Michael Turco Has a Trick or Two Up His Sleeve

Magician Michael Turco knows how to escape from straightjackets and levitate his assistants in midair.

When asked how he completes his tricks and illusions, Turco leaned forward and said with a smile, “I’m not going to tell you.”

The 29-year-old is simply adhering to the same credo that magicians have been following for hundreds of years: Never reveal how a trick is done.

Turco, a Wayne resident, has come a long way since he performed card tricks at Wayne Valley High School. 

“Many of my shows are for families, so there is storytelling and audience interaction,” Turco said. “Over the years my message has been to believe in yourself and follow your dreams.”

That message comes from his heart. At 7 years old he saw a magician tear apart a newspaper and put it back together. It was a trick that inspired him to practice magic.

“This is always what I wanted to do,” Turco said. “With persistence and passion, I got there.”

Turco performs that newspaper trick in every show and trying to convey the “A Ha” moment he experienced as a child to the audience.

“He has a lot of devoted followers who will fly from New Jersey to go to a show in Florida, so we always like to give them something new,” said Nicole Stryker, Turco’s stage manager and assistant producer.

Turco has a wide-ranging repertoire, from small card tricks and performing with a duck named Lloyd, to folding boxes and swords, Turco does a little bit of everything. He creates his own tricks, each with an accompanying storyline. He also has taken old tricks and re-developed them for a modern audience.

“All of my tricks are complex in their own way,” Turco said. “Even the card tricks take time. And the illusions require coming up with a routine and exact choreography.”

Turco’s hard work is paying off. He has sold out performances at Bally’s Palace Theater and The Hilton in Atlantic City. He also auditioned for America’s Got Talent. He will perform up and down the East Coast this summer. Turco is also developing a children’s book about magic and pitching a television show to the networks based on his traveling show.

“It’s all very promising,” Turco said. “We’re very excited to be where we are.”

Turco, a graduate of William Paterson University, has worked with the same crew for years. He has known two crewmembers since high school. Turco attributes the comrade that the group to his success.

“My core group has been with me since day one,” Turco said. “I give them an idea and they take it and run with it. I couldn’t do it without them.”