Morrison is a professional magician, an elite fraternity that traces its roots back thousands of years and whose members are as varied and complex as the thaumaturgy they perform.
“A magician is an actor playing a role of something that is seemingly impossible,” said Morrison. “And that ability to connect with an audience and create an illusion of reality is part of the art, and it’s what I love.”
Morrison’s outward appearance exudes no Merlin or Houdini-like aura. The 39-year-old modern magician could be a poster boy for the Young Republicans, and his easy grin and clean-cut look serves him well.
“For me, maintaining the persona of a classic, elegantly dressed magician is part of being a good magician,” said Morrison, who lives in Brentwood with his wife Dawn and daughter Madison. “I always dress up when I go out. You never know who you’re going to see at the grocery store or on the street.”
Raised in Lafayette, Morrison discovered the glamour of magic as a 5-year-old watching his babysitter dazzle him with sleight-of-hand tricks. Immediately hooked, he began practicing on his own, working at simple card tricks – sometimes with fewer cards than the trick called for because his hands were too small – and practicing for hours on end.
“One of the tricks to magic is practice, practice, practice,” said Morrison, who goes through a pack of playing cards a day and buys them in bulk at Costco. “It’s something that can be learned. Certainly there are different levels of magic, just as there are different levels of playing music. Some people will be able to perform “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and other will be able to play Rachmaninoff, but everyone can do it.”
Morrison’s years of perfecting his craft have paid off for the former corporate salesman, who took his magic hobby and turned it into a full-time gig in 2000. To date, his classic magic show has taken him to events throughout the country. He’s performed for bigwigs such as Henry Kissinger and the first President Bush, at the private Bohemian Grove, and for such business giants as Oracle and Cisco. He’s rubbed elbows with celebrities Merv Griffin and Cheryl Tiegs, and also performs for private groups and parties.
This month Morrison is taking his act a little closer to home, working his magic at an already sold-out dinner show at Caps in Brentwood. Billed as a dinner and magic theater, Morrison will perform an hour-long Las Vegas-style show complete with high-tech sound and lights. A second show is scheduled for April 20 at Caps, and on March 7, Morrison will be appearing at a Garin Elementary School fundraiser.
One of Morrison’s gifts is his ability to amaze his audiences with what he calls the tried-and-true tricks. Sleight-of-hand and up-close magic are the most fun, he says, and a good rule of thumb is to stick with what you know.
“There’s really not that much new in magic. Everything is over 200 years old. Things like the linking rings are classic magic. A levitation, if done correctly, is the ultimate; it can be amazing.” said Morrison, who admires magician Doug Henning. “He’s the first one I saw perform,” but has a distaste for the work of David Copperfield, and what he calls Copperfield’s less-than family-friendly show.
Unfortunately, any magician worthy of the name knows that the tricks of the trade must, alas, stay secret. So when asked for a peek behind a simple card trick, or any trick at all, Morrison merely offers his Mona-Lisa smile and a shake of the head.
Surely though, he must share his secrets with his family. “No, my wife doesn’t ask; she doesn’t want to know,” he laughs. “My daughter is 3, so everything is magical at that age. She just takes it for granted.”
In a follow-up phone conversation a few days later, Morrison asks the caller to pick her
favorite number and suit of playing card, but not to say it out loud. Without a pause, he names the seven of clubs. Stunned by his telepathy, the caller asks how he could possibly know what card she had picked.
With nothing more than a laugh at the end of the phone, he ends the conversation.
Ever the entertainer.
For information on upcoming events, or to book a show, contact Morrison at www.morrisonmagic.com, or call (877) 624-4264.
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