Burnaby’s famous magician will be on the tube July 10 for the season premiere of CW’s Masters of Illusion.
It’ll be Murray SawChuck’s second year starring in the reality TV series, which brings some of the world’s top magicians together.
“Last year I did illusions with some bigger stuff,” SawChuck told the NOW in a phone interview from his Las Vegas home. “This year, it’ll be comedy magic – magic that’s funny.”
One could argue being in front of a camera is second nature to the Burnaby born-and-raised star. That’s because he’s been featured on over 20 reality shows, most notably America’s Got Talent back in 2010, followed by the History Channel’s Pawn Stars. Today, SawChuck has found a home at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Sin City, performing five days a week.
But Burnaby will always be home, he says.
“I went to Moscrop, graduated from Burnaby Central, worked everywhere from Hudson’s Bay up in Metrotown, worked at the Keg as a dishwasher and was a lifeguard for six years,” he recalls. “Mom still lives in Burnaby. She comes down every few months to check up on me and hang out.”
SawChuck’s love for magic developed at the age of seven, when he received his first Siegfried and Roy magic kit. His first show was booked by age 11 when his aunt and uncle penciled him in for a birthday party that paid $10. Watching David Copperfield make New York’s Statue of Liberty disappear also had an impact, he says.
“I thought that was pretty cool back then, in the ‘80s when there was no Internet, no YouTube and there was only 13 channels on TV. Everyone watched it and it was a pretty big spectacle.”
SawChuck perfected his craft when he met Marvyn and Carol Roy, a.k.a. “Mr. Electric.” The couple, who mentored SawChuck in his earlier years, had toured the world as magicians for five decades. The local began performing in Europe, with later shows in Southeast Asia and Canada.
Some 20 years later, he found himself on the stage of America’s Got Talent, securing a spot in the semi-finals. Some of the tricks he used to wow the judges (Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel) included producing a Ferrari from thin air and making a steam train vanish.
“When you have 22 million people watching you, it changes everything. You go from no one knowing you to everyone knowing you,” SawChuck said of his NBC appearances. “From standing in the airport, to people walking up to you. … It’s wonderful. I’ve worked all my life to be an entertainer. I love doing what I do.”
Asked what he loves about live shows, SawChuck responded with “there’s no turning back.”
“You’ve got one chance to impress them and it really shows your skill of being a live entertainer because you have to entertain them at that moment,” he said. “So when you walk on that stage, it’s one take; you may still do the same bits, but every audience makes the show different.”
So what’s next for Murray “Celebrity Magician”?
He told the NOW he’d like to become a full-time television host sometime in the next five years.
“I really enjoy the business,” Sawchuck said.
Masters of Illusion airs July 10 at 5 p.m. PST on the CW Network.
