Magician Readies To Wow Huntington Crowd

Magician Michael Grandinetti will bring his brand of interactive magic to The Paramount in Huntington on Sunday, April 15.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

It’s not often that people discover their professional passion at a young age, but magician Michael Grandinetti did just that.

Grandinetti got his first magic set for Christmas at age 5 and was hooked.

“From that point on in my life magic was really the driving force,” Grandinetti said. “I’m thankful for that because to find your passion in life at such a young age… as I became an adult I realized how rare that is.”

Grandinetti said that his plan was always to become a professional magician; there was never a plan B. As Grandinetti entered his teenage years and early 20s, he began to seriously figure out a “road map” to achieve his lifelong dream.

In the 20 years since, Grandinetti has performed grand illusions on NBC’s “The World’s Most Dangerous Magic,” at NFL and NBA stadiums and in theaters around the country.

Grandinetti said he loves taking on the challenges that each venue he performs in has to offer. One venue he spotlighted was a football stadium, where no only did he have to wow a crowd of nearly 70,000, but also battle weather conditions and design his show around the fact that he was visible from all the viewpoints around the stadium.

“You have to design the magic so that it’s very effective in those environments,” Grandinetti said.

But it’s not the venue that makes his magical performances worthwhile, he said. It’s the audience.

“Wherever there’s an audience watching magic, and wherever I get to see people be amazed, I enjoy it,” Grandinetti said.

Grandinetti said the show he’s scheduled to perform at The Paramount in Huntington later this month will feature “98-percent interactive magic.” In his years of experience performing live shows, Grandinetti said audiences are most drawn to the interactive pieces.

“It’s going to be a very unique, interactive show,” Grandinetti said. “In a live show you really have the chance to engage the audience, and I’ve really designed this show to pull people directly into the magic.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show on April 15. Tickets are $29.50-$49.50 and available at the box office or Paramountny.com.