Part stand-up comic and part sleight-of-hand artist, Milwaukee-born Ben Seidman will be performing on Saturday, May 2, 9:30 p.m. at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Proceeds from the performance will benefit Hillel Milwaukee.
Seidman recently spoke with Stephanie Wagner, the vice president of communications and strategy for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Selected excerpts from their conversation appear here.
How did you get interested in magic?
When I was 6 years old, someone pulled a coin out of my mom’s ear, and I have been chasing that high ever since.
Magic may seem like a trivial form of entertainment, but having a magical moment — seeing something that’s impossible — can brighten someone’s day in a way that nothing else can. We get stuck in our own heads, so a magical moment can be a beautiful thing even on a subconscious level.
How did you learn to become a magician?
Las Vegas is where some of the best magic happens, so I moved there to learn.
The best magicians are secretive, and understandably so, but I was able to fool some of the right people using techniques I had created. It was the perfect “in” to establish relationships with some of the best sleight-of-hand artists, and a number of them took me under their wings.
Meanwhile I was developing as a performer and learning to improvise in front of an audience. Now, as I focus less on sleight of hand, and more on magic that’s based on psychological misdirection, I have to practice in front of people.
The theme of my show is fate and coincidence. I’m really fascinated by the contrast between people who think things in life happen for a reason and people who think they have free will entirely.
Fate feels like a perfect coincidence. If I can manipulate people into thinking they have free choice when they don’t, I can create a false coincidence. It’s my way of questioning the idea of fate.
Did you have any breaks that helped you get started?
In Las Vegas, I performed in front of Criss Angel [a magician who has often been on prime time television]. He liked my stuff and hired me as a magic consultant to create tricks for his TV show. It was a big creative challenge.
I did it for three seasons and then eventually walked away so I could perform. I ended up creating a show that combined sleight-of-hand and stand-up comedy.
Then a couple of years ago, I was approached by the Travel Channel and co-starred in two TV specials called “Magic Outlaws.” I travelled around the country doing magic with two friends of mine.
That opened some doors, and I just started performing constantly. I’m very, very busy now. I perform at a lot of private parties and corporate events.
You’ve received a lot of recognition for your work. Is there anything that really stands out?
I was nominated for Entertainer of the Year by Princess Cruise Lines. Passengers voted on 730 performers. I was among the top four, and we performed on a special cruise. There were 3,082 people on board, and they voted me Entertainer of the Year. It’s the first time a magician has ever won.
What are your ties to Wisconsin?
I was born on the East Side of Milwaukee, and I went to the Milwaukee Jewish Day School and Shorewood High School. I was involved in theater and acted in plays at First Stage Children’s Theater.
Then I did my first three years of college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and I finished my degree at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. I intentionally decided on a theater degree so I wouldn’t have a backup plan. My parents still live in Milwaukee, and I visit as often as I possibly can.
How does Judaism fit into your life today?
MJDS gave me a strong Jewish foundation. Today I’m certainly more culturally Jewish than I am religiously Jewish.
There are a few things I still practice on my own, but for me Judaism is a system of morals and a cultural background. I think it does inform who I am as a person even though I only go to temple from time to time. The sense of community has always been important to me.
Why do you think so many Jews are involved in comedy?
There are whole books written about that. Some people think it’s because Jews have gone through such hard times. That might have had something to do with it early on but not nowadays.
I had a really great, stable upbringing. I didn’t face any significant anti-Semitism. I’m not doing comedy from a place of pain. I just fell in love with creating magical moments in people’s lives.
Who has had an influence on your career?
I’ve been influenced by Penn & Teller, Ricky Jay and Tim Catlett. Tim was involved in theater in Milwaukee, and he was my first magic teacher.
I’ve also been influenced by Willy Dintenfass. He has been my best friend since I was a kid. We went to MJDS together, and he still lives in Milwaukee. Growing up, Willy was the funniest person I knew, and I think his comedic sensibility influenced me in a way. We played in a band together in high school. He still plays music, writes songs and goes on tour.
Now that I live in Los Angeles, I’ve received some positive feedback from creative people I admire like the film director Werner Herzog. I got to hang out with Herzog for half-an-hour after a show.
We talked about magic and film. It was unbelievable. Talking about the creative process with people who are very creative but don’t do magic is really fascinating and motivating to me.
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