You’ve seen them dazzle your TV screen on the CW network for years and through performances on various talk shows – but as they say in the magic world, you haven’t seen magic until you’ve seen it LIVE!
What better group to see live magic from than the world-renowned, hit-television stars and America’s largest touring magic show, Masters of Illusion®? They’re hitting the road on their 2022 Believe the Impossible tour and will be making a special stop at the Historic Academy Theatre on Saturday, February 26, 2022!
From its inception in 2000 until now, Masters of Illusion® has remained one of the most unique and amazing groups of performers existing in the magic industry. They have performed live in front of tens of thousands of people around the US for the past seven years and have been seen by over 100 million viewers on the CW network as well as in 126 countries around the world.
To so many people in those 126 countries and beyond, magic means nothing. It is viewed as a form of sorcery, a thing seemingly unable to grasp or understand. But on the opposite side, to so many, magic is everything. Magic represents the purest form of charm, an act that changes minds and can alter reality.
One admirer of the beauty of magic is long-time Magician and Masters of Illusion® performer, Michael Turco. Described by the press as “a natural born talent… a true success story,” Michael has been in love with magic since he was five years old. Allowing a break from his busy schedule, Michael sat down for an exclusive interview with the Academy’s Content Specialist, Izzi Diaz.
Michael Turco has never been a stranger to magic. During his childhood, he grew up in the city of Wayne, New Jersey, but would frequent the two hour trip to Atlantic City often. There, he found a love of magic and entertainment that would span decades. “I was instantly hooked,” says Turco, “I would force my mom to go with me to see magic shows.”
With a clear plan and understanding of his dream to be a magician, Turco tried his best to get in contact with the bigger magic names at the time. “I would write them letters,” confesses Turco, “I would even give them my business cards!”
He started to take to the stage, performing at his middle and high schools for talent shows, fundraising events, etc. “I dreamed of having my face on a billboard,” he voices. After graduating from college, Turco got the chance of a lifetime: making it on America’s Got Talent!
After being on the show and spending a few years performing in Las Vegas, Michael ended up in Los Angeles, California, where he eventually got involved with Masters of Illusion®.
“Masters of Illusion is a great family to be a part of,” voices Turco, “I get to bring my own magic to the world of television, put my own spin on it, and I get to do it live.” His childhood dream finally came full-circle, he was performing with the names of people he used to dream of meeting. When asked what makes Masters of Illusion so special, Turco praises the group’s variety of different magic forms. “We show all types of magic,” he says, “it’s bringing both the TV show and live show together.”
Masters of Illusion® truly strives to make the impossible possible, which ties into the name of their 2022 live tour, Believe the Impossible. From close-up magic to grand illusions (Michael’s specialty) and even to some voodoo-like magic – Masters of Illusion® proves with each live performance that they truly are just that, masters of their craft. According to Michael and audience members of the group’s live shows, these magicians bring a little bit of everything to the table. In an attempt to get everyone in their seats involved in the performance, the group typically features audience interaction at their shows, making each of their acts different from the last.
“The most rewarding part of performing is seeing how the audience reacts,” Michael notes, “to just stand on stage and see them lose themselves for about an hour.” He mentions that in that hour of the magicians’ performance, the audience gets to escape reality. He loves how audience members get to forget about the struggles or happenings of their daily lives and get to purely enjoy magic for what it is.
So, what is magic, really? Is it a trick, a science? The beauty of magic can be defined by the eye of the beholder, it can be whatever the performer or the admirer makes it. But to Michael, magic is a true form of art. “I definitely consider anything that you put your passion into as art,” he claims. “Magic is the way you perceive things, we will present magic in a way that we each feel it should be presented.”
In a time where our daily lives are unexpected, magic can pull joy out of a hat even on the darkest of days. It has the enchanting ability to bring both believers and non-believers of illusion together, even if just for an hour, and remind audience members that even the impossible is possible. “In the future, I’m planning to keep performing and showing different types of magic,” concludes Turco. “It’s a great avenue to spread both magic and positivity.”
See Michael and the rest of Masters of Illusion® take the Historic Academy Theatre stage on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 and experience the magic for yourself!
