The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Hidden-camera trickster Carbonaro at Rocksino for live show
‘Carbonaro Effect’ host brings his brand of magic and good-hearted trickery to Hard Rock Rocksino
An undercooked piece of meat flops around on a plate in a nameless diner. A man sitting next to the mystery meat almost falls out of his chair as the platter seemingly scans the room for an escape. Eventually, the meat makes a break for it, vigorously flying off the plate and flopping onto the floor—leaving the onlooker stunned. ¶ “I’m going vegan,” he says. “I don’t know about you, man.” ¶ Little does he know he’s talking to the magician — Michael Carbonaro — who set the hijinks up. ¶ TruTV’s hidden-camera magic TV show “The Carbonaro Effect” has been baffling the unsuspecting public for three seasons. The longer the show has gone on, the more advanced the illusions have become. ¶ Skeptics can’t give the credit to camera tricks because host Carbonaro brings the same insanity to the stage in his live shows. Speaking of which, he’s hitting the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park Feb. 17.
In a conversation, he shares what it’s like to make mystery your profession.
QLive shows or your hidden-camera show — which is more exciting for you?
AThat’s a good question. They both have a certain kind of charge, but, cutting to the chase, it’s the live crowds I really love most.
But what’s similar about the two ... is that there’s the unknown component of the participant. Because I have people from the audience come up during the live show and I borrow objects from the crowd and they just love it and I walk out and do tricks out there, ya know, in the audience and you never know what that person’s gonna say or how they’re gonna react to what’s happening. So each night it’s different. In the same way with the TV show — you never know what you’re gonna get.
QYou went to New York University to study experimental theater, but when did you get your first calling to magic?
AMy first calling to magic was through special-effects makeup. That was my first real love. The behind-the-scenes secret workings of how the monster faces moved and how “Jaws” was able to look like it was really happening.
I must have been 10 years old when I saw “Jaws.” So that was my first love, and my first way into magic was through that. It was from kind of finding supplies at a magic shop.
You know, “magic” is a big term. It’s like [instead of] “the calling to magic,” it’s really the calling to mystery, and I like that I can’t really find the word for it. That’s really what it is: it’s the art of mystery.
The stuff this season [on the show] with the turning the person to stone … and the fascinating plant that can assimilate and grow a human head … I’m really living out my special-effect fantasies.
Every single time [in an episode] we really are stepping into the unknown like, “Is this gonna work?” ‘Cause we really don’t know. I can’t believe the things I’ve been able to make people believe on one hand, and, on the other hand, I totally believe it because I know I would fall for it, too. That’s really what the root of how I figure out something, I’ll be like, “I’d believe this.” You know? If you told me that beetles can construct things out of toothpicks because spiders can make webs, I’d go, “Oh, yeah…I guess so… .” If I believe it, then I think someone else does, so I guess that’s why it’s not mean.
QYou pull it off really well. It’s fun to watch the reactions.
AThanks! Yeah, it’s fun for me to watch, too, because in the moment, I’m really just thinking of so many things, and I have the producers in my ear — “Step left. Step right. Make sure you’re not blocking the camera.” So I have to listen to the person and respond to them naturally and pull off the trick successfully and (not) make a face like something’s happening. So a lot of times during the show I don’t really look at them during the moment of magic, so I don’t get to see some of the reactions.
I just want them to have their little private moment of reaction — private on national television, of course [laughs].
QPlus, if you anticipate their reaction in front of them, they know something is going on.
AYeah, totally. I think a lot of people who love the TV show — and I’m so thankful that they come to the theater — are thinking to themselves, “Well, how is he gonna do this? What’s the story?” Well, isn’t that part of the mystery? But that’s fine because I can be really open with you and say that I really am a magician and I am gonna perform tricks. And, now that we’ve developed that trust with each other, you know that I won’t be lying for the rest of the evening.
QWhen you’re recording the TV show, have you run into any trouble with people recognizing you?
AAbsolutely. Another thing that fascinates me is how many people don’t watch cable television [laughs]. But, like, I’m thankful for it. There’s been some cool stuff where we show some people recognizing me. Throughout the show, there have been times where someone will come up [to me]. I think once I was in Cabela’s, a camping store, and I was really highly disguised, too. I had a big grey, mountain-man mustache, and I had grey in my hair and I looked very different. I was talking to this guy, and I didn’t even start the trick, and he goes, “You know who you remind me of? Michael Carbonaro from ‘The Carbonaro Effect.’” I was like, “Oh really? Well, have a good day! Bye!” I didn’t even do the trick.
QSo it’s exciting meeting a fan, but then you don’t get to do your trick.
AExactly. And other times, I can see it when someone walks up. You can see it in the eyes. That’s when I notice it. But it’s kind of fun now, though, because there’s been sometimes we’ve had the opportunity where someone, especially going into this new season we’re writing, they know who I am, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Carbonaro effect can still happen.
QHave you had any experiences with those who are maybe not a fan of magic and react poorly?
AI’ve never had anyone hate magic or anything, but I’ve had it, like, where there’s really no reaction. They either don’t see it happen or really don’t just engage in the moment. It’s quite shocking.
QThat happened when you lit up a lamp by plugging it into a block of cheese and the man didn’t seem baffled. But another time when you smashed out car windows before magically replacing them, it seemed like there may have been some aggressive responses.
AI was just about to say that about the car windows. That’s the closest one. That day really underlined and set up a creed for how we do these kinds of moments.
The other one that came very close was [the episode with] the tanning bed in the mall, where we’re in the middle of a mall and the tanning bed decimates somebody to ashes. I mean that’s a terrible tragedy. The way we countered it was I had this spikey, Justin Bieber-y styled, blonde wig, and I was really aloof about it. Like, “Don’t worry — that can happen. It’s their responsibility because they’re the ones who sign the thing” ... and the woman’s like, “Wait, what just happened?” And because I’m so OK about it, it really throws them into this twilight zone. So it’s not like them in their real life dealing with a tragedy, but more like, what is
QLike when you set yourself on fire once as a security guard and the man couldn’t believe you were cool about it.
AOh that’s right — the security guard. That scene was the best.
QWhich one of these tricks — or maybe of the ones you’re writing now — has been the most elaborate to pull off?
AIt was a trick called “Premonition,” where the idea was that somebody would’ve had a vision of an accident that was going to happen. Nothing tragic but just, like, a vase falling, and that’s how we constructed it.
It was in a warehouse, and somebody saw a vase fall off of a shelf and shatter. When they ran around to see where it just hit the floor, it was gone in an instant. (And then I appeared), and he told me what he just saw. He said, “Yeah, the shelf shook, and the vase fell.” I went over to it and went up on the ladder and went, “Oh my gosh. Look, the shelf is loose. We better put something here or otherwise, this might fall.” And he goes, “Oh my gosh, I think I had a premonition.” Well, that one just stops me in my tracks. I mean, that’s insane. And an incredibly powerful ability [laughs]. Good thing it’s all in good fun.