When Ran Gafner was seven years old, his grandfather took an ordinary deck of cards, flipped over a few spades, and opened the boy’s eyes to a world of magical trickery.
Today, the 44-year–old Gafner is making his name as one of Israel’s most talented mentalists, and as he returns from the largest international stage for magicians, he aims to share that same childlike wonder he experienced all those years ago.
Performing at the International Federation of Magic Societies (FISM) competition in Turin, Italy, last month, Gafner placed eighth in the mental magic category, with the act he’s been perfecting for years.
“When I started doing tricks for my family and friends, I saw how they reacted, and I fell in love with the moment of their reaction,” Gafner said. “That’s the same feeling that I felt when my grandfather taught me that trick.”
Performing at the FISM is one of the highest honors a magician can be given, Gafner said, explaining that it was when he was chosen to represent Israel at the competition in 2014 and won first place that he began to gain international recognition. In the years that followed, he appeared on many other big-ticket stages in the magic world, such as Penn and Teller: Fool Us in 2017.
“I’m the first Israeli to participate in that show with Penn and Teller – they’re the greatest magicians in the world,” Gafner said. “It was a major landmark in my career.”
He said he was surprised at how many people remembered him from his past performances in Turin.
“People that I performed for five or 10 years ago were saying that they remember stuff from my show and remember me,” he said. “Because it’s like escapism – I’m pulling them out of this crazy world for one hour. It’s suspension of disbelief.”
Gafner recognizes that, as an Israeli, he’s not just representing just himself, but the whole country. It’s become all the more salient after October 7.
“It’s a big honor to represent Israel on the global stage, not just as a performer,” he said. “I carried both the Israeli flag and the yellow ribbon in support of the hostages held by Hamas, which was a small gesture of solidarity.”
Working the crowd
Though many magicians use similar principles to Gafner’s to execute their tricks, it’s the repetition of the routine, both on and off stage, that gets it ready for an audience. For Gafner, most of the work is done in his living room and bathroom mirror.
However, despite all the practice, there’s always room for pre-performance jitters and sometimes even failure.
He recalled the heart-stopping moment years ago when he picked the wrong envelope and tore up a NIS 200 note in front of a live audience.
“As much as it sucks, the most important thing is to make comedy out of those moments,” he said. “My goal is to be down to earth so, if something goes wrong, the audience will still like me.”
Learning how to earn the favor of his audience is a skill that Gafner has been honing since he was a young boy. He began to notice how people reacted and their thought processes through body language, inspiring him to eventually pursue a degree in psychology.
Understanding the psychology behind human interaction plays a vital role in his success as a mentalist, but Gafner also cited the importance of his time studying jazz and music production at Rimon School of Music.
“Music and magic were my first two loves,” he said. “It’s very important in our field to be unique and stand out from the others, so that’s what I try to do with musical mentalism.”
Musical mentalism refers to combining mentalist tactics of intuition, reading body language, and exploring the minds of audience members with music composition.
Gafner’s most viral trick, which he performed on Penn and Teller: Fool Us, involves an audience member selecting a song in their head and randomly handing out musical bells to other audience members. The first audience member is allowed to switch the bells around however they want, but inevitably, the song that rings out matches the one in their mind to a tee.
Though there’s more trickery happening behind the scenes, Gafner respects the age-old rule of a magician never revealing their secrets. When asked how he’s able to pull off such a mind-boggling act, Gafner joked, “If I tell you, I would have to kill you.”
Magic as an escape
Perfecting these routines is Gafner’s day-to-day now, but it wasn’t always that way. After gaining interest in the art when he was seven, he renounced magic of all forms for the years leading up to high school, out of concern that it wasn’t “cool.”
After being drafted as an artillery fighter for the IDF, however, the value of magic as a welcome distraction returned.
“I started doing magic again and fell in love with doing it for my army friends – it drove them crazy,” he smiled. “I didn’t have much time to perform in the field, but when I did, it was amazing.”
Even now, Gafner credits magic as a perfect way to break the ice and meet people. It’s also sure to leave an impression on a new friend.
“Occasionally, someone will still pop out during a show and say, ‘Do you remember me? We were in the army together,’” he said. “Magic was always the best way to communicate and connect with people.”
Gafner has utilized this ability to forge connections in expanding his magic career from only international appearances to performing at corporate events, parties, and other commissions. Sometimes performing multiple times a day, he’s well-respected as a sure-fire way to engage a company community.
Balancing new routines with family priorities
Gafner has essentially perfected his signature routines, including the bell trick, but he’s always looking for spaces to grow as a performer. Utilizing his psychological toolbox and famous stage presence, he’s currently workshopping a new trick involving someone’s chosen guilty pleasure song, pinpointing the memory they’ve associated with it.
“Perfecting a new act can be hard, but I have the ability to make someone think the way I want them to think or act like I want them to act,” Gafner said.
A magical legacy
However, pouring himself into a new routine or career goal, such as the FISM, has posed challenges outside of the performance world for Gafner. Though he tries to balance his magic with his time spent with his wife and two sons, it’s not always easy.
“I feel like I’m not with my boys as much as I wanted to be, especially when I’m traveling abroad or doing performances in the evening,” he added.
The extended family recently accompanied him to Turin for his FISM performance, with the core four family members extending the trip to explore Italy together. Luckily for Gafner, there’s space to blur the lines between career and family, not only with trips like these.
“I think my kids will become magicians and musicians, I hope,” Gafner said. “They want to keep my legacy alive.”
When asked about his plans for the future, Gafner reported that he’s already achieved most of the biggest honors a magician can receive. He hopes to continue supporting his family with the art he loves and return to the FISM in the future.