First contact with magic?

A magic box for Christmas when I was about ten years old.

What fascinated little Fabian about magic?

To amaze, enchant and surprise people. And to entertain people, to give them pleasure. That’s where his enthusiasm for the stage and acting came from. I was 12 or 13 years old when I started dreaming of being on the big stage. That’s why, from the age of 13, I travelled to Vienna twice a week by train to take acting lessons at the Open Acting Academy.

The beginning of a professional magic career?

It started very small, alongside school. As a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old, I earned a bit of pocket money with small performances. Magic tricks as you know them: with cards, with coins, directly at the guests’ table. I still really enjoy these tricks and they are the basic equipment of every magician. But I was already dreaming of the big stage …

The idea for FABULOUS came …?

… actually during the Corona period. Performances weren’t possible, I had more time than I would have liked. I got more involved with illusion technology, more with stage technology, with lighting, sound, with the secrets behind really big, internationally successful shows. And then I started to conceptualise and write my own first show …

Role models?

At the beginning of my career, mainly Harry Houdini and David Copperfield, the all-time greats among magicians, a timeless inspiration. Nowadays, I’m particularly inspired by big international pop stars. It’s great how they mesmerise their audiences with their shows.

What makes a good magician?

In my opinion, the trick should never be in the foreground and the magician in the background. It’s about the stories you tell as a magician, the emotions you create in the audience, how you captivate them for hours, how you make them think and dream. A good magician never hides behind his tricks!

You keep talking about ‘storytelling’, what do you mean by that?

It’s about telling people a story that grabs them, that entertains them, that inspires them. The role of tricks in my show is very similar to the role of songs in a great musical: they are part of the plot, highlights of the story, and they always help to tell the story more effectively, more excitingly, more emotionally.

Favourite sport?

Football – but only passively. Actively anything that has to do with acrobatics.

The most magical moments of your career so far?

Two men proposed to their girlfriends on my stage during the show. The first time, I made the wedding ring appear in a lemon. What is always very important to me is the feedback from the fans. There is one in particular that I remember: After a sold-out show in the Stadthalle, a fan wrote to me to say that he had been so inspired by my message ‘Believe in your dreams!’ that he had realised his big dream of becoming self-employed. My show gave him the impetus, the courage, the inspiration. A goosebump moment!

Which trick are you most nervous about?

I call it respect, and I always have the most respect when it could be dangerous. My stunt in Schönbrunn took place at a height of 35 metres … if something had gone wrong, if a rope had broken, it could have ended very badly. But I’m always extremely well prepared and so professional that the residual risk is very, very small, even with the most daring tricks.

The most embarrassing and funniest hoppala so far?

At the moment it was incredibly embarrassing and extremely annoying, but in retrospect it was really funny: at the premiere of FABULOUS, at home in Krumbach, in a glittering hall, I was supposed to appear in a fog-filled box and jump impressively out of the box onto the stage. The whole stage was bathed in mystical light, showgirls drummed rhythmically, everything to build up the tension for the big first performance. But the box was misplaced … and tumbled off the stage with me. The FABULOUS tour couldn’t have got off to a more annoying, embarrassing or worse start. But the oops was obviously a good omen.

The name Fab Fox comes from your first name Fabian … and what does the fox have to do with it?

‘Fab’ also plays with the word “fabulous”. And the fox is nimble, clever and fast, which are also requirements for my artistic work. He’s also cheeky, and that’s what I want to be: I want to make magic a new experience, more exciting, more modern, more humorous. I want to move magic away from the trick-by-trick rhythm. As part of an emotional story, as part of a spectacular show, magic can touch and enchant people much more deeply!

You reach all ages and all walks of life with your shows. Why does magical entertainment work so well?

If it’s done well, it amazes people – and emotionalises them so much that they become completely part of the experience. I get so much feedback from fans who confirm this. Seven-year-old girls say that they see things on stage that they don’t see on TV, TikTok or YouTube. Parents thank us for a perfect family evening that everyone talks about for days afterwards. Stressed mums can switch off completely for two hours, escape the stress of everyday life and enter a dream world full of inspiration and optimism. And older people experience magic and wizardry in a completely new way, very different from ten or 20 years ago, with more emotion, more excitement, more show, more humour.

What is Fab Fox’s great mission? What does he want to give the world?

I want to amaze people, and I want to reach them through this amazement, emotionalise them, entertain them. I want people to really immerse themselves in my show for a few hours and forget everything else. When adults become amazed children again, great! Then I’m happy, then I’m fulfilled and satisfied, then my show has achieved its goal. And the most important thing for me is to believe in your dreams. That’s the most important thing for me. People who believe in their dreams, who follow their dreams, are happier people and live richer, more fulfilling lives. Believe in your dreams!