Steve�s
road to Las Vegas and prominence began in Worcester, Massachusetts when
he was 6. His parents gave him a Mandrake the Magician magic set, the
bug bit him, and he�s been practicing, inventing and performing magic
ever since. �I grew up watching
Red Skelton, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges, and Jackie Gleason.
I always knew I wanted to be able to entertain people like they did,�
says Steve. Their influence can be seen in Steve�s comedic style and
his ability to effortlessly make people laugh. By the age of 8, Steve
was performing magic at family gatherings, at Boy Scout banquets, school
assemblies, church functions and birthday parties. At 15, he added night
clubs,
state fairs and company parties to the mix.
Steve has enjoyed a remarkably diverse career both in front of and behind
the camera. Today he is considered one of the world�s foremost sleight-of-hand
artists after an illustrious career spanning over 30 years as a multitalented
performer on TV, in top clubs and resorts, cruise ships and such prestigious
venues as Radio City Music Hall. Known professionally as "The Fastest
Hands in the World," Steve befriended some of the legendary greats in
the world of sleight-of-hand magic at an early age and
spent years studying with many of them. Steve comments, �My instruction
came from the truly great sleight-of-hand artists in the world, such
as my friends Tony Slydini, �the Professor" Dai Vernon, and Frank
Garcia. They trained me to make close-up magic the focus of my work.
Everything I do is influenced by them, but none more than Dai Vernon.�
Formerly
the National Business Manager of the Society of American Magicians,
Steve has won numerous awards from the International Brotherhood of
Magicians, the Society of American Magicians, and the National College
Association of America. He was nominated for a magic academy award for
his performance in 1974 at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood,
California where he has been a favorite
performer since 1973.
Steve's career as a magic performer and television personality includes
hundredsof national TV appearances, many of which still live on, with
frequent repeats of his many
episodes on cable all around the globe. Beginning with appearances on
local (Boston) television shows, �Bob Hilton Show,� �Paul Benzaquin
Show,� and �The Sonya Hamlin Show," Steve became a series regular
on popular children�s shows, �Rex Trailer�s
Boomtown,� �Major Mudd,� and a series regular on "Bozo�s Circus�
which led to countless appearances on shows such as such as �Candid
Camera,� �Merv Griffin Show," �Mike Douglas Show," �That�s
Incredible,� �Dick Cavett Show,� �Tonight Show,� �Good Morning America,�
�Evening at the Improv,� �thirtysomething,� and others. He also produced
and starred in �Magic Notebook,� and 26 episodes of the syndicated television
variety series �Magical Mystery Tour.�
Steve has shared the stage with stars such as Bob Hope, Tom Jones, Tony
Orlando, Steve Martin, Rodney Dangerfield, Barbara Mandrell, and Don
Rickles. He has been a regular performer since 1973 in the top resorts
and casinos in Las Vegas, (Las Vegas Hilton, Riviera, Desert Inn, MGM
Grand, Bally�s, and Caesars Palace, as well as Harrah�s
in Lake Tahoe and Caesars in Atlantic City). �I remember playing at
the Thunderbird Hotel and the Sands Hotel, but those hotels are gone
now. Vegas has really changed. Just 3 years ago, I stood on the roof
of Caesars Palace and watched as the Sands got blown away.
Made me feel old!� Currently, Steve has a multi-year contract with Caesars
Palace, where he headlines in the Secret Pagoda Showroom several times
a year.
After studying acting in Hollywood with Lee Strasberg and Larry Parke
for seven years, Steve enjoyed a brief acting career, with dramatic
appearances on �Quincy,� �The Fall Guy,� �Cover Up,� and some best forgotten
plays. In the Troma Studios film, �Monster in the Closet,�
Steve plays the nervous and nosy reporter (Clark Kent) alongside Claude
Atkins, Howard Duff and Henry Gibson.
In addition to his performing career, Steve is a prolific writer, director,
and instructor. He is considered one of the foremost teachers in the
world of magic, having taught thousands of students in public and private
settings. He has lectured on magic for many years in public schools
and on college campuses nationwide, including Ohio State, WPI, Johns
Hopkins and others. He has also conducted lectures at the Magic Castle
(where he just recently completed teaching a course in advanced sleight-of-hand)
and at magic conventions throughout the US. Steve takes great pride
in the fact that several of his students are now full-time performing
magicians. He has also taught magic courses and workshops at seminars
and sales meetings for many Fortune 500 corporations.
On the Hollywood front, Steve has taught magic to many celebrities including
Bonnie Pointer, Dick
Cavett, Joey Bishop, Tim Conway, Didi Conn and Tony Orlando, whom Steve
taught how to perform magic and juggle for his Broadway show, �Barnum.�
Steve has created many
original tricks and routines and written instructional manuals for nearly
200 tricks. In 1972 he opened �Imperial Magic,� a mail order supplier
of magic tricks and books. The following year, Steve opened two magic
shops in his home town of Worcester, Massachusetts and nearby
Shrewsbury. Steve closed the shops in 1977 and moved to California.
(Soon the complete line of Imperial Magic will once again be available;
this time on the Internet at
hatsandrabbits.com)
In 1985 Steve produced �Magic Secrets,� the first instructional magic
video for the general public. This was followed by �Magic Party Show.�
Together these two titles have sold over 150,000 copies to date and
their re-release this year has been met with wild enthusiasm. (Sequels
are in production right now.) Steve is currently completing an entire
line of Magic Instructional Programs for the world�s first global online
magic school,
which can be found on the Internet channel, hatsandrabbits.com.
Steve�s first major stage show engagement was as the opening act for
Chuck Berry, followed by Jose Feliciano, Jimmy Buffet and The Beach
Boys. �I have a very fond memory of opening for the Beach Boys. I�ve
played drums all of my life, and the drummer, Denny Wilson, let me
play his drums for one song during the sound check. I�ll never forget
that.� These shows led to several college tours and performances during
which he entertained audiences of all sizes, including various heads
of state, such as Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Since 1975, Dacri has focused on the corporate world, designing customized
magic presentations for sales meetings and conventions. His first performance
in a trade show booth, for Speidel, was so successful that Speidel hired
Steve for seven more years of performances. Over the years, Steve has
created and built six different shows for Speidel,
one which included the startling appearance of the President in a rocket
ship at their National Sales Meeting. Steve is often called upon in
his role as a magic consultant on television shows, which in the past
have included �TV�s Bloopers and Practical Jokes,� �The New Candid Camera,�
and �That�s Incredible.� Over the years, he has devised special props
and customized sleight-of-hand routines for various sales meetings and
television commercials.
As a writer and director, he has created many memorable TV commercials,
including spots for Diet Coke, Ford, and Mountain Dew. He�s directed
numerous television programs such as �Bounty Hunters,� �Emergency Call,�
and �Magic Notebook,� among others. �I love writing
and creating films and shows as much as I enjoy performing magic,� says
Steve. He is currently directing and producing a film on the life of
his very dear friend, magician Harry Blackstone, Jr., and completing
a documentary on the world�s greatest clowns, a labor of love he has
been developing for over ten years.
Steve wrote and produced the hit theatre production, �Mario & Mary�s
Italian Wedding Comedy," an interactive dinner show that has been
playing for over 5 years to rave reviews in Boston and Florida. The
show was an unprecedented hit, generating over $5 million in ticket
sales in the
first year alone! Hundreds of rave reviews, television and radio interviews,
and feature articles contributed to the popularity of the show, paving
the way for the follow-up dinner show, �Nathan & Nina�s Jewish Italian
Wedding�, an equally funny interactive show that played for over two
years in New England hotel ballrooms. Loved by critics and audiences
alike,
they have already been optioned by a Hollywood film producer for a comedy
movie.
Yet magic will always be Steve's first love and he will always be remembered
for his trademark hands, called �the fastest in the world� by none other
than Regis Philbin. His world famous �Martians� (sponge balls) have
appeared in the hands of thousands of people, from celebrities and sports
figures, to movie stars and presidents. Steve relates, �People always
ask me how the �Martians� routine came about. I was performing on a
children�s TV show (�Romper Room�) and during rehearsal
I performed my sponge balls routine. After the run-through, the director
said he loved the trick, but felt that I shouldn�t say �balls� during
the show. When we went on the air moments later, I just spontaneously
called them �Martians,� and that was that. Now I am known in the magic
community for my Martians routine.�
Steve Dacri has come a long way since Milton Berle praised him on television
(�The best I�ve ever seen�) and Bob Hope called him �my favorite magician.�
He�s one magician who keeps inventing new ways of entertaining audiences.
. . just like magic.