Magician Chris Funk Is Ready to Redefine Wonder

Magician and Illusionist Chris Funk, will present his talents May 20 at the Suffolk Theater.

“The show itself, called ‘Redefining Wonder’ is not your typical magic show,” Funk explained in a recent interview. “So I'm excited for the audience to experience what I've got in store for them.”

As such, Funk said he does not perform the stereotypical acts one would anticipate at a magic performance, such as “birthday party magicians, big grand illusions,” or “weird stuff like Criss Angel or very edgy, crazy stunts like David Blaine.”

Instead, “The America’s Got Talent” alum sets himself apart by presenting his performance with live music, including violin concerto and a guitar loop, combining with his shows his two passions of magic and music. For example, he will play the violin and then do an illusion with the violin itself. Funk also incorporates a live-feed camera and interactive videos to keep the audience engaged.

“My approach isn’t about bringing these big boxes or sequin dresses or anything freaky to the stage,” he said. “It's about taking my audience on a journey, which uses very minimal props. It's more about just all of us, collectively creating the impossible together… and it just leaves them all having a sense of something they can call their own in the show, because of the amount of interaction with the audience in the way that they help the impossible take place.”

Funk also said he does not follow a script, which leads to lots of laughter and surprises.

“I love rolling with what the audience gives me, so there's always a big question mark of what's going to happen,” he said. “What they can expect, I guess, is to have fun, laugh, have their minds blown and just leave there having been taken away from this current world that we're in, and teleported to a place where anything's possible.”

During his show, Funk will bring people up on stage and go into the audience. But audience involvement, like the rest of the show, is random, he said, whether they are giving him information or helping to make selections during an act. In all cases, he notes, he tries to make the participation as fair as possible, as it is the audience who ultimately tells the story of the show and he wants to create several outcomes.

By the end of the show, typically audience members come away with a variety of reactions, according to Funk.

“[There are] a lot of mixed reactions, like I say from laugh out loud to silence but in the way of, ‘I don't know how to respond to what I just saw’ type of a thing,” he said. “And, you know, in a comedic way, I usually address that and we just have fun in that in those moments. It's not going to a concert where you just sit there and watch.”

While Funk has performed all over the world over the course of the last 15 years, this is his first time bringing a show to Suffolk Theater. The magician said he loves touring, wherever his shows may take him, but he especially looks forward to coming to New York.

“I love New York, there's something special about it,” he said. “My brother went to Columbia University, so that was my first experience way back when when I went out to visit him and just explore Manhattan Island and I just fell in love with it. So, when we found out that The Suffolk was gonna be booking, it was a very exciting moment for me to be performing in New York.”

He also appreciates the intimacy of smaller theaters, he said, as they make everyone feel included.

“I love intimate settings,” he said. “So small theaters kind of fit the bill for that because it allows everybody to have a great view of what's going on, and just feel like they're a part of the show, as opposed to sitting up in the nosebleeds at a hockey game where you think you might have seen something, but you're not quite sure. It just allows everyone to f be more a part of what's going on so that we can all experience it together as a collective.”

In addition to his stint on “America’s Got Talent,” Funk has appeared on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and “Masters of Illusion” and Syfy’s “Wizard Wars.” Since his appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” he said that his craft has gotten even stronger, though his performances still incorporate some of the routines he did on the show.

“Having performed thousands of shows since then, [the acts] have refined and I’ve refined myself as a performer and in my opinion, I just present them in a different, more fun, maybe laid back way,” he said.

“Chris Funk: Redefining Wonder” is Saturday, May 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39 to $59 at thesuffolk.com. Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.