The premiere of your new production The Illusionists 1903 will be held in the QPAC Concert Hall in January – what can the audience expect from the show?
A fun evening of variety and magic beautifully themed around a turn-of-the-20th-century production.

Your live performance combines comedy and magic with juggling, slapstick and acrobatics. What’s the pre-show prep been like?
I’ve been preparing for the show my whole life. I’m almost ready.

You’re known as ‘The Eccentric’ – how did you earn that title?
In Vaudeville, an ‘Eccentric’ was a type of comedian whose manner and dress was a little … off. A physical comedian who usually specialised in a skill of some sort. A musical instrument, dance, circus skill, etc. All the great silent clowns could be characterised as Eccentrics – Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel & Hardy … Frye? We’ve been billed as Eccentric comedians from day one, and are simply trying to hold a candle to the greats of yesteryear.

What’s your favourite moment in a live performance? Is it the adrenalin before you step on to the stage, when the crowd oohs and ahhs at your skills, or the personal satisfaction following the show?
When the act is over, and I’m not bleeding. Performing is all about connecting, and that’s where the joy lies for me. It’s not about just winning over the audience. It’s knowing that we really connected and gave them a one-of-a-kind, special, joyful performance. I know that sounds corny, but for me, it really is about giving, not taking.

Do you have an all-time favourite magic trick you love to perform?
Yes I do, and yes, it’s a card trick.

Any major magic fails you wish to confess to?
I’m still haunted by things I screwed up when I was a kid doing birthday parties. Thanks for opening those old wounds. Magic fails are psychologically painful; juggling fails can be physically so. When we were starring in the Folies Bergere in Las Vegas, I once busted my head open with a plate. That night, the doctor misread ‘juggler’ on my form and greeted me with, “So, you’re a gigolo.”

You’ve performed for royal families and celebrities, but who would you most like to see in your audience one night?
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields and Stan Laurel sitting in the front row. I hope that’s what Heaven is like. According to Robert Frost, Hell is a half-filled auditorium …

What first drew you into the world of magic tricks and illusions? We heard your father and grandfather were both professional clowns?
Yes, so early on I knew I had some pretty big shoes to fill! I think I was around seven when I first slapped on the make-up, and my life has revolved around performing ever since. It’s basically all I’m good for. I’m sure it’s a survival instinct. Picture prehistoric man sitting in his cave, trying to make it through the Ice Age. Food is getting scarce, and he and the missus are trying to decide on which kid to eat. I bet they saved Curly for last. He would have tasted funny anyway.

What were you like as a child? Tell us about those early Batman yearnings …
I don’t know if you ever saw the old 1960s Batman TV show starring Adam West. I’ve found that a lot of my generation’s performers were warped by that show. We didn’t know it was pop-art. It was heavy on the theatrics; a living cartoon, with A-list talented bad guys. I found out years later that its producer was an amateur magician. So as a kid, I guess I spent a lot of time pretending to be someone else. To be honest, I’m not even sure this is me answering this right now.

Liza Minelli has said you’re “simply one of the best and brightest acts ever” and David Blaine has said you’re “f#%king amazing”, but we want to hear the most surprising response an audience member has had to one of your shows so far …
A guy had me autograph the back of his shirt the other day. That was pretty weird. I think alcohol was involved.

You perform alongside your wife, Sherry. What can you tell us about that first meeting when you were a circus performer and she was a showgirl, aerialist and ballerina?
We saw each other every day in the ring, and became friends. But at night on the circus train, out of make-up, she had no idea who I was. That enabled me to get a foot in the door before her better judgement kicked in.

What would Charlie Frye as a boy think of the adult you are today?
I think he’d be surprised. He had his doubts.

What’s the best thing about being you right now?
The friends I’ve made all over the world, many of whom I can’t wait to see Down Under.

How do you personally define ‘success’?
Well, I know it’s a noun … My wife just stopped me from quoting the dictionary’s definition. Foiled again. That’s what I get for marrying Catwoman.

Thanks for the chat, Charlie!
Is that a question?