“It was great to feel part of that history, though, I never knew Houdini had performed here until Chris said he was going to do it, so I’ve learnt something new about the Castle - great stuff.”Ĭastle volunteer Jasmin Brooke, 19, added: “I’ve never seen anything like that before, it was amazing. George said: “It was pretty nerve-wracking, feeling somewhat responsible for the man being dangled 80 feet in the air like that. Newcastle Castle employee George Blair, 36, had ventured out onto the roof to watch the show, but didn’t expect to be roped in to helping with the act.Ĭhris asked George to help buckle him in to his tight straight jacket, so George was even more nervous than most as he watched the magician’s dangerous act.
Next, the belts and buckles were tied behind Houdini’s back. Usually, he would have someone from the audience look over the straitjacket. In 2011 one of the straitjackets Houdini used during his suspended escapes sold at a Christies auction in London for 46,980. He’s more used to performing on “just a small cherry picker”, and says he’s never been as high above the ground as he was when his body swung over the 80-foot wall. One of the most popular approaches to completing the trick involved Houdini hanging upside down from a skyscraper while attempting to escape from a straitjacket. Houdini performed suspended straitjacket escapes in most of the major cities he played, including New York, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. Though Chris has performed similar stunts before, the escape atop the Castle Keep was one of his most ambitious yet. “I quite enjoyed it, to be honest - although having your whole weight hanging on your ankles like that is pretty uncomfortable.” Magician Chris Cross performing a Harry Houdini style escape from a straight jacket from the top of the Castle keep, Newcastle
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