EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Michael Corona, Class Of 2020

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Throughout high school, Michael Corona was known simply as “the magic man.”

Having performed magic since he was a second grader at Southeast Elementary School, Corona continued to perfect his craft while amazing his classmates at Evergreen Park Community High School.

“I had a lot of really amazing tricks people were talking about,” Corona said. “In the middle of class one day, I had a cup of water, my hands were empty and I reached into the air and made a fist, turned it upside down and a live fish fell into the cup of water and started swimming.”

The trick caught the whole class off guard and had everyone “freaking out,” Corona said.

“Since then, every once in a while, I like to surprise people with a live fish that comes out of nowhere,” he said.

The spring of 2020 was shaping up to be a remarkable few months for Corona, a senior that year. In addition to signing up for the National Honor Society talent show, Corona planned to showcase his magic at a “Mr. Mustang” show.

“I was all set to perform an amazing trick for that one,” he said.

Of course, the start of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic set everything aside those first few months.

“We were just a few weeks away when everything stopped,” Corona said. “I was really looking forward to it.”

Corona’s disappointment was subsided upon the realization that he had already won Prom King that year and had become known throughout the building for his talent.

He’s also since performed in every talent show since COVID as an alum, not for his magic tricks but rather his on-point Michael Jackson impression.

“I’ve always been captivated by his movements,” said Corona, noting his interest in the king of pop began around the time Jackson died in 2009. Corona was a second grader at the time.

“I did my best to try and copy and mimic him any way I could,” he said. “I slowly began to do the show in public at the elementary school talent shows and it’s something I never really got away from.”

Corona’s continued talent show appearances are important to him because his first one, in 2019, was held in memory of Alan Reyes-Landeweer, a sixth grader at Central Middle School whose family has been close with Corona for years.

“The talent show has become a tradition for me since then,” Corona said. “It’s something I keep doing every year, and enjoy seeing the teachers and students recognize my name year in and year out.”

But it’s the magic that remains Corona’s bread and butter. He’s been able to make a full-time gig out of it, performing locally every Friday night, 7 p.m., at the “Unidad: A Latin Kitchen and Bar” restaurant on 95th Street in Evergreen Park.

“My style of magic is a close-up style,” he said. “At Unidad, I walk around the tables to make it more intimate and personal.”

He’s become so popular that Unidad regulars will recognize him any time he walks in. The gig has led to other opportunities for Corona to show off his magic, including company and corporate events.

“The Best Buy business team even invited me on their yacht to go on Lake Michigan,” he said. “It’s really amazing how magic has taken me all over the place to share it with everyone.”

Magic is a vital part of Corona’s past, present and future life. It was as a second grader at Southeast when he first realized this passion.

“A classmate asked about a magic trick, and it was such a simple trick, but, to me, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen,” Corona remembers. “Then I noticed a book in the classroom about magic. I took it home, and read it a million times. I’d go back to school and show what I learned so everyone could watch my progress.”

Corona said he wants to continue to pursue his career as a magician, and is in the process of creating his own one-man show.

“I’d like to create an overall character and image that will last through time and one that everyone can become familiar with,” he said.