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Miami Herald - Sunday, May 30, 1999
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A magic mix of humor and heart

“ Amazing Adam’ works Beach clubs For Adam Spigel, 23, life as a wandering professional magician is as easy as pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Spigel – who is better known as “Amazing Adam” to the countless nightclub and restaurant patrons for whom he’s performed all over South Florida – Loves to make people laugh.

“ I see the response that I get with the magic, and people do turn around," said Spiegel. “The biggest adults turn into the biggest little kids – you should see their faces – that’s what makes it all worth it, when everyone’s laughing and they look at you with stars in their eyes.”

Originally from Rhode Island and now a resident of Bay Harbour Islands, Spigel first set his sights on becoming a magician when he watched a David Copperfield stage show at age 6.

He was so moved by what he saw; he wrote Copperfield a letter telling him about his own interest in magic.

“ I sent him a picture of me with my little magic hat on,” remembers Spigel. “He sent me back so much information. He didn’t reveal any of his secrets or anything like that, but he got me more interested in pursuing magic.”

From then on, Spigel became dedicated to teaching himself the secrets of magic. He attended small magic workshops and brought an arsenal of magic books and videos. In grammar school, he took magic lessons after class and worked on his own tricks.

“ I kept on doing it though I never thought I was good enough,” said Spigel. “I never really thought I would become a professional.”

Spigel began to seriously pursue magic as a profession about three years ago when he was performing some card tricks for patrons at a bar in Charlotte. N.C., where he had been attending the state university and working toward a degree in Spanish interpretation and communications.

Spigel had originally planned to become a Spanish-language interpreter for the National Basketball Association – a profession that would have allowed him to stay close to another one of his passions – basketball. Things changed when he got his first small break.

“ I was showing some people some stuff – and even though I wasn’t even really good then – a guy handed me a $20 bill when I was done and I thought:' Whoa, this isn’t bad.’ Then I started approaching some restaurants about me entertaining their patrons while they waited for their food.”

It wasn’t long before Spigel got his first job at a popular Charlotte jazz club.

“ I started making some serious bucks while I was in college and I just kept up with it,” Spigel recalls. “ I tried to do the same thing here, but no one would hire me at first – they wouldn’t even give me the time of day. No one would let me show them what I had to offer because their idea of magic was that it’s meant for little kids and they didn’t understand that it’s actually very mature in an immature sort of way.”

Spigel was actually on his way to South Florida for a second interview with a state attorney’s office, which wanted to hire him as an interpreter. Though he did end up with a job offer, he decided against it and stayed in West Palm Beach to pursue his magic. It was during the off-season when many people leave West Palm Beach that Spigel decided to try Miami.

“ I came down here and I never looked back,” said Spigel, now a regular at a handful of Miami Beach clubs and restaurants including Café Tabac, Liquid and Living Room. He’s even performed magic for celebrities like Madonna, Robin Givens, Bill Bellamy and Harrison Ford.

Spigel is know for catching the attention of patrons even when they’re not sitting at the table where he’s performing. In one of his more exciting tricks, patrons watch in surprise as a wallet Spigel picks up from the floor suddenly bursts into flames. During another sleight of hand, he places a small ball into someone’s hand, asks the person to squeeze it hard, then watches the surprised look when the single ball mysteriously turns into three.

Though he admires what Copperfield and other famous magicians do, Spigel has developed his own style.

Instead of counting on big productions, elaborate sets and special effects, he relies more on a quick set of hands, a sense of humor and plenty of personality. To him, it’s all about the presentation.

“ For me. Skill is one thing but all-around presentation is what really makes you successful. In other words, the way you dress, the way you look, even the watch you wear counts because everyone’s looking at hands when you’re performing. My style is to make you laugh while you’re being fooled – so you don’t feel bad about it,” he jokes. “I try to make myself everyone’s buddy and I don’t try to be better than anyone else.”

So what are the magician’s dreams?

There are at least two very big ones. Spigel would someday like to open his own upscale magic theme and entertainment restaurant. He would also like to host his own talk show which would also serve as a talent show for people looking to make it in show business.

His advice for aspiring young magicians:" Be serious about it and go to a magic shop – not the library – to get some books. Also, you have to love it; if you don’t love it then you shouldn’t do it. If you don’t love it then you shouldn’t do it. I really love it, and though I wasn’t really born with the talent, I was born with the passion.”