Christian Farla — stage name of Ferdinand Farla (Rotterdam, 5 May 1970) — is one of the most spectacular Dutch illusionists. Since 2006 he has been entitled to call himself a Master Magician, a title he received together with the prestigious Merlin Award for Magician of the Year.
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Breakthrough with grand illusions
In 1992 Farla met his future wife Bianca van den Ende, who performed as a dancer in the same show and became his regular assistant. Together they became Dutch champions in 1993, a title they reclaimed in 1999 and 2001.
In 1996 Farla signed his first major contract with Joop van den Ende Evenementen. From 2002 he was frequently on television, first with Sylvie Meis in the segment Flippo Magic and then with his own Fox Kids programme Hocus Pocus.
That same year he toured the whole of the Netherlands with the Zonnebloem tour and signed a two-year contract for the Dinnershow at Studio21. It was the start of a string of large-scale productions that would make him a fixture in the Dutch theatre world.
From the Efteling to Las Vegas
In 2003 Farla succeeded Hans Klok as the Magician in the Wonderlijke Efteling Show, a role he played 1,806 times. That same year the show won the IAAPA Big E Award for the best theme-park show in the world.
In 2005 he was invited by Siegfried & Roy for a series of performances in Las Vegas. There David Copperfield saw his act and called it 'mindblowing' — the beginning of a friendship in which the two exchanged illusion acts.
In 2003 and 2004 Farla and his wife performed more than two thousand times together. In 2009 he also took over Hans Klok's magic act and presented a continuous illusion show at Walibi World for an entire summer season — 105 days in a row — for which he again received an IAAPA Big E Award.
Spectacular trademarks
Among Farla's best-known illusions is the Drill of Death: at nine metres long the largest illusion in Europe, in which he appears to be pierced by a giant mining drill. He is also the first illusionist to make a real red Formula 1 Ferrari appear on stage.
In 2006 the major Dutch theatres presented his first theatre show, Illusions from Las Vegas, which earned him another Merlin Award.
In 2010 he returned to the Dutch theatres with the tour Mystique, followed by productions such as White Magic and Night of Illusions. He also developed spectacular shows for various theme parks, including Phantasialand in Germany and Movie Park Germany, each time with spectacle, music and theatre as his unmistakable trademark.
International stage
Farla also performed far beyond the Netherlands, including years of shows at Phantasialand in Germany. In 2014 he appeared at the auditions of Britain's Got Talent, where he was unanimously voted through, and that same year he was a finalist in Das Supertalent, where he made a real helicopter appear.
Farla could also be seen on the big screen: he made his film debut in the youth film Het Geheim (2011) and in 2012 played the Magical Master Wapiti in Sint & Diego: de magische bron van Myra. In 2024 he took part in the television programme De Alleskunner VIPS. His craftsmanship was repeatedly honoured, including with the title Champion d'Europe de Magie (2007), the Mandrake d'Or (2008) and a total of three Merlin Awards.
With several Merlin Awards and international recognition, Christian Farla ranks among the most decorated illusionists the Netherlands has today.
Christian Farla brought the grand illusion art of Las Vegas to Dutch and international stages. That same ambition to overwhelm audiences with spectacle and refinement also drives Sudesh Roman.