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Maritess Zurbano performed a limited engagement in the "Artists of Tomorrow" Series at the West End Theatre in New York City in September 2002. We caught up with her to ask about the semi-autobiographical nature of her show. How did you develop the concept for "Girlie Magic: The Life of a Professional Female Magician"? Everyone always asks me how I got into magic, and how I became one of the world’s few professional female magicians, so I started writing a book of memoirs. The show slowly unravels my experiences and is interspersed with magic tricks. I was actually going to wait until I was old and gray, but after September 11, a friend in the book business encouraged me to write my story while I was cute enough to sell lots of copies. I understand you got your first magic kit for Christmas as a kid growing up in Chicago. Is it true that you watched a lot of magic TV shows in the 70's? I loved watching the Doug Henning magic specials, and I loved magic. I loved the idea of escaping, of having magical powers that could take you away from reality. My mentor, a reknown Vegas magician who taught me just about every trick in the book, says that we are all escape artists, escaping from the idea of death. Some people escape through drugs, alcohol, or television. Others have hobbies or distractions. These are all selfish pursuits, and they leave reality behind. As a magician, I have the power to create a "dreamlike" state, escape reality, and take my audience with me. After leaving a Fine Arts major in Chicago, you packed up your bags to pursue life as a black-jack dealer in Vegas. This is not typical for Asians. How did your family react? My family thought I was nuts, and my dad told me not to do 'you-know-what'. I said, ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about', and he said, ‘You know, no nonsense stuff.’ I was totally perplexed. I still don’t know what he was talking about. I think it's safe to say my family doesn't understand me all that well. They're still warming up to the idea that I've chosen magic as a profession over medicine or law. What does it mean to be an Asian American entertainer? Is it easier or harder to succeed? It is extremely difficult to be an Asian American entertainer. Right now, we don’t have adequate representation in the media other than the usual Asian who appears as the dry cleaner, restaurant owner, mathematician, or liquor store clerk. All the Asians I see in the media are from Asia, or filed neatly away in partitions, such as in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Great movie, and one of the few with a great, starring female role, but everyone stays outside of the US. I'd like to see our version of an "Asian American Idol"
TV show, because there are no pop icons -- rock star, politician,
or soap opera -- that are Asian. I recognize and embrace my ethnic background. It took many years to accomplish this, as I was brought up in a waspy Chicago suburb in the 80’s . In reality, I had a very white-bread upbringing in my community and school. Thank God my parents were active in the Filipino community, and we partied with Filipinos from all over the Chicago area. MORE |
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