 In the history of magic, Franz
Harary is truly unique -- he is the first world-class magician ever to design
and create all of his own illusions, as well as perform them live before
mesmerized crowds. This was best demonstrated on an NBC-TV special in November,
1994, when Harary vanished the Space Shuttle before a live audience at Kennedy
Space Center. Since the fall of 1991, Harary has been boggling the minds of
audiences throughout Asia where he received rave reviews and was constantly
mobbed in the streets of Hong Kong, Jakarta, Malaysia and Singapore.
Incorporating a life-long love of both music and magic, Harary became well-know
throughout his home state of Michigan as an extraordinary boy who could dazzle
crowds with large scale illusions.
Born and raised in Ann Arbor,
Harary's fascination with magic began in his youth, as did his avid interest in
the arts. "I did plays and productions from elementary school right through
college." Harary says. He Attended eastern Michigan University on a classical
voice and music scholarship. While in the Michigan Marching Band, Harary
convinced the director to let him merge his passions for music and magic by
designing illusions as part of the half-time shows. Harary once made the trumpet
section vanish from the 20 yard line and reappear at the opposite end of the
football field. He also levitated a young lad at mid-field. Since then, his
magic has been featured at countless sporting events including the 1983 Rose
Bowl and the 1989 Super bowl. In 1983 Harary's career skyrocketed when he sent
a videotape "cold" to superstar Michael Jackson. The material so impressed the
singer that a quick meeting was arranged and Harary found himself the designer
of all of the illusions
Jackson utilized for the famous
1984 "Jackson's Victory Tour" Since working with Jackson, Harary's credits have
come to read like a veritable who's who of today's pop music industry. His
clients include Janet Jackson, Alice Cooper, Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, Tina
Turner, Earth, Wind and Fire as well as countless others. Harary has single
handedly brought back magic as a viable element in today's live concert
productions. Since deciding in 1987 to begin performing live himself, Harary
has appeared on television programs worldwide. In the United States, his
appearances have included "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", " Circus of the
Stars, ABC's "Sea World Special" and many others. He has also guest stared on
numerous television specials in Japan, the UK, Belgium, Mexico and Italy. Franz
has starred own his own one hour television specials in Singapore, China,
Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. In Indonesia, he also guest-starred on the #1
sitcom in that country. That episode was the highest rated program ever in the
history of the show.
Explaining his unprecedented
marriage of magic & pop music, Harary says, "I think MTV's presence has been one
of the most important reason why magic has become such a viable element in rock
shows. Magic can satisfy the public's craving to see the same feats of
technology and imagination on stage that artists freely use in their music
videos."As for the future of the art form, Harary continues to bend, twist and
change it, developing new principles and bringing the phenomenon to higher
levels. "The magical arts have lain virtually unchanged for over 30 years." he
says. "It's time to bring them up to the level of sophistication, popularity and
acceptance that film, video and music now enjoy. I believe it's up to me to make
that happen."
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