The audience at the Jerome Westheimer Center for the Performing Arts will be laughing uproariously when they aren’t struck by amazement on Friday when Michael Misko brings his unique combination of comedy and magic to Ardmore.
Misko said his interest in magic began during childhood.
“My grandfather did a few tricks for me when I was a kid, and that sort of lit the spark,” he said. “It’s actually something I talk about in the show.”
His love of comedy also began at a young age.
“Comedy is just sort of ingrained in my life,” he said. “When I was a kid, I’d watch ‘Home Improvement’ or reruns of ‘Mash’ or ‘Get Smart’ with my dad. So Tim Allen, Alan Alda and Don Adams have a strong contribution to my comedy.”
While Misko has always been involved in magic, the magic led to work in the theater. Then the opportunity came to audition for a show that combined all his talents.
In 2015, Stephen Schwartz, writer of shows such as “Wicked” and “Godspell,” partnered with Princess Cruises for a review of his material called “Magic to do.” The main character of the show is half magician, half musical theater performer.
“My wife and I were living in New York City at the time, and she said I should go audition,” Misko said. “I thought to myself, that can’t be real. Nobody needs that exact combination. But it turns out they did need that combination, and I was cast as the original magician in that show.
“So I was able to create the role. I’m on the cast album, and I did about 250 performances over the course of three years on Princess Cruises.”
He described what the audience can expect from the show this weekend.
“My tagline is ‘magician, comedian, cracker of wise,’” he said. “So it’s comedy forward magic. It will be a lot of laughs, just a little bit of danger (don’t worry about it). It should feel like you’re at a standup comedy show that has magic.”
He also explained his favorite trick to perform.
“I do a trick called the cups and balls that’s 100% sleight of hand,” he said. “It’s the most difficult trick that I can do because it’s all sleight of hand. There’s no gimmick. There’s no trapdoor. My hands are just doing things that you can’t see them do.
“Now I’ve told you exactly how that trick works, and I even tell the audience the same thing before I do it. Even then they still can’t follow.”
Michael Misko will be at the Westheimer Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. Tickets prices range from $17 to $37 and can be purchased online at www.ajwpac.org.
He invited everyone to come to the show for an evening of laughter and the chance to possibly win an amazing prize.
“I might give away a car,” he said. “But then again I might not.”
