Magician, illusionist, and actor Murray SawChuck spoke about his upcoming show at City Winery on October 19.
City Winery show
“I am thrilled to be playing New York City again,” he said. “I haven’t played the East Coast since before COVID, the City Winery is one of the cool hip places to play when in New York.”
“I want people to have a great time, forget about all their issues and worries, laugh out loud and be amazed over a glass of wine. We are bringing my show from Las Vegas direct to New York for this one time show. I can’t wait to see you all there,” he exclaimed.
Daily inspirations as a magician
Regarding his daily inspirations as a magician, he said, “I think many things inspire me. I read the newspaper every morning daily, a very old school thing, but you see the good, bad and the ugly in the world and makes me want to be a better person, better entertainer and an entertainer to take your audience out of the real world for an hour or so and to a land of make believe, not worry about their bills, health or life problems.”
Future plans
On his future plans, he shared, “I just finished shooting my second comedy special here in Las Vegas, which should be coming out by the end of the year so we are in the post production stage of that. I also have a couple of new TV show ideas we are pitching to be produced next year. I also would like to get out and tour more, this coming year.”
The digital age
On being a magician in the digital age, he said, “Being a magician in this age is very different from the 1980’s or even 90’s. With editing now anyone can look amazing on TikTok or Instagram Reels, the real difference I am seeing more of is when you see them LIVE in a theatre. Many rely on using a large screen to see their magic, as they are doing close up magic with cards and small numbers.”
He continued, “My problem with that is, when I go out to see a live show, I don’t want to look at a screen, I can do that at home on YouTube. I want to see a live show. We have a strong presence online with over 5.5 billion online views but I cater my online magic and ideas for online viewers, then when I walk on stage like I’ll do here in New York, I make sure my show is designed for a live audience so what they see will be in their face and in real time not looking at screens.”
Advice for aspiring magicians
For young and aspiring magicians, he said, “If you can dream it, do it. You only live once. The part that most leave out is that you are going to have to work 24/7 for it but if you love it, it won’t be work, it’s your passion.”
“You will have ups, downs, highs and lows but that is what life is about. So, just do it. Just remember it’s good to do a trick really well, but if you work on your personality and who you are on stage, that’s who people are buying a ticket for,” he said.
Success
On his definition of success, he said, “People always equate success to money… that’s not it at all. SUCCESS is starting something, learning from it and completing it. Success to me is completing a goal you have.”
“It could be as simple as doing the laundry and putting it away on a day you told yourself you would do it or trying to be the biggest star in the world,” he said.
“When you have an idea on paper, then figure out a way to execute it, then complete that idea in full from that once idea on a piece of paper, that is success. You had an idea, figured it out and made it work,” he explained.
“Now if it makes you a ton of money, wonderful, if it doesn’t that’s okay as long as you give it your best shot and not quit,” he added.
To learn more about Murray SawChuck, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram.
