Michael Carbonaro brings a magic show to the Hollywood Casino during the Charles Town Races

Listen to our full conversation on my “Beyond the Fame” podcast.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley Presents Michael Carbonaro at Hollywood Casino (Part 1)

You’ve seen him perform amazing magic tricks on “The Carbonaro Effect” on truTV.

On Saturday, Michael Carbonaro performs at the Hollywood Casino during the Charles Town Races.

“There will be magic, pranks, surprises,” Carbonaro told WTOP. “It’s a brand new show, I’ve had time, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there was a pandemic. I got to work on a brand new show, brand new stuff, brand new stuff…. It finally clicks, the laughs land, we change stuff, find the best tour and it’s really in great shape right now.

He calls the live show “Carbonaro: Lies on Stage.”

“It’s a play on ‘Live on Stage,'” Carbonaro said. “Anyone who knows me from the hidden camera TV show ‘The Carbonaro Effect’, they really love it when I lie to people. They love the funny scientific gibberish I come up with for magic and pranks, they don’t can’t get enough, so I’m like, “I’m going to come to your town and lie to you.”

Just be aware that the show is for ages 21 and up only.

“I usually do family shows, all of my shows are family friendly, but because it’s a casino, it’s 21+, so maybe I could let loose,” Carbonaro said. “Even family shows, parents tend to get a little bit. Even the kids drink at my show. We distribute vaccines to children!

Born in Long Island, New York in 1976, he loved watching hidden camera shows.

“I was a huge fan as a kid watching syndicated episodes of ‘Candid Camera,’ watching people’s reactions,” Carbonaro said. “It’s the most captivating thing. … They drove a car to a gas station, a lady said: ‘It makes a strange noise’, they opened the hood and the car had no engine! The guys at the gas station say, ‘Madam, how did you get here?’ »

At first, he didn’t want to be a magician. He wanted to be a Hollywood makeup artist.

“I loved horror movies, I still love it,” Carbonaro said. “Freddy Kreuger, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ was my jam. My favorite horror film of all time: ‘An American Werewolf in London’. I love it because it’s funny and scary à la times. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to create these creatures, invent people, and create zombies.

Makeup supplies happened to be on shelves near some magic tricks.

“I would buy makeup supplies from a local magic shop,” Carbonaro said. “A magic shop is the center of everything I love: pranks, jokes, gags, masks, costumes, scary things and illusions, all of it, sweetheart, I’m like a magnet to him! So, I started doing magic tricks, guys were doing demonstrations at the counter, I was buying magic tricks, I loved doing it for my friends.

Along the way, he learned the importance of being in good company.

“When parents come to me and say, ‘What would you recommend? My son or daughter wants to be a magician,’ I always say, ‘There are a million places to learn tricks, but have them learn acting, have them do school plays and learn voice, dance, speech, because if they want to be a magician, you have to be an artist,” Carbonaro said.

He earned his BA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“I went to NYU with the aspiration of becoming the next David Copperfield,” Carbonaro said. “I want to learn everything about acting, television production, how to be an actor, how to move, how to dance, how to have a good voice, how to speak, how to articulate on stage, I want to be an accomplished artist and I really got into acting. acting and stand-up comedy when I was in New York.

He started performing in “All My Children”, “Guiding Light”, “30 Rock” and “Chappelle’s Show”,

“On this tour, I’m actually showing the clip when I was on ‘Chappelle’s Show,'” Carbonaro said. “I had like a line and I’m showing this clip later that night and a lot of people are like, ‘Is this real?’ They think it’s like maybe a digital thing and I’m like, ‘No, I was really on ‘Chappelle’s Show’. I was so excited to be on. Even to get just a line on that TV show, oh my.

He also began performing his number on late-night talk shows.

“My first late night show was ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,'” Carbonaro said. “I went to ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno, doing magic hidden camera segments in that convenience store and dreaming of my big show. I always wanted to have a TV show like ‘Candid Camera’, I loved ‘Scare Tactics’, I’m like there’s a magical hidden camera show to be had.

Thus, “The Carbonaro Effect” was born on truTV.

“Why not hide all kinds of techniques as a magician, things that disappear and things that fall through something else and do all kinds of fun little pranks and lay magic in a way that people can seeing her without having to wonder, ‘How did the magician do this?’ They ask themselves, ‘How is this happening in my real world in front of me right now?’ said Carbonaro.

The show ran for five seasons from 2014-2019.

“We did five seasons, 120 episodes in total, which blows my mind,” Carbonaro said. “I had no idea we would ever be able to do so many shows. … We talked about maybe doing more and then the pandemic hit and we were still talking, it’s still open, we haven’t been canceled or anything, but I have another TV project that I try to move forward.

What is his vision for his next TV series?

“It’s a variety show with magic, hidden camera, pranks in front of a live audience and segments,” Carbonaro said. “I literally have people writing, ‘Oh my god I love your show, I really wish I could be on it, but now I know who you are. … It looks like a dead end career! … I’m like, ‘What can I do where my fans can play with me?’ »

Until then, you can catch it at Hollywood Casino on Saturday.

“Come down,” said Carbonaro. “You’re gonna be thrilled, you’re gonna be fooled, I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna prank you, two people a night I’m knocking straight off the stage, so anybody you’re trying to get rid of, knock ’em off and …I’ll see what I can do for you.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley Presents Michael Carbonaro at Hollywood Casino (Part 2)

Listen to our full conversation on my “Beyond the Fame” podcast.