The residents of Shenzhen, China are no stranger to Magic of Lawrence & Priscilla. Returning to the city for the 2nd time in 2 years, Gateway Entertainment brought a bigger, improved performance this time—Celebration of Life—which took up residence in the Nanshan Sport and Cultural Centre Theatre.
Archive News
For the first time ever, Gateway Entertainment brought our new-and improved show, Celebration of Life, to Thailand this year. After 2 years of delay due to the passing of His Royal Highness, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016 and the subsequent death anniversary commemoration in 2017, Celebration of Life performed at the MCC Hall in The Mall Bangkapi in the capital city, Bangkok.
After eight years and 14 cities, Gateway Entertainment’s most-toured show Christmas Magic has been reworked, improved and updated into Celebration of Life.
Christmas Magic is a show with many merits, one of them being its moving script about universal human values—faith, hope, and love. It is also a show that is no stranger to change. Since its inception in 2010, the show has seen revisions and adaptions to allow it to be toured at different times of the year and in different countries, with changes to cast, script, choreography, and sets. With this latest change, the show—now known as Celebration of Life—can play at any time of the year.
In July, Gateway Theatre marked its first anniversary, celebrating a year of arts and culture. Since our Opening Festival last year, we’ve partnered with arts groups, hosted recitals, concerts, and performances of all sizes, and launched our own children’s programme, the weekly Gateway Kids Club.
Christmas Magic was brought back to China in 2017, from 23 November to 16 December, as we felt it was important to continue to share the Christmas message of faith, hope and love with the Chinese. The four cities we visited this time around were Shanghai, Chongqing, Xiamen and Hangzhou. A total of nine shows were performed in these four cities.
The Nutcracker is a magical sensory illusion extravaganza that is testament to not just our vision and mission, but our commitment to constantly evolve ourselves to deliver unique unforgettable experiences for everyone who walks through our theatre doors. But don’t take our word for it. Take a look at what some people have to say about the show.
The highly anticipated debut of Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) rendition of The Nutcracker left audiences mesmerized and pleasantly bewildered as the magical extravaganza unfolded before their eyes. With stunning visual effects, costumes and dance that was fused together with a plethora of illusions by the Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla, the award winning magic duo proved once again their uncanny ability to seamless blend innovation and creativity into their performance.
Beijing, China – In its efforts to continually establish its strategic footprint and influence in Asia, Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) has signed a strategic partnership agreement that will see it collaborating with industry heavyweights to promote and expand the performing arts industry across the region
This past December, Gateway Productions headed to China to debut Christmas Magic in the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan. It was an incredible experience for both cast and crew where we had the privilege to bring the Christmas message of faith, hope and love to these cities in a unique and memorable way. Christmas Magic’s debut in China is the first project under Gateway Entertainment’s recent joint-venture collaboration with Juooo Theatre Management Pte Ltd that will enable us to bring our productions to even more cities in China. Besides taking point for finding the right venue to stage the production, Juooo lead the charge for driving publicity and hype for this magic spectacle in all three cities.
China – As part of its Asia tour, Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) iconic production Christmas Magic will make its debut in China this Christmas season. For the first time, the Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan will be the recipients of the Christmas message of Faith, Hope and Love through a seamless tapestry of world class magic, music and dance.
Singapore - In its continual efforts to expand and establish its footprint beyond Singapore’s shores, Gateway Entertainment (GE) has successfully reached a major strategic partnership agreement with China’s Juooo Theatre Management Pte Ltd (Juooo) - China’s largest and most influential performing arts agency. This unprecedented theatre collaboration affirms the traction the theatre to theatre has gained over the years - especially its illusion-theatre productions which have received international recognition and acclaim - from magic practitioners and producers to show buyers and theatre owners.
Considered by many Taiwanese as the most liveable city with its endless restaurants, specialty food shops and night markets, the industrial city of Taichung served as Gateway Entertainment (GE)’s second stop for Christmas Magic’s tour of Taiwan. From music to theatre and the arts, it is also Taiwan’s cultural centre where it prides itself as being host to both internal and local talents, as well as being home to the largest fine arts museum in Asia. It therefore only seemed fitting that Christmas Magic would set foot in this bustling arts home to showcase the best of Singapore's talent.
Gateway Entertainment (GE)’s 2016 tour of Taiwan began in the city of Kaohsiung, the country's second largest city and premier trading port. Besides being easily reachable via direct flights from over 40 Asian cities, the city also boasts a high-speed rail that runs through it from North Taiwan, making it less than an hour and thirty minutes away from capital city, Taipei. GE’s arrival on 1 November marked the company’s much anticipated debut in this massive port city.
We’ve eagerly waited for almost three years - and finally, it’s just down to a couple of weeks before we open wide the doors of our new pride and joy, Gateway Theatre! And to celebrate this, here’s a quick look-back of how this incredible state-of-the-art building came to be.
We hope you’ve enjoyed VISION as much as we had producing and mounting the production in this historic year of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee! We’re pleased to have achieved an unprecedented sales record of 95.6% this year. The figure speaks volumes of how much the show have impressed theatre goers and magic fans alike. Here’s what the media had to say about VISION.
Singapore – VISION, Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) iconic illusion-theatre extravaganza, once again took Singapore by storm during its return at the Esplanade Theatre this past week. Fresh from its successful sell-out run in China, the highly anticipated mega production drew in thousands of eager magic and theatre fans alike – all eager to be mesmerised by Singapore’s award winning father and daughter illusionists Lawrence and Priscilla Khong.
There’s always room and a reason to be enthralled by magic – especially when it comes to celebrating something big. So it just seemed fitting that in line with the festivities and buzz to celebrate our nation’s Silver Jubilee, Gateway Entertainment (GE) 3rd Magic Warehouse event in April was aptly called SG Magic.
In October, Gateway Entertainment kicked off its world tour in China - starting with an unprecedented debut at Taicang Grand Theatre in Suzhou in October before heading to the prestigious Shanghai Cultural Square performing theatre. The largest illusion-theatre production in Asia, VISION garnered more than 5,600 ticket sales (70%) during its tour - a testament to the show’s world-class production values and magical appeal that captivated the nation of China.
As the saying goes, “behind every successful man is a great woman”. Likewise, behind the splendor and grandeur of an intricate masterpiece is a team that toils wholeheartedly. In order to support Lawrence and Priscilla present the wonder of VISION to China, a dedicated troupe devoted themselves to the planning and preparation of this mega illusion-theatre spectacle that spanned over a year to perfect.
VISION, a $2 million world-class theatre masterpiece that took Singapore by storm docked at the shores of China’s largest cosmopolitan city – Shanghai – this October. Produced by Gateway Entertainment Pte Ltd, in collaboration with Asia United Broadcasting Limited and Shanghai International Culture Exchange Association, this unique illusion-theatre production is helmed by Elite Diamond Merlin Award illusionists, Lawrence and Priscilla Khong.
On 9th August 2014, the Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla (MOLP) celebrated Singapore’s 49th National Day at the Shanghai Pudong Shangri-La Hotel. On invitation by the Shanghai-Singapore Business Association (SSBA), Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) master illusionists Lawrence and Priscilla Khong, presented a spectacular 30-minute opening performance to kick off the celebrations. It was also a sneak peek for the audience of GE’s magic-theatre extravaganza, VISION, which debuts at the Shanghai Culture Square this October.
As part of its strategic initiative to expand their footprint and influence in China, Gateway Entertainment (GE), staged a press conference cum magic performance in Shanghai to promote VISION’s unprecedented debut in China this October.
An inaugural magic convention called Magic Warehouse organised by our very own Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla officially premiered at Gateway Entertainment's head office over this past weekend, on 7 & 8 June.
Gateway Entertainment's strategic expansion of its presence continues with the debut of Easter Magic in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Renamed Star of Wonder, this latest project is a collaborative effort between Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur and Gateway Entertainment. The staging of Gateway Entertainment's signature production was opportune in reaching out to the most populous city in Malaysia.
Volunteers of Project SMILE (Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere) came together on 26 December 2013, Boxing Day, to be appreciated for their dedicated service on our annual Volunteer Appreciation Night. 2013 was yet another exciting and fulfilling year for Project SMILE! In reward for their effort and commitment, the volunteers were treated to sumptuous food and fun games at Gateway Entertainment's office.
True to the popular Chinese saying that “good things come in pairs”, Gateway Entertainment’s (GE) performance on the second leg of their tour of Taipei was received with both anticipation and excitement by the holiday crowds. Hot on the heels of Christmas Magic’s stunning debut just three weeks earlier at the National Taiwan University Sports Centre, both Lawrence and Priscilla once again mesmerised the crowds at New Taipei City who braved the rain and cold temperatures to witness the award-winning illusionists in action.
Gateway Entertainment's unprecedented tour of Hong Kong came to a grand close with The Magic Nova's final performance this past Sunday at the Asia Word Expo. As with the past three performances, the show was fully sold - with every seat of the hall filled with eager families and their children, couples and youths who paid top dollar to witness a world class production by Singapore's very own award winning illusionists. To top it off, this final performance of the show gave Gateway Entertainment another historic milestone as it was broadcasted 'live' on Creation TV in Hong Kong.
If you ask Lawrence why he loves performing magic, the answer you'll hear will be, "Seeing the child-like look of total wonderment on people's faces when they see something that defies all logic and reason."
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a "nova" is defined as "a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously". These "exploding stars" are able to temporarily increase their luminosity from several thousand times to as much as a million times of their original level. So when The Media Evangelism Limited (TME) titled Christmas Magic "The Magic Nova", the single question on many minds was why use an analogy of an exploding star as the name for a presentation about faith, hope and love?
Hong Kong - home to over seven million people and one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Synonymous with silver screen legends and award winning movies, it is not only home to one of the largest and most dynamic film and entertainment industries, but also one of the world's largest media content exporters. In per capita production, the country's film and entertainment industry ranks first in Asia and over the years has garnered international recognition and nods of respect - even from Hollywood big-wigs. The Hong Kong theatre scene is extremely active and nothing to sniff at either - with glitzy art festivals annually showcasing cutting edge theatre groups and productions that see big time collaborations between local performers and renowned international artistes.
For the past four days, Gateway Entertainment's Christmas Magic enthralled thousands of Taiwanese who flocked to experience a very different kind of performance. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first time that such a unique production made its way to Taipei's shores - or maybe it was just because word spread like wildfire that the performance of an award-winning illusionist, that made the turnout simply... magical. "My friends told me not to miss this show, no matter what," laughed Taiwanese celebrity Da Ming at the post-show interview. "They even offered to buy me a ticket. I ended up coming with my whole family!"
A full sold-out house - in the world of arts and theatre, it is a sight that you would want to behold and savour as you head on stage. For Lawrence and Priscilla, and the entire Gateway Entertainment team, it was a scene that once again affirmed that Christmas Magic is a product and labour of love that can, and will, draw the multitudes.
As the popular adage goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." And in the case of Christmas Magic's second evening at the National Taiwan University Sports Centre, it couldn't have been said better. The scene of crowds of eager Taiwanese once again gathering outside the doors - ready and anxious to begin their evening of enchantment was both inspiring and heart-warming.
Both Lawrence and Priscilla were in top form, once again showcasing their extraordinary skills in the elaborate art form of magic. Illusions were breath-taking as ever, with Lawrence effortlessly weaving the magic together with the Christmas theme of faith, hope and love. Making its special debut at this production of Christmas Magic in Taiwan was 'Clearly Impossible' - an incredible new twist to the classic illusion of 'sawing' a person in half. Staying true to his signature trademark of pushing his brand of magic one step further, Lawrence opted for a clear casing that covered the person, giving the audience an unobstructed view when the 'separation' took place. This illusion drew the most gasps and applause from the audience.
Instead of the sights and sounds you hear at a sporting event, Taipei's National University Sports Centre has been filled over the past two days with a very different soundscape - the sounds of an illusion-theatre spectacle that is unmistakably... Christmas Magic.
Award winning illusionists Lawrence and Priscilla Khong are back to mesmerise and astound you with VISION 2013 - an new rendition of the illusion-theatre spectacular that captivated Singapore in 2011.
"The Hidden Treasure" - a movie adapted from the life of Lawrence Khong as both a pastor and a magician premiered on Sunday, 19 May 2013, in Hong Kong to a crowd comprised of sponsors, industry partners and media.
This Easter, be prepared for a brand new experience as FCBC proudly presents "Easter Magic". Featuring Elite Diamond Merlin Award recipients, Lawrence and Priscilla Khong, come and be mesmerised as we embark on a journey of Faith, Hope and Love.
Premiering in Hong Kong: A Magician's Story based on the life of Gateway Entertainment founder Lawrence Khong. A Magician's Story is produced by Creation TV from Hong Kong and co-produced by Gateway Entertainment.
In September, Lawrence and Priscilla Khong were filmed for A Leap of Faith, a documentary by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. A profile of both Lawrence and Priscilla, the documentary addresses their faith, their initial struggles within Christian circles as magicians and how they use magic as a vehicle for social causes and to fulfill their spiritual calling. Members of Faith Community Baptist Church, the church Lawrence founded, were also interviewed for the documentary.
For 98 young people, 17 Jul 2012 was an important date - it marked the fulfillment of a dream to serve their community and to grow from the experience.
The 98 were participants in Qian Qian Shou 2012. They comprised students from Chengdu University of Information Technology and youth volunteers from Singapore. Under the joint project by TOUCH Community Services International and Chengdu University of Information Technology, the young people worked hard for one week serving autistic children, disadvantaged youths and families and the elderly in Sichuan.