‘Canada’s Got Talent’ magic sells out single night at Storybook Theatre

What is more impressive: sawing a person in half, or reading their mind?

Wonderstruck is a one-man magic and mind-reading show by Canada’s Got Talent finalist Savio Joseph.

“The underlying theme in the show is my discovery of real magic,” Joseph says. “It’s not too deep or philosophical. It’s really meant to be a night of magic, mind reading, hypnosis all in one.”

Joseph says his goal is to give audiences a night where they can “forget about everything else going on in the world and enjoy some awesome magic and feel that sense of wonder themselves.”

Unlike traditional magicians, Joseph doesn’t rely on rabbits, hats, or other huge spectacular props. His performances are built around connection with his audience and their thoughts.

“I focus on two real things. One is like magic of the mind. I love mind reading,” he says. “I’ll go out into people in the audience and kind of just pick up on thoughts and kind of reveal fun things.”

While some moments involve cards, most of Wonderstruck unfolds through interaction.

“There are moments in the show where I walk out into the audience and I’m just looking at people and getting inside their heads,” Joseph says. “All fun stuff. Okay, we’re not going too deep here, but some fun stuff that happens during the show.”

Behind the scenes, Joseph works with a “small but mighty” four-person crew that helps make the impossible look effortless.

“There’s so much that, you know, the audience sees one thing, whereas in reality there might be layers of things happening,” he explains. “But the whole goal of magic is to show you that none of that is existing.”

Even as his productions scale, Joseph keeps his work rooted in authenticity and closeness. “I like to make it feel very organic,” he says. “Like I’m a person you can run into on the street and you will see this kind of magic happen.”

That connection is what first inspired his current style: “When I did my early shows, I had dancers and fire and all this kind of stuff,” he recalls. “But then I’d do close-up magic with a deck of cards or coins, and people would lose their minds. I learned so early on, people want to know that you can do magic with anything.”

Following a preview in London, Ont., Wonderstruck officially kicked off in Vancouver on Nov. 6 before heading east for a 12-city cross-country tour.

It has completely sold out its single-night performance at StoryBook Theatre’s Beddington Arts Centre or Saturday, Nov. 8.