Today, I have a treat in that Michael Mitnick, playwright, screenwriter, and magic enthusiast, has graciously agreed to participate in today’s post. 

On the stage, Michael has written such productions as “Fly By Night,” “Spacebar,” and “Sex Lives of Our Parents. ” For the movies, Michael has written “The Giver,” “The Current War,” as well as the upcoming Jim Henson biopic “Muppet Man.” If that weren’t enough, he is also involved in the “Siegfried and Roy” limited television series.

Beyond all that, one of his favorite subjects is Doug, and what follows are Michael’s feelings on him and magic as a whole.

Take it away Michael:

 

When did you first start writing? 

I started writing satirical musicals I performed with my friends in high school. My whole life was magic from 6-14 or so. Freshman year, when bullies would scream “Do magic!” at me, I thought maybe I should shift my focus to something else. Like theater.

What was it about it that interested you?

We ask the audience to suspend our disbelief for theatre and film/tv. But with magic – we don’t ask. We take it. That’s power. So when I find myself drawn into a show on stage or on the screen, it’s almost the same thrill as magic. I’m moved in some way by people pretending to do things.

Where did your initial interest in magic come from? 

I grew up in Pittsburgh. There was a five and dime which had, among yo-yos and finger traps, some magic tricks. The owner demonstrated a wooden coin slide that would vanish a nickel. I bought it, and was hooked…

Every week, my father would drive me 50 minutes to a Society of American Magicians meeting in a smoke-filled back room in a bar. A few times the bartender tried to eject me. I remember demonstrating what I was working on, and getting feedback from these old, whiskey-soaked magicians: “You’re shifting your feet. Stand still!” This is also when I began to develop my own effects and routines. Paul Gertner, my hero, was my baseball buddy’s Dad, so I would not-so-subtly turn play dates into magic lessons.

When I was ten, Tannen’s Magic Camp admitted me as the youngest attendee. It was there that I reached my highest life achievement: 2nd Place Junior Close-Up. A few years later, I competed at the World Magic Summit in D.C. I finished 15th out of 16. They didn’t have junior and senior categories, but it still was devastating. This is also about when kids at school started to make me feel bad about magic, so I gave it up until it was cool again in college at bars with girls.

What type of magic/magicians were you drawn to initially? 

Houdini and David Copperfield were everything. I bought the Christopher bio of Houdini from the local library for a penny and carried it with me everywhere in a Walkman case for “protection.”

When Copperfield came to Pittsburgh, I convinced my Dad to take me to most of the performances. I remember, after a performance at the Benedum Center, my Dad waited with me in the cold at the stage door until 1AM. When a stack of pizzas went up, and no Copperfield came down, we went home.

My favorite type of magic was and is close-up. Paul Gertner can do the perfect classic force. He would flip the 8 of diamonds face up and then ask me to pick a card – “But not the 8 of diamonds.” Without feeling any manipulation whatsoever, I would end up with the 8 every single time. That’s magic.

How would you say magic has influenced your creativity and writing?

Magic taught me about the power of surprise. In drama, surprise is essential (though many people forget that). Whether it’s a joke or a plot twist, surprise is what gives something life. If there’s no surprise in magic, it’s not really magic. Surprise is baked-in.

In writing, if I’m not surprising an audience, the scenes are likely predictable or boring. Surprise is different from shock, which carries an unpleasant aftertaste. So, I don’t want to shock an audience. I want them to go on a journey that surprises and perhaps delights.

How did you first discover Doug? 

The older magicians at the S.A.M. meetings had VHS compilations of magicians on TV – Tonight Show, Cavett, Doug Henning, Early Copperfield, etc. I grew up just before YouTube, so those tapes were my only chance to see magic that wasn’t local. 

What was it about his work that drew you in?

While I love close-up, there’s something special to a successful stage illusion. I may not be able to figure out where a quarter went, but I can guess. Not so with an elephant. So, with a great stage illusion, the mystification can be proportional. Also, I liked that Doug’s show felt more like a magic show than a rock concert.

Optimism. 

For more information on Michael and his work, please click: HERE