‘The Carbonaro Effect’: TruTV Remembers The Days of ‘Candid Camera’ With Magician Michael Carbonaro [INTERVIEW]

At some point in time, television tossed away the good-hearted fun of shows such as Candid Camera and focused more so on pranks and tricks. Some would argue that such an act caused there to be a incredible disconnect between the at-home viewer and the television show itself. But now, truTV is attempting to bring back that feeling of awe with The Carbonaro Effect and magician Michael Carbonaro.

The show, which premiered to outstanding numbers back in May, features Carbonaro as the host / magician who places himself in everyday situations with random, unsuspicious people and then performs baffling tricks for them right before their very eyes.

Carbonaro recently spoke with MStarz about the show, his love of both magic and improv, and how he's hoping to bring back the feel of Candid Camera with his new show.

MStarsNews: The show puts an interesting spin on the whole idea of hidden camera shows. It's very different from the Candid Camera's we've seen in the past. Were you a fan of those growing up?

Michael Carbonaro: Oh my gosh, yes! I might be Candid Camera's number one fan. What I loved about it, which I think we're doing on this show, was the playful non-mean-spirited way it did a hidden camera show. Hidden camera shows took a turn and became just prank shows somewhere in time. What I loved about Allen Funt was the way it was really about watching yourself when you watched the show and how you'd react.

This show is a way to bring magic into a new light and watch the way we as people relate to magic. And the joy is not only in the voyeurism you get from a hidden camera show but also in the way we as human beings watch ourselves believe in the most impossible things.

MS: Is the idea something you had for a while?

MC: Oh yeah! It's funny, there have been magicians who have played with hidden cameras before; I've always been a fan of that. There were magic-related things going on in Candid Camera to a degree. You would watch how people behaved in a bizarre or magical situation.

For me, I wanted to really harness in the idea of utilizing me as a magical persona, but not taking any credit for it. I think that's where it takes a magic show on a total turn. I don't want to be "the magician," I want to be an innocent bystander along with the magical moment.

MS: I know you studied drama in college and then improv, but how long have you been in love with the idea of magic?

MC: I was certain when I was about 10 years old that I was going to be a special effects artist or a make up man. I loved that stuff and pursued it for quite some time, actually. I used to buy make up supplies at magic shops where I grew up in Long Island. Those supplies are always in the same store and I think that's really telling. So, while I was there I started drifting over to the magic section. Magic is really performing special effects live. This show takes that further, it's being able to perform a special effect and create those moments live at the same time.

When you learn magic you're taught the first lesson is you never reveal a secret. In a weird way, when you tell someone that you're a magician, you've already given away a secret. The formula to not be a magician and create the magic forces the person to witness the magic for what it is. Instead of someone pointing at me and saying, how did YOU do that, they're looking at this moment and saying, how did THAT happen?

MS: You've also got a background in improv, right?

MC: I do! I emulated David Copperfield as a kid and I started to mimic his formula. He was the last TV/Magic showman. He'd host evenings. He was funny and would interact with the people. The scenario of a magic show is improv. When you break the fourth wall and interact with the audience you're forced into these impromptu situations where you don't know what's going to happen. The best magicians are the ones who, when someone says something, they go with that. Doing magic that way just opened this improv way and gave me the freedom to be in that moment.

MS: Its almost as if being able to improv on the show is just as important as the magic itself. Being able to be in that moment makes your own it and allows you to experience it as they do.

MC: I agree with you! I think that's totally true; that's the joy of what makes it so much fun too. It brings a richness to it. It's the fun of it!

MS: Why do you think audiences are so attracted to this show?

MC: For one, I think people realize it's for everyone. I get mail from people saying, "Finally something I can watch with my entire family!" For me, I've performed so many family parties and there were always people of all ages in the room. During those shows I'd constantly try to work a kind of comedy and magic that appealed to everyone. I really think that comes out through this show. That's why it's become what it has.