INTERVIEW: These magicians are true ‘Masters of Illusion’
Photo: Michael Turco is one of the stars of Masters of Illusion. Photo courtesy of Masters of Illusion / Provided by Steve Moyer PR with permission.
The Masters of Illusion franchise continues to amaze audiences on both television and the live stage. The hit CW series, which is in its seventh season, features a rotating cast of illusionists who pull off jaw-dropping sequences of magic.
Every year Masters of Illusion also takes their act on the road with an extensive tour, this year stopping Feb. 28 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Feb. 29 at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, New York; and March 1 at the Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, New York.
Audiences can expect to be entertained by the magical talents of world-renowned illusionists Dan Sperry, Farrell Dillon, Titou and Jersey boy Michel Turco.
“I grew up in New Jersey actually, and I spent a lot of summers down in the Atlantic City area,” Turco said in a recent phone interview. “I was intrigued to go and see live entertainment, so I would always go see shows with my family. And my mom would take me, and I got hooked into all the different variety shows, which then led to magicians, of course, in these variety shows. That was something I was just really interested in.”
These early experiences of a young Turco sitting in the crowd at a casino variety show proved to be highly influential. He didn’t mind the singing and dancing parts, but when the illusionists took the stage, he was completely entranced, watching their every move and taking mental notes for the future.
“As years went on, I met several magicians and talked to them about magic and got some great information from some of the greats in magic that I now call friends that I first grew up seeing,” he said. “That’s where it all began for me, and as I got older I put together a little company and started doing parties and getting intrigued in that and making money off it. I realized, wow, this is something I can do for the rest of my life.”
In these early years, Turco would perform for just about any audience. He worked school talent shows, high school shows and local neighborhood get-togethers. He paid no mind to the size of the crowd because he was simply trying to perfect his craft.
“Then I went off to college and went to school for television and film, and when I graduated college I said, this is my opportunity, my chance here to try to make it in the magic world,” Turco remembers. “That’s when I said, OK, well, let’s put together a bunch of magic and get some friends and family to help me out, and I started touring a show up and down the East Coast. My main dream goal was to finally end up in Atlantic City in one of the casinos where it all began for me.”
After several years of persistence, an Atlantic City casino finally gave him a shot. He turned this opportunity into a successful joint relationship and a slew of magic shows in the southern Jersey city. He laid roots in A.C. for the next five years, and he felt the special nature of this time in his life because he was truly completing a circle. He was no longer audience member, but a performer in the place where it all began.
“I conquered the Atlantic City world and got myself up on billboards there, and it was cool to let my family and friends see my face on a billboard,” said Turco, who is originally from Wayne, New Jersey. “My parents were like, ‘I guess he made it at this point. Dreams do come true.’ After all that I ended up getting a great opportunity to perform on America’s Got Talent, which was season six, so I got to do that. When we finished that, we ended up taking a show to Las Vegas, and I had a show in the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas for a year, which was an amazing opportunity and amazing experience. At times we were doing seven days a week, so it was just pure enjoyment for me to be able to do magic in Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. That’s just a dream come true for any magician that is willing to do that.”
After his stint in Vegas, Turco headed to another capital of magic: Los Angeles. In Hollywood, he started opening up doors on possible TV and film projects, and that’s when he landed a spot on Masters of Illusion on The CW.
“We’ve had a long six-year relationship,” he said. “It’s been amazing because we get to do the TV show, and then I get the opportunity to tour with them and do all these live shows at these great performing-arts centers, casinos, venues across the country and the world actually. So it’s been an amazing run to be able to work with all the producers of Masters of Illusion, and it’s an awesome experience. It’s something that I’ve always loved watching.”
What Turco loves most about Masters of Illusion is the variety of the show. There are four to six magicians on the stage, and each of them has a completely different act. Some are into closeup magic, while others are into the big spectacles. Their commonality is their desire to elicit oohs and aahs from the audience.
“All of us have our unique personality, our own unique style, and that’s what the audience gets to see,” Turco said. “They all get to see a different type of magic, some closeup magic to large grand illusions, escapes, mentalism, comedy magic. It’s just a blast because when you see these shows it’s just so much different variety, and the audience gets to see four or five shows in one, which is really cool.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Masters of Illusion will perform Feb. 28 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Feb. 29 at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, New York; and March 1 at the Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, New York. Click here for more information and tickets.
