Las Vegas illusionist Franz Harary’s House of Magic celebrates first anniversary in Macau
The ex-pat community in the gaming enclave of Macau has been growing larger each year, and no one city has made such an impact as Las Vegas with an influx of everybody from hotel and gaming executives to entertainers. Everybody from Cirque du Soleil to boxing’s Bob Arum has planted a stake in its phenomenal growth.
Perhaps no one more than Las Vegas magician Franz Harary, who decided to switch his headquarters from our town to the island 40 miles from Hong Kong. He made the biggest bet of more than $50 million to build his own House of Magic.
Now just as Steve Wynn opens his Palace Hotel there and Sheldon Adelson follows in October with Paris and MGM Resorts International next year, Franz is about to celebrate his House of Magic’s first anniversary.
Here’s Franz:
At the start of my career as an illusionist, I set my sights on Las Vegas, but, as the years progressed, I learned a great deal about the realities of the changing entertainment marketplace. For me, the magic word proved to be “Macau.”
Anyone in the biz knows the economic realities of Las Vegas vs. Macau and the gap in earnings between the two. I came to understand that Las Vegas was no longer the target market for my vision, and I formulated a plan that many called audacious. But, having worked on a massive scale as an illusion designer for rock and pop concerts, I understood my niche.
While some people were content to simply re-routine classic magic effects or “borrow” an existing show format, I would need to create something unique and qualified as spectacle. Fortunately, if I have a strength, that’s probably it.
Over the last two decades, I’d brought my brand of spectacle to audiences worldwide with my show MEGA MAGIC. At last count, we’re touring with eight 40-foot sea containers, so I think we might be the largest touring illusion show right now.
Performing globally allowed me to make close friends around the world. My dream was to create a venue where they could experience my magic on the same massive scale they’d seen in my touring shows.
Now, after nearly a decade of planning and an investment of $50 million from Melco Crown, I’m proud to say that my dream has become real. In October, we’ll celebrate the first anniversary of my House of Magic at Studio City, Macau, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.
I’m humbled by the enthusiastic response that’s made it a wildly popular attraction. My goal was to create a totally immersive magical experience. This is my playground where I can share my most innovative work as an illusion designer, including the latest version of MEGA MAGIC comprised of all-original illusions (of my own design) surrounded by breakthrough high-definition LED video walls allowing me to create scenic effects that transport the audience to locations real and imagined.
One of my newest creations involves a huge floating cube and, without giving too much away, it’s the first time a live illusion has been fused with 3D video technology. We’ve created new 3D video tech that will interact on our HD video walls with live illusions onstage. I can’t wait to get it into the show in October!
Of course, there’s much more to The House of Magic than my own show. I’m proud to say some of the biggest names in magic have joined me in our feature showrooms, including Luis de Matos, Mark Kalin & Jinger, Raymond Crowe, Timo Marc, Danny Cole and two-time FISM world champion of magic Shin Lim.
In fact, ever since I officially announced the venue in Italy at FISM (Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques, the world championships of magic), we’ve become something of a gathering place for magicians worldwide. It’s been a nice surprise to discover how the vast group of Asian magicians have bonded with their international counterparts.
There are four theaters at the venue, each themed with a different décor:
* The Majestic Theater is a small, 19th century French art nouveau opera house.
* The Lair is an imaginative blend of medieval architecture surrounded by a magical forest.
* The Mega Magic Theater features future-tech design.
* The illusion laboratory is a Victorian steampunk magic workshop featuring the illusionere, a magician dressed in Victorian costume who entertains guests with strolling, close-up magic.
Their experience concludes with a demonstration of “The Teleporter,” a steampunk-inspired gyroscopic device that magically sends a volunteer into another dimension.
We’re capable of handling 14,000 guests a week with an experience designed to be one continuous illusion from beginning to end. In fact, the entrance is an illusion itself. “The Capsule” is a future-tech device that levitates above a small pool of water. When guests enter the narrow confines of “The Capsule,” they appear (to those watching from the outside) to vanish.
Because Melco Crown had faith in my designs, I was asked to create a mega-illusion that would be on display in the casino 24 hours a day. I call it “The Orb.” Inside a huge, three-story octagonal glass cabinet, a giant, crystal-encrusted ball pulses with laser lights as it floats gently up and down.
I believe that it’s the largest single illusion ever built. It took me two years to design and fabricate requiring 23 sea containers to transport to Macau. It also is the most costly illusion I’ve ever created, topping $7 million.
Designing “The Orb,” MEGA MAGIC and the venue has been the most challenging and satisfying experience of my career. It was a calculated risk that’s paid off handsomely for all involved, and, in our first year, our guest-satisfaction rating has been consistently near 100 percent.
You just need to come see it for yourself!
