John “Magic” Wright fell in love with magic as a teenager and has spent his entire adult life honing his craft. His career as a magician has spanned nearly five decades, including a residency at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. Today, you can see him performing illusions at Magic’s Theater and Museum in Southwest Austin. To produce his shows, Wright collaborates with his children and his wife, Ruth, who serves as his principal stage assistant and can be seen levitating on stage each night.
“What makes a great magician? It’s a God-given gift.”
“I grew up seeing magic and magicians on TV. And, for some reason, I never saw the magic. But when I saw an Afro-American magician performing with a more, say, Motown with rhythm doing magic, it was like it was unbelievable to me.”
“When you first start, it’s very difficult because the art of magic is secret and the tricks have their secrets and they are guarded by the magician. So it’s a slow relationship you have with the magician and you have to convince them that you are serious.”
“My wife runs Magic’s Theater Museum. She puts 200% into the theater. My children, if I’m going to introduce a new allusion to the show, I will show it to each and every one of them and get their take on it. ‘Dad, don’t do it. Oh, dad, I love it.’ Or whatever. So the family is everything.”
