Montreal Fringe interview: McSorley & Chung Magic Hour

Grant McSorley & Derrick Chung are two scholars in engineering and mathematics, respectively, whose 10+ years friendship grew out of a love of magic while working together behind-the-scenes for renowned magicians.

With years of magical knowledge, part of which were imparted by some of the best illusionists in the world, they debuted their first two-person show at the Black Theatre Workshop last Friday and played a sold-out show on Saturday, where they amazed audiences with their twists on the effects that have sparked their own love for the craft. Complemented with their teaching backgrounds, their approach to the realms of the known and the baffling has always been to engage their audiences and pupils.

None of that male chauvinism of lovely assistants as eye-candy, no boxes sawed in half. This is stripped down sleight of hand prestidigitation down to its fundamental basics, performed in front of an intimate crowd reminiscent of parlor sessions during the heydays of vaudeville. Feel like a kid again full of wonderment, this is magic accessible to all!

I had the chance to nerd out with these two about magic & the known realm…

Bad Feeling: You two have performed separately before teaming up. Were your styles different starting out?

Derrick: Oh, very different. This is, however, our first foray into magic as theatre. Our show really starts with the characters and everything follows from that. Previously, I used to perform on stage just as the real me. And in the real world, I’m definitely the less serious one and I’m far more like Grant’s character (McSorley) than he is.

Grant: Yes. I’m a pretty shy person in real life, so playing the gregarious McSorley can be a challenge. I have performed “funny” tricks before, but it’s always been more the situation that made things funny as opposed to the character itself.

BF: Are there certain magical feats that only one of you knows?

G: Derrick’s Hofzinser’s trick. I’ve seen him do that trick dozens of times and still can’t quite figure out how it’s done, which is fine. I’ve come to terms with that. I mean the trick has baffled greater magicians than me over the last century, so I’m in good company.

D: Not really, but Grant’s routine with the cups still fools me all the time. I know EVERY little thing that makes it work, but the way Grant weaves it all together with his wonderful presentation makes me completely miss when all the sneaky stuff happens. So like the audience, watching that trick makes me feel like a kid again.

Have you ever used magic on a date?

D: No, but I did use magic to propose to my wife. At the time, she thought I was going to burn her apartment down. But we’re cool now. I think.

G: If you mean using it to pick someone up, then no. However, once someone finds out you’re a magician, it’s not long before they want to see a trick.

What might people not know about magicians? What might surprise people about magicians?

G: The world of magicians can be pretty fascinating. For example, some of the best in the world are hobbyists who have day jobs and are not really recognized by the public. But they may invent some of the most devious methods and effects known to magicians.

D: The lengths magicians will go through to prepare for an effect. Sometimes a trick will require incredibly elaborate preparations for something that lasts just a moment.

Copperfield vs Criss Angel. Deathmatch Mortal Kombat style. Who wins and what’s their finishing move?

G: Copperfield of course. Death by making Criss watch his own terrible Criss Angel magic specials.

D: Copperfield is amazing and probably still the hardest working guy in magic. Full respect. But I think Criss Angel has youth on his side. So I’m going for Angel and his finishing move would be drowning Copperfield in a sea of emo tears.

What draws you to the vaudeville variety magic show of yesteryear? During your performance the other night, I certainly appreciated learning about the greats who originated some of your magical feats. Has today’s audience been receptive with this format?

G: Some of our favourite routines are quirky takes on classic effects, which tend to give them a vaudevillian feeling. Also, this being a two-man show, the format also allows us to play up the contrast between our two characters.

D: Knowing the history of your craft is important. And there are some pretty fascinating magicians. But that’s for another time, and perhaps another show. As for receptiveness, we’re only two shows into the run, but we did sell out our last one. And people seemed to like it. So things are looking good thus far.

What got you into magic, any influences growing up? Did a legendary Montreal magician show you your first prestidigitation? (Do magicians use a shorter word for prestidigitation?)

G: I always enjoyed watching magic on TV, but it was seeing it live that really got me interested. First at birthday parties as a kid, and later when an uncle was taking magic lessons. Seeing the impossible happen right in front of me is what convinced me that I needed to lean more about it. In terms of local legends, Romaine (The Monarch of Manipulation) had a big impact on me when I started meeting other magicians. He consistently performed magic like nothing I had seen before and did it to perfection.

D: For me, my first hit of magic was watching David Copperfield on TV. But it wasn’t the big illusions that sucked me in, it was those that he seemingly did inches in front of spectator’s faces. And yeah, prestidigitation is kind of an archaic word. We use the word since it fits our show, but “magic trick” is fine. Somehow magic is cool again. Thanks NPH.

You have backgrounds in engineering & math … Is magic more understandable to you because of this?

D: You’d be surprised how much interplay there is between mathematics and magic. In fact, the writer Martin Gardner, through his books, is the guy who ignited my passion in both. It often takes an analytic mind to devise methods for magic tricks, but often mathematicians are also the easiest to fool.

G: When people find out I have an engineering background, the first thing they jump to is stage illusions. While those do involve a certain amount of engineering know-how to design and construct, the principles that make them fooling aren’t taught in engineering courses, so it doesn’t put you that much further ahead.

When doing a google search for “Montreal prestidigitation magic scene”, there isn’t much popping up. Why is that? Would magicians rather stay in the shadows, or is this a generational thing where new blood is scarce?

G: Well, if you just google “Montreal magic scene” the first site that pops up is actually the Montreal Magic Jam, another project we’re involved in. 11 years ago, Derrick, our director (Marc Trudel) and I wanted to host a magic conference in Montreal.

D: Despite magic thriving in Montreal in the 80’s and into the 90’s, it kind of died off. When I got seriously into magic, there wasn’t much going on. So we decided together to change all that. Other than the conference itself, we started hosting magic lectures and workshops bringing in magicians from all over the world, to help give Montreal magic a kick in the butt. And it worked.

G: Obviously we don’t advertise to the masses but we put on about 8-10 events a year, and get about 30-40 magicians together to learn and discuss magic. So magic is not dead at all. You just need to know where to look.

Performance: what’s harder, learning the magical illusions or the performance in front of a crowd?

G: Performance, without question. Even when you know an effect really well, getting up in front of an audience to perform can still be very nerve-racking.

D: I see them as going hand in hand. Sure you can know how a trick works, but unless you can do it in front of people, you can’t really understand all the nuances involved.

Any stories of disasters (an illusion that didn’t go as expected) onstage?

D: Ask us again at the end of the run 🙂

Where else can we see you perform besides the Fringe?

D: For the moment, that’s it. We may be trying to do limited runs in selected cities later this year, but after the Fringe, we’re both going on vacation.

G: If you sign up to our mailing list at mcsorleyandchung.com (blatant plug), we’ll keep you up to date on everything. We’ve also performed in a couple of shows at the Comedy Nest which were a lot of fun. Hopefully we can do that again sometime soon.

Any words of wisdom for those who want to start out in the realm of prestidigitation? Is it ever too late to start learning?

D: It’s never too late. Just be aware of shitty magic tutorials. As opposed to in the past, access to magic has never been easier. Anybody with a webcam can say they’re a magician and put stuff up on YouTube. It doesn’t mean it’s worth your time. In the past, it would be hard to find any magic. Now the issue is how to filter through all the crap that’s out there.

G: Yeah. Derrick can’t stand shitty magic. He’s kind of a crotchety old man in that way. Like really crotchety. People want different things from magic. If you just want to do a few tricks for your friends, you don’t have to be an incredibly polished performer. The internet is fine as a starting point, but if you want to be good, you should seek out some more well-versed magicians to help you along.

D: If you are going to go the internet route, and want to know what magic should look like, look up Fred Kaps, Michael Skinner, Tommy Wonder. These guys are real inspirations for me.

Fuck/Marry/Kill – Gob from Arrested Development, Harry Houdini, and Harry Potter…

D: I’ll decline to answer that question since my students will certainly stumble upon this interview.

G: I’ll answer this in person (off the record) for anyone who comes to the show.

For performance dates and more info visit mcsorleyandchung.com. McSorley & Chung’s Magic Hour runs at Fringe until Sunday, June 19, which is also the last day of Fringe (sob!). Pick up the program for showtimes or visit the festival’s official site.