Michael Carbonaro thrives on unpredictability of magic

You never know quite what you are going to get with Michael Carbonaro.

That’s the way he likes it.

From magician to actor to storyteller to host of his own truTV network program “The Carbonaro Effect,” Carbonaro has long been a multifaceted entertainer. Heck, he even admits to often not knowing which of his talents to pursue. But at the age of 13, it started to become a bit clearer, sort of.

“My first love was special makeup affects,” explains Carbonaro, who headlines the Chicago Theatre May 1. “I was certain I was going to be a special affects artist, so I would spend my time hanging out at the counter of these Long Island magic shops for hours and started picking up on tricks and such. My mom was the first one to say that I should do magic for family and friends, and once I did that, I collected quite a following. Heck, I put myself through NYU with that money.”

During his time at NYU, Carbonaro got bit by the acting bug, and while being inspired by the likes superstar magician David Copperfield, the aspiring magic man took a slightly different road, immersing himself in the theater department. In a career-altering appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Carbonaro began to see how he could blend his magic talents with his acting talents.

“I was split between magic and acting at the time, and I still battle with that question,” says Carbonaro, who has starred in shows such as CBS’s “Rush Hour,” HBO’s “The Newsroom,” NBC’s “30 Rock” and TV Land’s “Happily Divorced.” “The first time I harnessed them together was when I was on stage at ‘Jay Leno.’”

These days, Carbonaro finds himself thriving within his new live show and the unpredictability it offers. “People come check out the live show, because let’s face it, magic on TV is wonderful but its suspect because its on TV,” he says. “People want to see it with their own eyes. Plus, there is something so unique and universally special knowing that something might happen at this show that might never happen again. Whether something gets messed up or someone walks in late, it’s those moments that become very special and electrify the show. I tangle myself into a lot of situations during the live show where people ultimately get lost as to what was planned and not planned and what is magic and what is not.”

With his truTV show now in its second season (it airs at 9 p.m on Wednesday nights), Carbonaro seemingly feels cautiously content that he might just be where he was meant to be all of this time. “I can mix magic and comedy and special effects to do something I have only dreamed about,” he says.

Plus, both shows allow him to inspire the kids who now look to him for magical inspiration – the kids that remind him of himself back in the day. “One comment I hear about the Carbonaro show is that it’s a show people can watch with their 3-year-old son and their teenage daughter and their mother,” he says. “The fact that a family all get something from my show pretty much chokes me up.”

“I sit here amazed at the success that happened when I thought it would never happen,” he adds quietly. “And its this that makes me wonder what could be next, whether that’s acting and directing a horror film someday or having a permanent place to perform, kind of like Penn and Teller. I love things that are a little scary and unknown.”

And apparently, so do his fans.

Tricia Despres is a local freelance writer.