Making a space shuttle appear to disappear before the eyes of an astonished audience is no strange challenge for international illusionist Franz Harary. He has done it all, from large scale optical illusion shows to making India’s Taj Mahal “disappear”.
The master of spectacle returns to town on August 8 and 9 to perform at City of Dreams Macau. For the “Franz Harary Mega Magic 2014,” the illusionist is planning on not only doing magic for the audience, but also creating a show with the help of the public. “Using real people to create real magic onstage,” he guaranteed us.
After having wooed audiences last summer while in town, Franz Harary comes back on stage joining forces with three other global performing magicians, namely Christopher Hart, Les Arnold, and Dolly Kent.
Franz Harary regards Macau as a melting pot where so many different cultures come together to live in harmony. While preparing last year’s show, Franz Harary thought he would be encountering mostly a Chinese audience, but what he found was a mesmerizing mixture of nations. “It was more like doing a show for the United Nations. You won’t find that kind of diversity anywhere else,” he assured.
As secrecy is one this business’s most important assets, what the famous illusionist can unveil about this year’s show in Macau is limited.
But to pique fans’ curiosity, he told us that throughout this year he has brought back illusions he has done for a number of pop concerts including magic from Usher, Missy Elliot, and Justin Timberlake concerts. Levitation and transformation of a girl into an animal is also on the agenda, said City of Dreams.
As Asia’s love for magic grows, Franz Harary knows this is the place to be. “Asia is an incredible place. To start with, magic as I do it, the art of illusion, was born here thousands of years ago,” he said.
City of Dreams is one of the integrated resorts bringing world-class entertainment experiences to Macau, HK and China
But as technology evolves at such fast pace, particularly in Asia, audiences never stop wanting more. Actually, he once said that “we are programmed to always want more.”
Indeed, we want to believe in something bigger and more powerful than us, says Franz Harary. “I guess you can call this ‘real magic’. What I do is to create illusions that for even one brief moment allow my audiences to question their own reality and to ask themselves, ‘is it possible that magic is real?’”
Don’t be surprised if such a thought occurs when watching his show in Macau. Franz acknowledges he uses a great deal of technology in his performances, but he also recognizes that the most powerful magic relies on simplicity and pureness.
More than creating illusions, Franz Harary says he designs magic. “What I do is look around my world and find imagery that appears to be truly magical: a rainbow, reflections on water, an elevator. Think about it, an elevator is a small room in which strangers meet. The doors close, and moments later open and all the people have vanished. That’s magic,” he stressed. On stage, what he does is try to recreate those moments.
After almost three decades in the world of magic, his illusions continue to grow and never fail to impress.
It all started as a hobby after he got a magic set in high school. Years later, Franz Harary was studying to be a musician while designing illusions.
Franz Harary designed illusions for Michael Jackson (above, top), Justin Bieber and Fiona Sit’s shows
But life as he knew it was about to change. It was April 1, 1984. Franz Harary found himself on a plane heading to Los Angeles to meet his idol Michael Jackson.
While still in college he had sent Michael’s staff a videotape showing how he had made a car appear to vanish. That moment of insane courage would change his life. “I met him in a studio in Los Angeles and we immediately became friends. Together we created the magic for his show. That was the beginning of a 26 year long friendship,” Franz Harary told us.
He would not only create magic for Michael Jackson’s concerts, but also at his home, as the famous singer liked to see magic happen all of a sudden, showing delight in watching his friends float in the air. “A little bit of that magic will be in the show here in Macau,” said the illusionist.
Franz Harary promises to create wonder, walk slightly ahead of technology, and ultimately play with people’s imagination. The “Franz Harary Mega Magic 2014” takes place at the Grand Hyatt Macau at City of Dreams on August 8 (at 8:00 p.m.) and 9 (at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.)
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