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Magicians keep secrets about the tricks of their trade
Rick Scibelli Jr./Special to The Tribune
Robert Lamberti, a professional magician, waits to be introduced to a sold-out crowd before the start of his weekly Saturday night show in a room behind the Magic Juggler Shop at 3205 Central Ave. N.E. in Nob Hill.
The Industry
Size: While many cities don't have any magic shops, Albuquerque is home to three different organizations for hobbyists and professional magicians. A Web site for the Magic Juggler Shop in Nob Hill - www.magicjugglershop.com - lists nearly 40 New Mexico magicians, most of whom are in the Albuquerque area.
Getting a job: Many magicians are independent contractors that get booked through a production or entertainment company. When looking for gigs, many local magicians advise visiting the local magic props shop to network with other magicians.
Average income: Most magicians can make anywhere between $120-$170 an hour depending upon the contract and the complexity of the performance. Some make as much as $2,000 an hour for large corporate events, however, that's more of an exception than the rule. Most magicians perform as a hobby, while having other full-time jobs.
Challenges: Practice, practice, practice. The art of magic is hidden in the mix of hand work and subtle misdirection. Local magician Robert Lamberti, who hosts a weekly show in Nob Hill each Saturday, says he has practiced a trick for 10 years before putting it in his show.
FYI: Dai Vernon, a master conjurer known as "The Professor" and "The Man Who Fooled Houdini," was a leading magician during the Vaudeville era. Many professional and hobbyist magicians study his work to perfect their own technique.
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It's a sleight of hand here mixed with a little misdirection there that makes Robert Lamberti one of Albuquerque's premier magicians.
Lamberti, 46, has been conducting magic shows for more than 20 years and never stops learning new tricks or perfecting his performance. He loves transforming a disbelieving audience by wowing them until smirks turn into smiles and then rounds of applause, he said.
"It's not easy performing," he said. "But that's what I do. It's my job."
And it's a job that local experts say takes years to hone and perfect. But it can also offer a diverse array of opportunities - from being a take-what-you-can-get street magician, to working corporate events for $2,000 an hour.
Lots of hobbyists
Lamberti's tale is a common one among his fellow magicians. He was introduced to magic at the age of 8 and from there he was hooked.
Today, he books some of his own gigs but also works through Good Time Productions, where he performs every Saturday night in a room behind the Magic Juggler Shop at 3205 Central Ave. N.E.
Jerry White, of the Magic Juggler Shop and Good Time Productions, said magic draws an eclectic mix of people - from teenagers to senior citizens. Most magicians are "hobbyists," those who practice magic on the side of their day jobs.
Jeff Corn, 21, is one of those magicians.
As a senior airman at Kirtland Air Force Base, he's pretty serious on the job. But he spends his personal time creating new magic shows like he's done since he was 8, he said.
Corn likes everything to be up close and personal.
"All the stuff that happens in your hands is my favorite stuff to do," he said, adding that card, coin and dice tricks are his specialty.
Working as a magician can be a handy second job, White said.
He has booked magicians that make between $150 to $170 an hour for events like birthday parties. He's also booked full-time magicians for as much as $2,000 an hour.
The higher-paying gigs are usually corporate events. And comedians with experience - White has one that has performed on cable networks A&E and Comedy Central - can often negotiate higher rates.
Street magicians, who may approach people on the street and offer to show them a trick, generally make a little bit less money. Street magicians are most successful at venues where lines to another event can be long and irritating.
At last year's New Mexico State Fair, Corn worked the lines and was able to make about $120 an hour based on the fair's contract with Good Time Productions, White said.
Working an event is considerably easier than the cold street approach, Corn said.
"When you are supposed to be there, that's your in. They know it's your job," he said. "Trying to approach someone randomly is always difficult because they don't know why you're there."
Tricks of the trade
Although magic has gained some mainstream attention in recent years, there isn't one location where someone can go to learn how to become a magician.
Most magicians, like Lamberti and Corn, are self-taught through books, mostly those written by Dai Vernon, a leading magician during the Vaudeville era. Technique DVDs can be purchased online, but most magicians learn from books, they said.
In his writings, Vernon teaches aspiring magicians tricks and techniques. But most importantly, he teaches them to be themselves.
A magician who learns via video is likely to end up mimicking someone else's technique, rather than developing their own, local magicians said.
"The performance is forced," Corn said. "And it's hard to watch."
Evolution of magic
As with every industry, magic has changed over the years.
Men in top hats with rabbits and wand in hand, aided by scantily-clad female assistants are much harder to come by these days, said Diana Enright, past president of the Albuquerque chapter of the Society of American Magicians and a magician herself.
This change has empowered women to gain control of the wand and lead the shows themselves, but they are still in the minority in the male-dominated industry, she said.
As a female magician, it's important to find a niche or an approach that's unique in order to gain a reputation as a competent magician, Enright said.
"Women have to find something to make them different," she said. "Women should not be imitating a man in a tuxedo."
Enright prides herself in being an "edutainer" by creating characters for historical recreations while weaving in her magic.
The key to longevity
Both Enright and Lamberti said a key to their longevity as magicians comes with performing a wide range of acts.
When Enright started, birthday parties used to be about 80 percent of her business.
But these days a magician has to be able to perform at corporate, church, community and charity events like shows at children's hospitals, she said.
Lamberti said that's something he makes sure he makes time for.
No matter how the aspiring magician learns his or her craft, whether it's books, DVDs or hands-on, there's a final rule before induction into the magician's inner-circle is complete.
And it might be the most important.
"Part of magic," Lamberti said, "is keeping the secret."
