Magician Max Major, currently performing his show “Think: an Evening of Mind Reading and Magic” at Living Social, is often told he should go into politics and work some magic in Congress.
“Politicians have a lot of charisma, a lot of personality. The only difference is that I’m very honest about my deception,” Major joked.
Major’s style of magic includes a combination of magic, hypnosis and human psychology. Heavily influenced by audience interaction, each performance is completely different.
“That human element for me is the most fascinating part of my job,” he said. “My job is messing with people – in a fun way – and it is both a constant learning experience and amusing. It will never get boring.”
Having grown up in a small town near Baltimore, he moved closer to D.C. when he began studying at the University of Maryland. As a student, he worked many odd jobs to pay his rent.
“I am a product of this city. Who I am is derived from my time here and my life in this area,” Major said.
Major started his career as a magician when he was 14, performing an hour-long show for a neighbor’s birthday party. He earned $45 and a spot on the front page of the local paper.
After graduating from high school, Major was ready to pursue magic as a profession, but a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland was too tempting to pass up. While simultaneously building a career in magic, Major graduated cum laude from University of Maryland’s business school with multiple job offers. Instead, he decided to give himself one year to pursue a career as a magician.
“At some point you have to take a leap,” Major said. “But if you have an education, you don’t have anything to worry about, because the worst case scenario is that you have the same life you had before.”
He soon established himself as a magician in the world of corporate and special events, at first working other jobs on the side until he could support himself as a magician. All the while, his passion for magic has not wavered.
“I’ve always done exactly what I wanted with my career, but I didn’t always know exactly where it was going to go…magic is my passion, but what form that’s going to take I’m never really sure of,” he said.
Most recently, it has taken the form of stage performances in theatres, a whole new world for Major. Although this venture comes with unique challenges, such as marketing and staging, the thrill of the stage was too hard to resist.
“[My first] theater show was like a light bulb going off, like the first magic trick I ever did and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what I have to do’. Once I did this show on stage, it was like there was no turning back from there,” he said.
Max Major performs “Think: an Evening of Mind Reading and Magic” at LivingSocial on 918 F Street from Sept. 13 through Dec. 29. Tickets and more information at maxmajor.net.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
