March 12: Mrs. Devant’s Surprise

On March 12, 1907, David Devant, one of the true greats of magic’s golden age, performed one of his most astonishing feats. Remarkably targeted, it amazed an audience of one: his wife. The success of Devant’s performances in London led to him being approached for a six-week engagement in Vienna, performing 10 two-hour-long shows per week. The producers assured Devant that a performance in English would work, but he was unconvinced and so spent six weeks learning basic German, having his act translated, and rehearsing this new version. What so amazed his wife? According to Devant’s own account, “she had the surprise of her life when I began my performance in high German. I had kept the fact I was learning the language a complete secret from her.”