The magic is back on the small screen

If viewers think the magic’s gone from local television, then they should think again. Erik Mana, the country’s most prolific magician today, is coming back to the small screen to bring all that magic back. He’s starring in a two-part TV special dubbed Mastermind: The Magik of Erik Mana, which airs its second part on Nov. 18 on ABS-CBN 2.

Not until Erik Mana came along, viewers had to content themselves with fictional TV shows, from Bewitched and Charmed to the occasional local TV sitcoms that were oftentimes unmemorable. But Mana’s back and ABS-CBN’s got him.

Produced by EMC Productions, which Mana and his manager Solomon Cu both head, Mastermind will be their third TV project. Just two years ago, Mana hosted the successful magic series Naks, which aired on GMA 7 for an entire season. The following year, he starred in Stranger: The Magic of Erik Mana, a one-hour TV special that aired on Studio 23.

Mana said Mastermind will follow the format of Stranger. Again, he’s playing the man on the streets, approaching strangers and surprising and delighting them with his unique magic tricks. The difference is Mastermind is going to be "darker" in tone. It’s not going to be as light-hearted and bright this time around as Mastermind explores the mysterious and involves a bit of the supernatural.

"It’s not just the usual card tricks this time," he said. "There’s going to be a Gothic feel to it. The focus will be on the occult, superstition and the supernatural. We’ll delve into ghost stories and there’s going to be a special tribute to that Japanese horror classic, Ring. This segment promises to be scary as it will also involve a videotape. That’s about all I can say about it. You’ll have to see the show to see what’s in store!" said Mana coyly.

Mastermind will also feature hypnosis or mind control. Mana always has a deck of cards with him and he never fails to leave people bewildered with what he can do with the cards. As he did in the first special, he’s going to amaze a lot of people as he goes around the streets of the city. As he stressed, he’s bringing card tricks beyond the usual guessing game. He won’t be playing the psychic in this show; instead, he’s going to turn a number of "muggles" into expert psychics who can guess the suit of a closed card. How does he do this? The answer is simple: he controls your mind and turns you into the magician!

Mana recalls having done this to a woman he approached. Upon discovering that she’s guessed all the cards right, she was so astonished she slapped the magician on the face! "Slapped in a very affectionate way," he stressed.

"Hypnosis is much more sophisticated now. Hypnosis can even cure cigarette addiction but for up to a certain time only. A number of chain smokers keep wanting to see me just to continue the hypnosis," he laughed.

Although the occult figures prominently in Mastermind, Mana assures the special doesn’t involve black magic or witchcraft. "That’s much too dangerous," he explained. "Black magic is used to cause harm or curse people. It’s the same with witchcraft. I would never try black magic and it will never be featured in any of my shows."

Mana’s success in TV may be attributed to his amiable personality. He’s only 33 years young and he looks approachable. He doesn’t wear the flamboyant costumes of the magicians of yore and his presentation is free of gimmickry, campy emoting and visual effects. The result: Mana is a magician who looks human and real (and gorgeous to some, too!) which makes his magic simultaneously more realistic and wondrous.

His passion for magic started when he was just seven when he was growing up in Toronto, Canada. He idolized Doug Henning and David Copperfield and he decided to be a magician when he was about to finish high school. "I apprenticed with several established magicians. But with magic, they could only guide and give advice. It’s really all up to the person to master the magic," he pointed out.

"If there had been a school for wizards, I would have signed up for it. If anyone opened up one now, I’d still go and study!" said Mana, who admits to be a fan of the Harry Potter books.

He then headlined Toronto’s popular comedy bars, nightclubs, college campuses and corporate shows but he decided to base himself in Manila when he made homecoming in 2001. "There was a dearth of magicians and here I was, all too excited and happy to fill in that void," he said.

With Mastermind, the void in magic shows on TV has certainly been filled. And Mana’s not just about to perform his magic tricks, he’s bent on turning the "muggles" among us into bona fide wizards.