at last year’s World Magic Championships in Turin.
In addition to his two shows, Kroetch will also teach fellow magicians in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, and hopes to expand his spy show to a full 90 minutes, take it to Vegas and perform it on the Strip.
One last question: If magic were real and he could cast a spell that would change something about himself, what would Kroetch choose?
“My first thought was to get rid of this terrible acne I’ve had on my face for months,” she says. “My second thought was: ‘This is too superficial. This is a bad answer.’
“And then I thought, you know what? I’m super anxious and I have imposter syndrome, I’m always worried and I’m a perfectionist, so I’ll probably just…try to keep a more composed demeanor and try not to be so stressed. I don’t need to be my own show mom.”
Melbourne Magic FestivalIt runs from June 29 to July 11.
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