Even within the daytime, probably the most hallowed floor contained in the Magic Fort in Hollywood has a method of casting a spell on hard-nosed cynics who would possibly usually contemplate themselves proof against the artwork of illusions.
Contained in the William W. Larsen Memorial Library, a way of surprise is palpable among the many cabinets full of books on magic, mosaic stained glass and pictures of the Larsen household founders and plenty of well-known magicians who’ve graced its halls.
On a current afternoon, comedic magician Justin Willman sits in an opulent, burgundy velvet chair match for a wizard, soaking within the gravitas of a spot recognized for carrying sacred magic texts signed by Harry Houdini.
“This is the only room in the Magic Castle where nonmagicians are not allowed, this is a rare exception,” he says. “But you’re not allowed to crack a book open.”
Within the spirit of not inviting any further curses this week, we take him at his phrase.
Although magic is certainly critical enterprise for the star of the hit Netflix present “Magic for Humans” and extra not too long ago the streamer’s “Magic Prank Show,” Willman’s new particular, “Magic Lovers,” goals its wand at our childlike sense of surprise via neatly executed methods that lead the viewers’s thoughts via twists and turns with loads of laughs alongside the way in which.
Premiering Tuesday, the hour-long particular thrives on Willman’s mixture of crowd work, storytelling and complicated methods impressed by on a regular basis life. The purpose is to interact skeptics and followers alike from the consolation of their sofa. Willman spoke to The Occasions about what impressed this new particular, his most transcendent moments on stage, previous performances bloopers and his secret to protecting his illusions weighted in actuality.
This dialog was edited for size and readability.
Your debut Netflix particular combines comedy and magic with the purpose of interesting to each the magic lovers and skeptics. How does “Magic Lovers” showcase your expertise for individuals who need to benefit from the expertise of magic in addition to those that simply need to determine the way you do what you do?
I believe when individuals hear magic, they arrive into the theater with an concept about how they really feel in regards to the artwork kind as an entire. There’s the individuals who love magic, who already know that they like magic — I like these individuals. However the individuals who they carry with them, they often take a look at magic as a puzzle or as a problem. Or they simply get hung up on the thought “does this guy really think that we think that he’s a wizard?” I like the thought of addressing that elephant within the room proper off the bat, as a result of I actually need to do a present for everyone. I’m not attempting to show the skeptics into magic lovers essentially, however I need them to know that this present can also be for them. I love to do a trick the place [the audience] thinks they understand how I do it, after which allow them to know you’re proper. After which allow them to know — truly, you’re flawed. It’s type of like a little bit little bit of a mini-roller-coaster.
How do you view the connection between magic and comedy?
They’re like kissing cousins. I really feel like my reside present that I tour with lastly acquired to a spot the place it held up for the individuals on the sofa [watching at home on TV]. As a result of magic is a reside artwork kind. There’s a lot doubt that may get in your thoughts if you end up not there in particular person watching it. Particularly lately, you’ve acquired AI and deepfakes, so I believe magic, greater than ever, is that this stunning factor to be skilled reside and in particular person. And I needed to attempt as finest I may to make the people who find themselves watching it on Netflix really feel like they have been there within the theater that evening and make them part of the viewers.
“I’m not trying to turn the skeptics into magic lovers necessarily, but I want them to know that this show is also for them,” Willman mentioned of his new Netflix particular, “Magic Lover.”
(Annie Noelker / For The Occasions)
You’ve this fascination with numbers in your act — particularly guessing the right metropolis related to ZIP codes shouted out by members of the viewers in the course of the particular. How did you turn out to be obsessed sufficient to get so good at that?
As a child, I simply cherished that math and magic have this connection. I used to be at all times fascinated by that. However then after I graduated school, I began touring school campuses everywhere in the nation, doing the NACA [National Assn. for Campus Activities] circuit. And I hit all 50 states fairly fast. And that was the place this love of simply ZIP codes and telling individuals the place they have been from got here to life once more and progressively grew to become a part of the act. Folks prefer to be seen for the place they’re from. They like to consider the nostalgia of the place they got here from. And I really feel like mixing some issues which can be actual with some issues which can be clearly an phantasm is type of enjoyable. It simply throws a little bit further layer on there and makes individuals surprise, “What the heck is up with that guy?”
What’s your thought course of in terms of growing a magic trick?
There’s by no means one constant path. Generally an concept will come absolutely fashioned, and I’m like, “Oh, I got it!” And that usually is as a result of it was impressed by one thing that occurred in my life. My son, Jack, actually did ask me, “Dad, what’s inflation?’ And I actually was like, ‘I got a magic trick that will explain this because I bet people would relate to that.” Anyone who has kids knows, you get these questions from [them] that are often brilliantly hard to answer. Other [trick ideas] sit on the back burner for years. Sometimes I have a crush on a trick, and I know I want to do something with that, but I don’t know what it’s, or I don’t know what it’s about. I’ve been obsessive about time journey for a very long time, and I believe I lastly cracked a trick the place I can create the true feeling of time journey on stage that I’m excited to tour with fairly quickly. However the trick itself is rarely sufficient. It additionally must be the supply system for some form of concept, whether or not it’s one thing humorous that may follow individuals, or one thing autobiographical, or one thing that’s simply honest. It [should offer an] angle on some sizzling take {that a} trick can type of assist encapsulate. That’s type of the key sauce for me, and it’s arduous to perhaps tick all these containers without delay.
I don’t know if this is sort of a chef who goes out to eat or one thing, however if you see magic finished by one other magician, are you selecting stuff aside like a skeptic or try to be the magic lover?
I’m undoubtedly attempting to be the magic lover. I’m certain you’re feeling this fashion if you learn nice journalism and nice writing the place you don’t need to decide it aside and be type of put your editor/author thoughts on. When somebody can truly whisk you away, it feels actually good. So I understand how a number of magic works, however after I can watch and be fooled, that’s what made me need to be a magician within the first place. So I attempt to not overthink that.
“When you can see the wonder and excitement on their face, when you blow their mind, or that they’re part of something that blows the audience’s mind, I think everyone relives a little smidge of their childhood in that,” Willman mentioned. “I’m not doing a kid show. It’s just a it’s a human show. It’s for it’s for everybody.”
(Annie Noelker / For The Occasions)
You carry youngsters on stage at sure factors within the particular. Being a dad your self, why do you suppose youngsters are the perfect crowd contributors and what makes them a novel supply of inspiration for magic?
I acquired my begin doing exhibits at youngsters’ birthday events. So I like performing for youths. After which for years, I did the comedy membership circuit, the place there’s no youngsters, however there’s drunk adults. Youngsters and drunk adults are very related. They’ll say what they’re feeling. Youngsters are actually good at calling out your methods. Generally individuals suppose, “Oh, it must be easy to amaze kids.” No! They’re so good, typically tougher to misdirect, tougher to type of simply psychologically go the way in which that you just predict.
However I believe what’s nice about it’s that after I tour, I’ve acquired households within the viewers, I’ve acquired {couples}, I’ve acquired date nights, household date nights — I’ve acquired everyone. And I like after I do a trick with youngsters, like I did on the finish of the [special]. I really feel like they they’re in a position to overlook that that is being filmed, they usually behave authentically. When you possibly can see the surprise and pleasure on their face, if you blow their thoughts, or that they’re a part of one thing that blows the viewers’s thoughts, I believe everybody relives a little bit smidge of their childhood in that. I’m not doing a child present. It’s only a it’s a human present. It’s for it’s for everyone. Dad and mom typically are reminded once they have a child, you relive your childhood a little bit bit. I believe we regularly turn out to be actually cynical through the years, and it’s good to recollect how pure simply surprise and pleasure might be.
And in case you flip a fan’s $1 invoice into $100, I’m certain they’ll be a fan for all times.
That’s proper, however in case you flip their $100 right into a $1, they’ll be ready exterior for you after the present.
Has it ever occurred the place one thing goes flawed with a trick and you must inform an viewers member “Sorry, I guess I owe you a 100 bucks”?
They at all times say, like, the present should go on they usually don’t know you screwed up till you allow them to know you screwed up. So nothing is a failure till I succumb to that. So I attempt by no means to [do that], however there have been some. I used to be doing a birthday celebration after I first moved to L.A. in Burbank, within the yard — a phenomenal day. I used to work with animals. I had a hen and a bunny in my present. So I might open the present by making my dove seem, and I might shut the present by making my bunny seem. At one level after I made the dove seem and a little bit gust of wind causes it to fly up right into a tree. That’s not speculated to occur. I don’t know what I’m gonna do, however I act prefer it’s a part of the present — [but the dove] didn’t come down. Later within the act, I make the bunny seem, and the children are petting the bunny. I understand I’ve acquired one other birthday celebration to get to, so I instructed [the parents] I used to be going to come back again in two hours and convey a ladder and I’ll attempt to stand up there and get [the dove] again. And after I got here again two hours later, they weren’t excited to see me. As a result of they instructed me that proper after I left, a hawk began circling within the sky and swooped in throughout [while the kids were singing] “Happy Birthday” and snatched that hen and took her away. So I may have been like, “ Ta-da! that was supposed to happen,” however that was unavoidable, so I don’t work with animals anymore. I simply work with individuals.
“I wanted to try as best I could to make the people who are watching it on Netflix feel like they were there in the theater that night and make them a part of the audience,” Willman mentioned.
(Annie Noelker / For The Occasions)
Why is does this really feel like the fitting time to place collectively a particular showcasing the magic you’ve finished for therefore lengthy do, and what do you hope individuals get out of it?
It’s about giving individuals a chance to create core reminiscences at a present and giving individuals a present that they’ll sit up for, or hopefully all get enthusiastic about going to and simply keep in mind — “That was the night that grandma and grandpa were there, and we had everybody there.” You get to see anyone smile in a method that burns itself in your reminiscence. So it’s particular to be part of that. That is the primary time that I’ll have been on Netflix doing what I do probably the most, which is do magic on stage. It’s one factor to do magic on the road. However you don’t essentially watch like that and suppose, “I want to go find that guy on the street.” However you see it on stage, you’re type of like, “Oh, I want to be in that audience.” Hopefully that’s what individuals are considering. So I’m excited to hopefully domesticate a brand new batch of cynics and magic lovers and convey them alongside for the journey.
