Denise Truscello
Mat Franco has started weekly live magic shows on Facebook.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 | 10 a.m.
Linq Las Vegas headlining magician Mat Franco was one of the first Strip entertainers to go online during the shutdown and perform live for his fans and followers on social media. That dexterity comes as no surprise to anyone who’s seen his “Magic Reinvented Nightly” production at the Mat Franco Theater, where he’s performed more than 1,500 shows over the past five years and recently signed on for another five.
The 31-year-old Rhode Island native talks about his act and his Wednesday night Facebook Live shows on the new episode of the Sun on the Strip podcast.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time practicing at home anyway, so I might as well put the camera on and be able to share that way,” he says. “I did the first one completely on a whim. I think I announced it three hours ahead of time and just used my phone propped up on a pile of books.”
Audience interaction is a huge part of his show at the Linq and he’s still in the process of adapting his close-up magic performance for the web. “I’m still able to connect. That’s the whole point of the internet, that we can still connect with each other and have that give and take, and I can still share magic and get that response. It’s kind of cool in a way because it’s really pushing me beyond my comfort zone. This is not something I’m used to doing.”
Franco’s philosophy on evolving as a performer is focused around learning. He said one of his favorite parts of his chosen vocation is improving his ability to improvise, a skill that certainly comes in handy under the current circumstances. Reacting to his audience in the showroom keeps his performance fresh every night for everyone involved.
“The more shows I do, the more jazz it becomes,” he says. “That’s the other cool thing about doing it online, too. I don’t have a production [team] around me like at the show at the Linq, so there’s a whole lot of jazz and responding to live comments in real time and taking requests. There are all sorts of things you can apply from the stage show to doing it on the internet.”
Listen to this and more on the Sun on the Strip, also available at Apple Podcasts.
