THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606060198
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: 78 lines
THE RAIN had me down last Monday. Then I talked to Michael Stoffel, and things immediately got better.
Stoffel is ``Magic Mike,'' a local children's entertainer. For 10 years now, the 45-year-old has mesmerized young audiences with his mixture of magic, mime and music. He's played outdoor festivals, schools, hospitals, churches and birthday parties.
``Back when I was a kid,'' Stoffel said, ``a magician came to our school. I wanted to be his assistant. But he never picked me. I swore that day that I would one day be a magician.''
After graduating from high school in East Liverpool, Ohio, Stoffel joined the army, which included a tour in Vietnam.
``I saw a lot of deprived children there,'' he said. ``I knew then that being a magician would not be enough. I wanted to make children laugh.''
After his discharge, Stoffel returned to East Liverpool and took a job with a chemical company. When the company shut down 14 years ago, he moved his wife and two children to the Outer Banks.
``We had been here once,'' he said. ``It seemed like a nice place to live.''
Stoffel learned a trade: He became a plumber. But he was still thinking of that boy in Ohio who vowed to be a magician, and of that young soldier in Vietnam who saw so many sad faces.
``I found a magic shop in Norfolk,'' he recalled. ``I learned a few card and coin tricks. At first I did the tricks on my friends, but eventually I did a little show for some kids.''
``But I decided if I was going to entertain people, I needed to do more than magic.''
He attended a clown convention and learned the art of clowning and clown makeup. Along the way, he learned to build balloon animals.
``Children love balloons so much,'' he said.
Today, Stoffel incorporates all of his skills into shows ranging from 15 minutes to two hours.
What do you see? Magic Mike does paper tricks, funny faces, goofy songs and silent skits. One of his best involves a mosquito, complete with the buzz, that he captures under a hat only to have it escape again to pester him some more.
The magic man also pulls a rabbit out of a hat. Well, sort of.
``I'm allergic to real rabbits,'' Stoffel said. ``So I use a rabbit puppet. His name is Harey the Great.
``The children are involved. I have them say magic words like `purple puppy chow.' ''
Don't be surprised to see Magic Mike in a couple of different clown costumes or wearing windshield wiper glasses. And don't let the funny face fool you - Magic Mike's message is sometimes serious.
``I do things that are uplifting,'' Stoffel said. ``Sometimes I quote from the scriptures. I tell my audience to always say their prayers.''
Although Stoffel is a paid performer, he's taken the Magic Mike act to charity events such as the March of Dimes Walkathon, the Special Olympics and the Dare County Hospice Ball. He also handed out 2,000 seedlings, donated by the North Carolina Forest Service, to kindergarten and first-grade students to plant.
``We get more oxygen,'' he said.
The Magic Mike show is a work in progress. Stoffel recently hired Don Ray Wornstaff as his booking agent and manager.
``We're adding more audio,'' Wornstaff said. ``But really he doesn't need much. He has this special thing with kids. There's an instant communication.''
Stoffel said he may eventually give up the day job to concentrate on Magic Mike. But for now, he's just happy to be doing what he's always dreamed of doing.
``Red Skelton said it. `Everytime someone smiles, they forget about today's troubles.' So if someone smiles, I'm doing my job,'' Stoffel said.
Hey look Mike, I'm smiling. MEMO: Magic Mike appears every Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at the Sunset
Festival at Pirate's Cove in Manteo. For booking information, call First
Class Talent Associates at 441-1991 or (800) 546-7625. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Michael Stoffel, as ``Magic Mike,'' has mesmerized audiences with
his mixture of magic, mime and music. by CNB