'Tis Always the Season for Magic

Sometimes, when he's really on a roll, it seems the only magic Steve Wallach can’t perform is to assure peace on Earth and eliminate poverty. Though he does transform $20 bills into $100s (but, alas, back again), this illusionist, with international and celebrity credits to his name, has been wowing audiences since his appearance at age 12 on the Bozo the Clown TV show.   

“Magic is not about fooling people,” said Wallach, a resident of the Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood Patch who sometimes performs here, too. Rather than slapping the label "magician" on him, his philosophy if more of an “entertainer” whose medium is magic and mind-reading. Wallach explained that “magic is emotionally touching an audience.” 

If you ask him what it was like to perform for Ice-T, Charles Barkley, Neil Bush, the Beach Boys, Evander Holyfield, Jim Thome or any of the other larger-than-life personalities he's met, Wallach is apt to shift the conversation to his performances for children and adults with disabilities.

He remembers by name, among others, the man with severe autism who volunteered to go up on stage with the magician to help with an effect. Not only did the man speak, he also made eye contact for the first time anyone could remember. Since then, his counselors and therapists have followed up, using the magic begun by Wallach to nurture greater communication, helping the man break out of his social isolation.

Performing magic for audience members who are blind also requires extraordinary connection and talent. Wallach emphasized the need to understand the dynamics of each audience and bring to each performance flexibility and appreciation for the role of all the human senses.

“Magic is not about fooling people. Magic is emotionally touching an audience.”—Steve Wallach

Advancing his goals of serving audiences with special needs means as much to Wallach as entertaining big corporate and celebrity clients—perhaps more. In that sense, he has the soul, if not the resources, of a philanthropist. Wallach hasn’t found his conversations with celebrities to be any more or less special than his connections with other audiences.  Decades of performing have taught him that “every audience is different and unique.  Anything can happen.  Anybody can be there.”

Wallach has performed extensively in Houston and in France, on cruise lines and at exotic resort destinations. A graduate of Penn State, he once considered pursuing a law degree. But his answer to a simple question—where he grew up—might give some insight on why he balked at that idea: “I haven’t grown up,” he said.  

Humor, keen observation, and adaptability are as important as skill when performing illusion, according to Wallach.  He said he still “learns and grows 24/7.”  

When asked how he handles the frequent “un-expecteds” that arise, he quipped, “How does a doctor adjust in the middle of surgery? How does any professional deal with crises that come up?” 

One of the illusions that Wallach loves to watch other masters perform is where the performer and assistant change places while one stands on top of a sealed trunk and the other is locked inside.

Among his own favorites is when he reads the minds of audience members he has never before met. He asks for volunteers to think back to childhood and picture in their minds a place where they felt warm and safe. When they reveal the location of their childhood home, another volunteer reads the note on which Wallach has predicted—accurately—that very address.

Adjusting his performance style to the venue and sponsors, Wallach enjoys stand-up, as well as the more intimate demands of mix-and-mingle. He’s popular at trade shows and parties, responds creatively to the needs of the moment, and typically gets repeat bookings from the same organizations.

“Anticipation” is the hardest part of being an entertainer for Wallach, who is something of a perfectionist. But once he’s in action, he’s in his element. 

Has he always been so gregarious? Actually, Wallach considers himself rather shy and introspective. Yet he’s “curious about people,” and likes to find out what makes them tick. As he’s gotten older, he finds himself increasingly philosophical and spiritual.   

“It’s not about me,” he explains. “It’s about the audience. They want to have a good time. To make that happen, I make sure that they’re fully present in the moment.”