BEHIND THE MAGICIAN’S CAPE
The Carbonaro Effect: It’s Not All Illusion
~ by joel martens ~
Who doesn’t love a good prank or slight-of-hand? That delightful sense of glee when you’ve managed to “pull the wool” over someone’s eyes, catching them unawares…And hopefully making them laugh as they discover they’ve been duped? We’ve all experienced it in one form or another, that delicious moment when “something’s afoot” and what you imagined was real, suddenly isn’t quite what you expected.
It’s those magical moments that drive people like illusionist Michael Carbonaro. He is like a snake charmer though only figuratively, as he plays an intoxicating tune on his lute, employing his affable nature, boyish good looks and charisma as he draws his victims in to his elaborately constructed, splendid world of illusion. Then, with a sweet, alluring twinkle in his eye, his quick, intelligent mind springs the trap set for you, doing so before you realize you’ve even been ensnared. There’s magic afoot for sure and it’s often hilarious to boot.
Whether it’s done live or on his television show, The Carbonaro Effect, this guy has definitely got the gift and he’s not afraid to use it on anybody, anywhere, anytime. From his shaving cream antics on Jimmy Kimmel Live, to stalking unwitting victims in their local grocery stores, Michael Carbonaro has captured America in his magical snare and made us all unwitting accomplices in his hilarious antics. He’s a master at the craft…Duplicitous in the most enthralling way, underhanded in a most hysterical manner, beguiling, kind and generous…Truly a gay magician in every sense of the word.
Here’s a look into Carbonaro’s life, how his world has been affected by his experiences and how he effects ours because of them.
The first question that popped into my head when I was prepping for this interview was, “How do you ask a magician how they do what they do?” It feels like I’d be breaking some sort of code around revealing the inner workings of the mysteries of the craft.
Well, it is true, there is definitely a code of ethics in magic. Yet, there are always some secrets to be revealed, but the really good ones remain a secret. It’s still the number one rule in magic, you don’t give away a secret. Once someone knows something or you’ve told even one person, is it really a secret anymore? I guess it is, because magicians share secrets, but they’re still considered secrets.
There are trade secrets, personal secrets, but we won’t go into those. (Laughs). You know what a good personal secret to have is though? Random acts of kindness. Just do something nice and not tell anyone about it.
The other question that came into my head around this was, “Did he come into the world with a cape on?” Is that an accurate picture?
You absolutely nailed it, in a way no one has before as far as coming into the world with a magic cape, on. (Laughs) The cape was one of the first most fascinating things as a kid growing up. I had to have one, just from watching Superman, from Dracula and from magicians…It had such power to me. It’s funny I even show it in my live show, I have a picture of me as a kid with my Dracula cape and my magic cape, it was one that I used for both. That was kind of like…
I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I was growing up, I really loved Halloween and monsters, so I really wanted to be a makeup artist. That was kind of my way into magic, my first magic book was really a special effects makeup book by a man named Tom Savini. He did all of the effects for Creep Show and Friday the 13th and it was a wonderful book on practical effects and how to make them and how to create these little illusions and boy, I was really into it.
Who didn’t want a cape when they were little? I was fascinated by them too and making them out of my mother’s sheets or whatever else was handy, much to her chagrin. And it had nothing to do with being gay or that I liked pretty flowy things… (laughs).
Oh yeah, my brother and I would use panels of my grandma’s curtains, they were these yellow sheer translucent capes! (Laughs) Thank you. You can say what you want, but they were yellow chiffon…Okay? (Laughs)
I knew this would be a fun interview. (Laughs) When and who did you perform your first magic act for?
Me and the kid across the street put on a little magic show. Then I put on a magic show with some of my cousins, too…We did that for family and friends. But it was really through buying special effects kits at the magic shop, this is back in the day when there were actually shops you could walk into, hang out in and see tricks right in front of your face, versus finding stuff online.
I would just chill out there and through that discovered that I loved performing. I loved the thrill that I got out of showing people the special effects and having them go “Whoa!” That is much more a magician’s task, to be the master of ceremonies. It’s funny though, on my TV show, The Carbonaro Effect, I’m actually the master of ceremonies so to speak, but all I do is pretend…to not be a magician.
It’s pretty fascinating watching you, how you obfuscate that you’re a magician. It’s part of the fun of it, though I often wonder how you manage to keep a straight face.
I think the same thing when I watch, but when I’m doing it, I don’t think that at all. There have been very few moments when I’ve wanted to crack up. Then I watch later and am literally scratching my head thinking, “Oh my gosh, how did you not laugh?”
I have to say, I’m very thrilled with what we’ve been able to do and the season coming out in November is off the charts. We’re really tying back into a lot of the special effects. Some of the “Act Four” as we call them in the new season coming out are right out of sci fi or horror movies. But, they’re playful, there’s nothing to scary, so come on down kids, everyone’s invited, it’s an all-ages show.
I get to chat with a lot of people in my line of work, and so much has changed around being gay. It tends to be more often kind of a footnote about someone, a part of who they are, not all of who they are. I’m curious, did you ever feel pressure to conceal or has it always been just a part of who you are?
In most places, it definitely has changed, yes. Listen, I’m still learning how to be an adult and a man, let alone a gay man. The plight of being a gay man has been very interesting, because I wasn’t out my whole life, I wasn’t really even out professionally. What I decided to do, was simply not lie to the press. I was a little coy at times and maybe dodged stuff, but I definitely lied.
It was never, “I am straight, I have a girlfriend, no I’m bi….” I never went that route. It was funny how not dodging after a while and answering honestly, people just sort of got it. People didn’t care long before I cared anymore. I don’t thing I ever got out a megaphone and did the “Now I’m coming out.” this is the interview I do it.
I’m not sure where it was, maybe between Another Gay Movie or me going out and posting a picture of my husband Peter and I on Instigram. I don’t even really remember what it was and I’m actually kind of grateful for that. I was so worried for so long that it was going to be a big deal and for everyone else around me it just wasn’t one. I was just going around learning to be myself and about what it was like to be married, with a husband. Once it became legal, we went to California right away and just got married, it was just what we did.
When I think about myself maybe as a role model for anyone, if that helps, that’s what makes it all worth it. To me, I still struggle, sometimes when I’m out with Peter in Middle America, it’s something I’m still aware of. I might not walk down to the rib house arm in arm, but then I think “Why not?”
I still live that struggle. I agree with you completely, It’s becoming more and more irrelevant in the world, but when you hear about teen suicides or look at some of the places in the world where it is absolutely not getting any better, you have to consider those things.
I do still have a consciousness about being gay, because there still is a stigma around it in many places. Yeah it’s getting better and sometimes it’s really bad. Sometimes the struggle is internal and other times it’s external and I think that is pretty normal.
I’m curious, was there anyone, in particular, you modeled yourself after, someone that inspired you?
David Copperfield for sure. He still remains the last of the great showmen for magicians. I learned from David how to play with an audience, to goof around, then to be serious and follow that with something dramatic. He manages to weave in and out of a broken Fourth Wall (a theatrical term for the imaginary “wall” between actors on stage and the audience), which is technically what it really is. A magician, like a television host gets to kind of have an evening that’s like a theatre show, yet you’re breaking that wall by always talking to the crowd and we’re all here in the moment together…It’s a really special thing to get to do.
It’s also very different because it requires a unique focus on your part. To keep the audience fixated specifically on what it is you’re doing, rather than on you.
There is definitely a maintaining of attention—managing where the focus is—to distract or to focus the attention toward the illusion. You have to focus people down that ride, especially when it’s done live. Getting to do this tour and meeting the fans of The Carbonaro Effect, who come to see me perform magic live on stage has been such a treat for me. People of all ages seem to really enjoy the shows and I’m having such a blast doing them.
There are a lot of diehard fans of The Carbonaro Effect who secretly wonder if the TV show is just a bunch of camera tricks. They come to see if I can actually do this kind of thing in front of their eyes…and I do fool them!
They are so excited to see that happen and I do fool them, even though I know I’m a magician, there are so many ways that I can weave in and out of what’s really happening, what isn’t, what was an accident, what wasn’t and how to save it with magic. It’s quite a ride throughout the show. Then it ends with me covering myself in shaving cream and molding myself into different monsters. (Laughs) I’m so not kidding…
Oh, I know you’re not. I saw your stint on Jimmy Kimmel’s show…It was hysterical.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.(Laughs) It comes from this random thing that I used to do when I was a little kid and now I close my show with it. It’s a real treat for me and audiences seem to love it.
Because I’m old enough to remember Candid Camera, The Carbonaro Effect reminded me of that format. Is that something you pulled from as you were putting this together?
Oh yes, one hundred percent. I’ve seen every episode of Candid Camera and watched the reruns as a kid. It’s an homage, and more than that, there have been so many other prank shows since Candid Camera, there have even been magic prank shows way before me. The thing about my show that I like to relate to Allen Funt’s work is that, even though on occasion we sometimes like to give people a little bit of a scare, the whole show is in good fun and is not mean-spirited.
The reactions people have on television, are pretty amazing to watch. Have there ever been any that have completely taken you by surprise?
All of the time, I never know for sure what way it’s going to go. I’ve got this great team of magician masterminds behind the scenes, five tight-knit friends I’ve had since I was a kid going back to the days when I was at magic camp on Long Island. I’ll do something that I think is going to be the best thing ever and it ends up being just alright, kind of pfft. Then I’ll do something, just this little thing and that little thing ends up being “Whoa, oh my gosh.”
Wait, magic camp…there’s an actual magic camp? Oh my God, I love it. Please tell us what that was like!
(Laughs) Yes, there absolutely is one. It’s a magic camp called Tannen’s Magic Camp, it’s still going and it’s great. It’s a week-long sleep away camp…And it’s not just a little weekend away, kid’s thing. It’s an intense magic experience, filled with workshops and stuff like that. You eat, sleep and drink magic, magic, magic, all the time. It was such a cool place to meet like-minded weirdos who liked pranks and magic, all that stuff that you would find in a magic store; makeup, special effects, gags, all of it.
People ask me what I recommend for someone interested in getting into magic…There are two things: Number one, go to Tannen’s Magic Camp, if you can do it make sure to go. Number two, I recommend kids take some kind of theatre class, like anything outside of magic to enhance their performance abilities. Be it dance, movement, acting, being in a local play or even just a debate class, those things can really improve your skill sets.
Is that why you ended up attending NYU’s Tish School of Performing Arts?
Absolutely. I literally went to Tish with the idea that I was going to become the next David Copperfield. That’s all I wanted to do, so I decided to learn everything I could about acting, ballet, theatre lighting and movement, improv, dance, all of it. I did sort of a smorgasbord, ala carte version of NYU’s theatre program. I took musical and experimental theatre, film and television, I just learned it all. I really go interested in acting and for quite a while was doing a lot, I still do when my schedule allows me to do straight acting on TV and in film.
I didn’t know exactly which one I wanted to do, I was at a crossroads and thought, “Shoot, I came there to become a really great magician, but now I really want to be like a sitcom actor.” I was going out for that kind of stuff and still weaving it back and forth with magic. I’m really happy that this show, The Carbonaro Effect is a way for me to do both.
Was there a specific event like being on The Tonight Show, or another moment when you thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this right now?”
I’ve had a lot of those moments and I’m so incredibly grateful for them all. I used to judge how good I was doing by how nervous I was leading up to the event or whatever was happening. “Oh, this is a big one, because I’m going to be on Conan O’Brian and I’m terrified,” or “Oh my gosh, I’m premiering my own TV show.”
It’s funny though, sometimes even when I’m up for a corporate event or for a theatre show in like Idaho, I will be like so nervous backstage. (Laughs) “Michael, you’ve been on national TV for years, you’ve done everything, just relax.” (Laughs) It’s really kind of all about the charge, it’s an excitement and I’ve had it ever since I was thirteen. Tonight I’ll be doing it too, I’m going to go back there wondering if I’m more exited or nervous.
It’s one of the tenants I try to remember in life: If you’re not at least a little scared while living your life, you’re probably not doing it right or taking enough risks.
I know, I hear people say that and I’m like’ “Are you sure we can’t just be comfortable?” (Laughs) We can have nights and moments that aren’t scary, right? When I did Another Gay Movie—wait, you know what, that was the moment I felt like I had made it—when I did that film. It came out in the summer of 2006 and we shot it in 2005 I think, or it was something like that.
When that movie came out at the Tribeca Film Festival, I brought my parents and I was up there on the big screen. I got to do a festival circuit screening the movie and I remember thinking, “Wow, this is everything I ever asked for.” I remember crying when I was on set shooting that film, because I was so excited. I was so happy that it was happening and was smart enough to know that it might never happen again, so it was important to remember the moment and how I was feeling.
You must be a riot around Halloween.
Absolutely, one hundred percent. I love it, I love making costumes and am nuts about putting things together. I made an Edward Scissorhands, a Freddie Kruger, Michael Jackson one year… I sort of transform myself, Its really fun and quite remarkable.
The Carbonaro Effect is available on TruTV. For more information, go to trutv.com/shows/the-carbonaro-effect
Witness the magical effects of Michael Carbonaro Live! on the stage of Downtown San Diego’s Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Avenue on Thursday, October 19. For other show times, for tickets or for more information, go to michaelcarbonaro.com.