EXCLUSIVE: Dynamo vows intimate Yorkshire homecoming shows will be most magical yet – get tickets

In an exclusive chat the global icon - real name Steven Frayne - revealed fans will get his 'greatest hits' with a modern twist and spellbinding new illusions when his Up Close and Magical shows play Leeds and Bradford.

The tour includes four nights at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, February 7-10, 2027, and a six-night run at Bradford Playhouse from March 2-7.

BUY TICKETS: Tickets and all other UK tour dates visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

He says it will be an immersive experience and returning to the places where his remarkable journey began has taken on a whole new meaning after the illness that almost robbed him of everything.

The 43-year-old Bradford-born illusionist admits there was a time when he was left wondering whether he would ever perform again as he battled Crohn's disease.

Now, after his medication has reduced from 28 tablets a day to just two, he says he has fallen back in love with magic – and can't wait to bring home his acclaimed show to Leeds and Bradford, where audiences will experience the impossible from just a few feet away.

He told how fans will also see him back on TV screens later this year paying homage to Harry Houdini, in which he tackles the most dangerous stunt of his career.

Dynamo revealed the Yorkshire dates will be unlike any others on his first UK tour in a decade because they're rooted in the places that made him.

"I talk a lot in my performances about my experiences growing up in Bradford and performing magic on the streets of Leeds. It always gets an amazing reaction. But when I'm telling those stories and giving those performances in the cities that they actually took place in, there's a whole deeper level of connection," he said.

The star says audiences won't simply watch the upcoming shows – they'll become part of it.

Some audience members will join him on stage, while other moments unfold in the middle of the crowd.Dynamo is also promising surprises that fans have never seen before.

"They're gonna see some of the things they've seen me do on TV, things with mobile phones. They're also gonna feel magic, where they physically experience things that you can't even put into words,” he said.

Dynamo believes live magic has never been more important in an age of artificial intelligence, deep fakes and social media trickery. While some viewers dismiss his online videos as AI-generated, he says nothing can replace witnessing the impossible unfold right in front of your own eyes.

He said: "If anyone thinks it's AI, in some ways that's a compliment.But come and see it live with your own eyes and you'll see for yourself - it is what it is.

"What I've tried to create is an experience you can't get anywhere else other than being in that room. No two shows will be the same.”

He admits his outdoor performance launching Bradford's 2025 UK City of Culture year reignited his passion for performing live and convinced him the time was finally right to return to the stage after a decade away.

"When I was back on stage in Bradford, it reminded me of why I do this in the first place,” he revealed.

"Magic, for me, isn't about fooling people - that has a negative connotation, like someone getting one over on someone else. This isn't about that. This is about sharing in an experience with someone together."

And while Up Close and Magical isn't an escapology show, he says the shoes are still being planned and there could yet be a nod to his forthcoming Sky TV series, Dynamo versus Houdini, which will aiir later this year ans marks the centenary of the legendary escapologist's death.

Filming an episode in New York he says he recently performed one of the most dangerous stunts of his career.

"I attempted a Houdini style escape, where I was put in a straight jacket, chained inside a car. The car was set on fire, lifted 100 feet into the air on a crane, and I had to escape... I'm having this conversation, which means I've made it," he laughed.

Having previously declared "Dynamo Is Dead", Steven says he's now resurrected his famous alter ego after realising he needed the fearless confidence of Dynamo to take on the likes of Harry Houdini's legacy.

He says: "I think over this last year, taking on the legacy of Houdini, arguably the greatest of all time in my field, I realised that I can't do this as Steven, on my own. I need a bit of that Dynamo energy to really get me inside that burning car, to get in that straitjacket, to attempt some of these things - way too scary to do it as Steven. Physically, mentally, health wise, I'm in such a better place. I feel more like a Dynamo than I probably ever have."

The tour also marks a personal triumph after years battling Crohn's disease, which forced him away from the spotlight and left him questioning whether he would ever be Dynamo again.

"When I got really sick, I found myself in a hospital bed. I couldn't even make a cup of Yorkshire tea for myself, because I was so debilitated because of the illness. I didn't feel like a Dynamo. I didn't feel like I deserved that title,” he says.

Today, the picture couldn't be more different.

He said: "Doctors have worked with me well and got me on some good medication. I remember there was a point I was on 28 tablets a day and now I'm on just two tablets a day.

“So that kind of shows how far I've come."

He adds: There were a multitude of reasons why I wasn't able to embark on a tour over the last few years, like health reasons. But the time is right now because first and foremost, I'm in the best place I've ever been

“I've got so many ideas and it's like I found magic all over again and I'm getting to share it in a whole new way. So, right now for me is the perfect time for this.

Up Close and Magical Tour Dates 2027

17-21 Jan, Salford, The Lowry

25-27 Jan, Bristol, Redgrave Theatre

01-05 Feb, Birmingham, The Old Rep

07-10 Feb, Leeds, City Varieties Music Hall

15-18 Feb, Glasgow, Saint Luke’s

25-28 Feb, Leicester, The Y Theatre

02-07 Mar , Bradford, Bradford Playhouse

TICKETS: www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

LINKS:

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