Not everyone who goes to Vegas returns home richer than they left, but Magical John (John Wolfson) said he did just that.
Baldwinsville’s own Magical John went to Las Vegas to study at the McBride Magic & Mystery School, operated by Las Vegas magic headliner Jeff McBride and his teacher, Eugene Burger. While in Vegas, Wolfson not only got to work with McBride and Burger, but also met magic legends Lance Burton, Mac King and Penn and Teller. He also performed some of his favorite tricks in front of the Venetian casino.
“I guess you could say I’ve performed on the Strip in Las Vegas Now,” Wolfson said. “If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is.”
Wolfson was bit by the magic bug 15 years ago after his big sister got bored with her magic kit. After learning a few easy tricks, it became obvious that magic would be more than a phase for Wolfson. By the age of 9, he was being hired for birthday parties and was seeing the very beginnings of what would become his business as ‘Magical John.’
Wolfson’s favorite tricks are the kind that effect people emotionally.
“It’s easy to make people laugh with magic, and I enjoy that. Although, for me, it’s the most meaningful when my magic can touch someone in a way that leaves them with a life memory,” Wolfson said.
Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger are the founders of the McBride Magic and Mystery School. Both were named among the 100 most influential magicians of the 20th century by MAGIC magazine and have won numerous awards between them. They have been teaching magic together since 1987, conducting over a dozen class events each year. Magicians from around the world make their way to the McBride School. In Wolfson’s class alone there were students from five countries. Former students have won awards at every major convention in the US, and even the international championship known as F.I.S.M. For more information, visit magicalwisdom.com.
To learn more about Magical John and where you can see him perform, visit magicaljohn.com.
(From left) Jeff McBride, Magical John (a.k.a. John Wolfson) and Eugene Burger.
