Showing posts with label Murray SawChuck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murray SawChuck. Show all posts

19 February 2024

[Guest post] February 2024 Genii Issue Features Canadians

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.

--

February 2024 Genii Issue Features Canadians


The current issue of Genii opens with a heart-felt tribute filling an entire page in their "In Memorium" section to the late Micky Hades written by Stephen Forrester.

"The Eye" section (featuring stories from around the world of magic) curated by Vanessa Armstrong has two Canadian references:

  • A photo of Gabriella Lester illustrates a short piece linking to a longer New York Times article on diversity in magic, highlighting three women performing today including Lester. Armstrong refutes some of its broader generalizations.
    Link - https://myqrcode.mobi/70e1232e

  • A second longer piece about the Magic of Tony Eng Exhibition opening in the Victoria BC Chinatown Museum includes several quotes from Tony's daughter (the Executive Director of Magicana Julie Eng) as well as a link to the CBC television report on the Exhibition's openinglast December.
    Link - cbc.ca/player/play/2290720323810


Finally, in Shawn McMaster's column "Knights at the Magic Castle" Murray Sawchuck is prominently reviewed for his December holidays appearance at The Magic Castle along with Lefty (Doug Leferovich.)

 

- The Magic Demon

 

 

Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

 

 

 

 

 

02 February 2024

A peek behind the curtain with Murray SawChuck

We first saw Murray SawChuck in 2001 when he performed at the inaugural CAMaraderie convention.  To say he's been busy since then is an understatement.  

You may be aware that Murray:

  • is a headliner at Laugh Factory in Las Vegas
  • has appeared on and is a regular in many television shows (including Blind Date, Pawn Stars, and Masters of Illusion), 
  • has a comedy special, Itz Gone, Live from Las Vegas streaming on Tubi, 
  • has published the children's book At Nighttime, We’re All the Same Size available at Amazon, and
  • is on this week's episode of What's Going On? on The Magicians' Podcast Network talking about his move into exposure videos (this sure to be controversial episode requires a paid subscription and is available through Apple Podcasts or Spotify).
     


We're delighted to interview Murray ahead of his Brampton show at The Rose Theatre (tickets at Brampton.ca)!


A peek behind the curtain with Murray SawChuck


 
Who inspires you magically? 

Ironically not any magicians. I look at other entertainer that are MAGIC on stage but no neccasaryly perform magic. I look up to the Justin Timberlakes, Dolly Partons, Bruno Mars on how they walk on stage and how they leave their audiences in awe with selling their personalities. There are many great magicians tecnnically but not when they walk on stage. The magicians I looked up growing up and still do are Cardini, Tommy Cooper, Ballentine and Mr. Electric. Real personalities, brands and images.
 



Who inspires you that is not a magician? 

Dolly Parton, Bruno Mars, Jim Carrey, Justin Timberlake, William H. Macy, Lucy Ball, Liberace.

 


Murray SawChuck

 
 
 
 
Did you ever get discouraged and think about quitting magic?

Yes many times. Show business is not for the weak at heart. You will see mostly NOs but when the YESs come they are wonderful and they keep you going until the next YES between all the NOs! When you have a contract or job you are excited but while you are on that contact or job you have to be looking for the next gig or job or contract. It's like playing pool... when you are aiming to shoot the white ball to knock the other ball in the pocket you are working on where the white ball needs to  land after the shot so you have another good shot. Showbiz is just like that always looking at your next shot if you want to keep working in the business!. 
 

 
 
You studied music and you were a professional dancer.  You also earned a degree in Radio and Television, and Broadcasting with a minor in business.  How did these experiences impact both your magic business and your stage show? 

Well all of the above vocations are in show business, so each one taught me something that helped the other. I played music so I understand how music can change a mood or feeling when being presented on stage which makes a trick much more effective. Dancing I trained ballet for 11 years and that taught me how to walk on stage and present myself. Radio and Television Broadcasting taught me how to write copy for ads and press releases for publication as well as speak with a purpose. Having all these skills makes you a better personality and headliner.  
 


 
Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals?

I really don't... I am super relaxed before I go on stage. Once we fly in and upload out equipment and show props and set the stage that is the most nerve racking making sure nothing has broken during travel and setting it up right for the show. Usually I like to have a coffee before I walk on stage, send a few texts to my wife Dani and that's about it.. 



Murray SawChuck


 

 


What do you most look forward to, when you come back to Canada?
 
 I look forward to being back in my home country and  all the greenery and landscapes. In Las Vegas it's the desert... lots of sand and dry hills to look at! I can't wait to bring my show to Brampton!

You're a headliner at the Laugh Factory in Las Vegas, you've appeared on multiple television shows (including Blind Date, Pawn Stars, and Masters of Illusion), you have a  comedy special (Itz Gone, Live from Las Vegas) on TUBI, and you've written a children's book (At Nighttime, We’re All the Same Size).  Is it time to sit back and take it easy, or do you have other big projects in the works? 

I don't sit back very well and I am always five years behind where I'd like to be, so when people see things that I am doing or have done, they usually have been in the making quite a while. I would love my own sitcom or TV show where I could play a regular. I am a regular on Pawn Stars for the last 21 seasons and on CW's Masters Of Illusion for the last 10 years. I have my 2nd comedy special coming out the year we filmed last year and we are getting ready to film more Pawn Stars in February. So, YES I am always working on other projects and ideas. Keeps me young, motivated and focused. I just started this year my keynote talk called 'Find Your Magic' helping people figure out why they should be interested in going to work and staying interested. www.themagicalspeaker.com


 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Canada’s Magic?

For anyone trying to make it in show business or magic, don't stop... you will fail, you will succeed but just remember everything is a new day and another shot at making your dream happen. Listen to yourself, your heart and your passion and stay focused. The more popular you get or famous the more people you find will love you as well as hate you... It's a double edge sword. Don't let people effect you as it's your life and your living it, not them.

 
 
Thank you Murray, for making the time to answer our questions!  Hopefully we'll get to see more Canadian dates on your schedule in the near future.

Learn more about Murray at his website MurrayMagic.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

 

Catch Murray at The Rose Theatre in Brampton on March 2nd (tickets at Brampton.ca)! 

 

From the January 10th Facebook post by Brampton On Stage:

Direct from Pawn Stars and CW’s Masters Of Illusion, MURRAY THE MAGICIAN is bringing Vegas to YOU with magic that will blow your mind, performed live and up close at The Rose on March 2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


21 January 2024

Brampton: Murray Sawchuck [Mar 2]

Tickets at Brampton.ca

 

From the January 10th Facebook post by Brampton On Stage:

Direct from Pawn Stars and CW’s Masters Of Illusion, MURRAY THE MAGICIAN is bringing Vegas to YOU with magic that will blow your mind, performed live and up close at The Rose on March 2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 November 2023

28 August 2023

Murray SawChuck received the Society of American Magician's Presidential Citation

Congratulations Murray!  Well deserved!  

 

From the August 17th Facebook post by Murray SawChuck:

Super honored to receive this from the Society Of American Magicians! Thank you Rod Chow

 

 

 

 

05 February 2023

Murray Sawchuk book donation and 21st anniversary on the Las Vegas Strip

From the January 24th article "Las Vegas’s Murray the Magician Offering Children’s Book to Libraries" by Chris Yandek in CY Interview:

In honor of Nevada Reading Week, Las Vegas headliner Murray the Magician is offering his new children’s book, At Nighttime We Are All The Same Size, free to libraries in Nevada. The magician, comedian and actor posted on social media:

“If you are a teacher or librarian and would like one of my books for your school, please email me at info@murraysawchuck.com with your full name of librarian and school address and we will send your school library a copy. Happy Reading Week (Feb. 27th – March 3, 2023).”

We recently spoke with Murray about his children’s book, as well as other topics. You can find that CYInterview by clicking here.

Read more.


Belated congratulations Murray, on the 21st anniversary of you performing on the Las Vegas Strip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

05 May 2022

Ring 17 hosts a virtual lecture by Murray SawChuck [May 10]

Tuesday, May 10, 2022


From IBM Ring 17:

Murray teaches you many of his secrets including how to get on TV, making a normal or boring trick memorable and getting more money for your shows. Over the 30 plus years Murray has been touring the world, performed on over 100 television shows and is currently a resident headliner at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas as well as the guest act in the show Fantasy at The Luxor. Learn from one of the top magicians currently working today.

NOTE: A Zoom link will be emailed to all current members of the club and to Eventbrite ticket holders.

Read more and buy tickets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

04 October 2020

Congratulations to Murray Sawchuck and best wishes to Dani Elizabeth

Congratulations and best wishes to you both!

 

From Murray Sawchuck's September 29th Instagram post:

Me and @danishowgirl did a thing today! She said YES!

 

 

 

 




17 July 2020

Murray Sawchuck at the Nowhere Comedy Club

From the July 12th Murray Sawchuck Instagram post:
LIVE STREAMING SHOW August 7, 2020 with #Lefty 6pm PST click the link in bio for tickets! @nowherecomedy @gersh_production

03 June 2020

Murray SawChuck in the Las Vegas Review-Journal

From the May 21st article "Las Vegas magician Sawchuck developing ‘Tiger King’ doc" by in the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

It’s all, still, fertile material for follow-up coverage.

“We went there to do a YouTube clip, and we came away with enough for a three-part episode,” says Sawchuck, who adds that he was stunned at some of Lowe’s on-camera claims that dead bodies — no joke — remain buried on the property. “Seth was watching this stuff and saying, ‘You know this is all going to go viral, right?’ And Jeff was just fine to talk to us about everything. I was shocked, actually.”

The first mini-doc in the series is set to post June 3 on Sawchuck’s YouTube page.

Read more.

19 May 2020

Vancouver Magic Circle presents ZOOMagic!

From the IBM Facebook page:
Take a look at what our International President Alex Zander's local Ring did together!

Well done Vancouver Magic Circle, IBM Ring #92! Way to #KeepCalmAndPerformMagic

With Murray SawChuck Rod Boss, Kelvin Ng Rod Chow Juliana Chen, Glen LaBarre, Graham Kita, Henry Tom, Shawn Farquhar.

Video production: Shawn Farquhar
(Music: Benjamin Tissot Thanks www.BenSound.com )


You'll need a Facebook account in order to view the video.






08 May 2020

Canadians on Masters of Illusion 2020

Updated at 8pm to add:
  • Spidey

I've seen mentions from Chris Funk and Murray SawChuck that they're back on Masters of Illusion this year.  Who am I missing?

Masters of Illusions premiers on Friday, May 15th on The CW.






23 April 2020

Murray and Lefty Teach a Trick

Murray (and Shaia Twain!) will also be taking part in a telethon on Monday to support the American Actors Fund.  (Details at bottom of post.)



From Murray Sawchuck: