VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE

On Saturday, March 20, the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts presents “Virtually Impossible,” a brand-new and spellbinding show by internationally renowned magician Joshua Lozoff — live-streamed via Zoom to watch and participate in from the comfort of home.

From his full stage shows to close-up demonstrations, Lozoff’s performances combine his love for the art of magic with his fascination of psychology and the power of observation and influence. One moment, he’s making drawings come to life just by pointing at them, and in the next, he’s predicting audience members’ choices before they even know themselves.

While he started his career as an actor, appearing in both popular TV shows and movies, he soon grew tired of the lifestyle’s constant stress — of auditions, waiting for callbacks and the future’s uncertainty. “I was looking for something that I had more control over in my life,” he told CBS17 in a 2016 interview. “I still wanted to do something artistic. I wanted to do something that had a connection with people — that made people happy. But something different.”

After 14 years as an actor, Lozoff left Los Angeles to devote his time to service work, volunteering throughout Latin America. It was during this time that Lozoff had a chance encounter with a street magician in Bolivia, and his new passion for magic was born. Soon after, Lozoff began his training, traveling across the globe to study with master magicians full-time. Now, he shares his finely honed craft on stage all around the world.

“I don’t work with a showgirl or a lion or a big box that people levitate in,” he continued in the same interview. “To me, what feels magical is walking right up to somebody and doing something right in their hands or in their mind — combining psychology with slight of hand magic.”

“...we certainly need magic now more than ever, so I’m just doing my part to do it in any medium I can.”

And even though Lozoff’s signature technique is up-close-and personal magic, he’s found a way to make his interactive show work in a pandemicstricken world — his passion for the craft coming through more than ever in the intimate, virtual setting.

In “Virtually Impossible,” Lozoff amazes and amuses his audience — often reading their minds from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The show is designed for all ages and calls upon the audience for participation. In other words, you and your family aren’t simply watching a screen, you’re part of the magic. Using the Zoom app, every audience member has a front-row seat to the action.

“It’s been really interesting,” Lozoff said in a July 2020 interview with WRAL morning news. “When everything first hit in March,I just thought, ‘Well I’ve just gotta shut down for a while.’ And that was really painful in a lot of different ways. But then I started getting opportunities to perform virtually, … and it’s been a challenge — but it’s been really wonderful too. I mean, we certainly need magic now more than ever, so I’m just doing my part to do it in any medium I can.”

Lozoff is a talented speaker, magician, mentalist and former TV and film actor, with a notable recurring role as Gino Tortelli on the TV show “Cheers,” as well as a role in the movie “Clueless.” Tickets for "Virtually Impossible" are on sale now.

“One of the great things about magic is that you really see an interesting side of people, and [sometimes] they have this challenge mentality, where they want to figure it out,” Lozoff told CBS 17. “I feel like my responsibility is to make sure that it feels fun. ... I’m not trying to win something by fooling you, and your job isn’t to try to catch me so that you can win, either. It’s just about us all playing together and experimenting and having a good time.”

To purchase tickets for Joshua Lozoff’s “Virtually Impossible” on Saturday, March 20 ($25 per household plus tax and fees), call the Wortham Center Box Office at 828-257-4530 or visit worthamarts.org.

Joshua Lozoff