If a man sits next to you at the ice cream shop and somehow creates an ice cream sandwich out of thin air, be suspicious. Be very suspicious.
And take a look around for a hidden camera, as you might be face to face with magician Michael Carbonaro, who’s known for the humorous illusions he springs upon unsuspecting humans out in the wild. Those tricks make up the bulk of “The Carbonaro Effect,” a comedy TV series that ran for five seasons on truTV and is now available on multiple streaming platforms.
While it’s an entertaining watch for viewers, making the show wasn’t easy.
“This isn’t 1960s ‘Candid Camera’ where people were excited to be on TV,” Carbonaro said from home in California. “People don’t react that way now to be on TV. I had a major hurdle revealing to people whose first instinct, and I’d be the same way, was what did you do? Did you make me look like an idiot?”
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But Carbonaro, with his inherent likability and gentle manner, has a way of comforting the unsuspecting recipients of his illusions. He credits part of his ability to not hurt feelings or make people feel foolish to reversing the situation and putting himself in their place.
“I always put myself to the test,” he said. “What would I need to see or experience to believe this today? It’s not what can I make someone believe, but what would I need to believe in this and then execute that?”
“Carbonaro: Lies on Stage” will come to Pikes Peak Center on Friday.
During the live show, Carbonaro interacts with the audience, either moving off the stage and into the aisles or pulling people on stage. Even though attendees know he’s a magician, unlike the folks he encounters out in the world, tricks still land the same.
“You can play a prank on someone even if they know you’re a magician — that’s the beauty of magic,” he said. “You can still be fooled by it even if you know it’s happening.”
And be warned, one of his favorite bits comes toward the end of the show — making two people disappear: “So if you’re looking to get rid of anybody in particular, bring them to the show,” he joked.
As a young boy growing up in Long Island, N.Y., Carbonaro’s first love was special effects makeup. He was certain his passion would become his profession until he started visiting Halloween and costume shops for makeup and got distracted by magic tricks. He bought a few, played around with them, and found he loved the reactions he got from family and friends.
His interest and skills grew, and eventually he put himself through college by performing at private parties, birthday parties, communions, bar mitzvahs and the like. But 11 years ago, he decided to put magic to the side and move to Los Angeles to pursue a film and TV career.
But magic refused to leave him be. He immediately found work at the famous Magic Castle, a private club for magicians in L.A. It became his “life raft,” he says. That gig led to another job doing his hidden-camera “Magic Clerk” segments on “The Tonight Show,” which led to his TV show in 2014, as well as a few other film and TV roles.
“Makeup brought me to magic, and magic opened me up to performing,” Carbonaro said. “In a way, all the things I love are a magician’s craft. From special effects makeup to being an actor, and theater in general. It’s all the work of illusion.”
Contact the writer: 636-0270
Contact the writer: 636-0270
