El Mago Pop is one of the most important Spanish illusionists in the world. So much so that his shows have crossed borders to reach Broadway itself. His resounding success at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York, one of the most prestigious venues, has boosted his fame to the point of turning this Spaniard into one of the magicians who sells the most tickets worldwide.
However, as he explained this Wednesday to Risto Mejide in Traveling with Chester, he was not aware of all the maelstrom, of the posters swarming everywhere... until he had an accident that almost cost him his life. And all because of a bus that had his face printed on the sides.
A Catalan, Antonio Díaz, with the stage name Mago Pop, is one of the most important references in the world of illusionism. And also with one of the most expensive shows. In fact, as he himself acknowledged in Traveling with Chester, the price of tickets is very high.
It should be remembered that, in August 2023, the Pop Magician made history on Broadway by putting tickets on sale for $350, thus raising a whopping $2,717,000 in the week of his debut. All of this led the Spaniard to not be aware of the scope of his work or what was happening while he lived in New York. It was as if he lived it in the third person, he came to recognize.
“I was so busy immediately that I wasn't aware until I stopped. I was walking through Times Square with the posters everywhere and I didn't look at them because it made me nervous...", the illusionist began by saying. In fact, this was when Mago Pop had an accident in the middle of the castle that could have cost him his life.
“I almost got hit by a bus with my face. And I was super scratched with that…” he revealed to the surprise of Risto Mejide. "You imagine? “Does a bus kill you with your face?” the presenter told him. To which the guest acknowledged how “sad that end of his life would have been.”
And then, the Pop Magician made a second revelation almost as a confession: his emotional state at that moment. “I had a really hard time in New York because of the professional demands he placed on all levels. I went alone, I mean with my team, because I decided not to have partners or investors…” he explained.
“It is a very complex decision-making process. Being in a Broadway theater is a privilege. They choose who is there and it's only 1-2 new artists each year. It is a very closed thing and we had very great pressures,” she said. Because success overwhelmed her, the reality was that behind it there was impressive work and few people around whom she trusted to enjoy it.
