West Pier Magic

Jay outside his theater at 419 O’Farrell Street in San Francisco, | photo from Marrakech website | post by Claudia Kelly

As if by magic from another world, master magician Jay Alexander has appeared on West Pier in his new home. As one of the top international corporate and society entertainers, he has performed for the Rolling Stones, Outside Lands Festival, Giants and 49ers, to name a few. He has sold out local stages at the Throckmorton in Mill Valley and at his own successful Marrakech Magic Theatre in San Francisco where he, along with special guest performers, wows audiences four nights a week.

Big success for a guy who lived amongst and was inspired by the artistic community of the punk rockers on Haight Street in the 80s. In between magic show gigs, he survived using his graphic design skills to make promotional fliers and rock posters for the clubs.

It was in his genes/jeans, as they say, because his great grandfather was a legendary vaudeville performer: the strong man who pulled cars with his hair and tore telephone books to the delight of the circus crowds. In an attic, his discovery of that great grandfather’s trunk filled with magical apparatus and escape illusions inspired his own career in magic. Another early influence was the Choro shows, in Brownsville, Texas, featuring performers from across the border with Mexico. The real carnival ensemble:  fire eaters, midgets and always those tantalizing games of chance to test the bravado of the locals. Conquering an early speech impediment and dyslexia, his magic career started in the second grade with a toy magic kit doing tricks in front of the customers at his mother’s Buster Brown Shoe store. This early showmanship manifested after being rejected for the class play—makes you wonder how many of those clueless teachers have gone on to have their own TED talk as he has!

“How does he do it?” pedestrians squeal outside ATT&T park when he guesses their childhood pet dog names and even their current ATM pin numbers. His special gift of reading people’s minds fuels his passion for connecting with community and he has been generous with contributing to an arts school for autistic kids’ enrichment programs. He reveals that by reading eyes, he can figure out your tell.  See if he can guess your secrets at his Marrekech Magic Theatre, consistently rated the #1 entertainment experience in San Francisco by Trip Advisor and Yelp.