Illusionist Antonio Díaz Talks Making History — and Making Magic — with ‘El Mago Pop’ on Broadway (Exclusive)

Antonio Díaz is the highest-grossing European illusionist in the world, with his Netflix shows Magic for Humans and La Gran Illusion broadcast in nearly 200 countries. But for his next trick, he’s about to do something he’s never done before: Broadway.

The 37-year-old Spanish performer, known to audiences worldwide as El Mago Pop, will hit New York City’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre beginning Aug. 17 for a strictly limited two-week engagement of his eponymously named show, El Mago Pop.

It’s the first production ever to come to Broadway from Spain, where Diaz has had the greatest box office success of any other artist across the country over the past five years. More than 2 million theatergoers have been entertained by his unique mixture of close-up magic and unusual “How’d he do that?” spectacular illusions.

Why even Level, the premiere airline brand operating out of Barcelona, did something never done before and wrapped one of its planes with marketing images of the performer to advertise the Broadway run.

Antonio Díaz.

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All of this fanfare might make someone a little nervous. But Díaz is a ball of positive energy and excitement as he speaks with PEOPLE about the experience in his first-ever interview in America.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of going to Broadway,” he says. “So as you can imagine for me, this is very special for me. It will be a life-altering experience. I will remember for the rest of time!”

Díaz fell in love with magic at a young age, looking up to both local magicians and David Copperfield, whom he calls his “biggest inspiration” overall. “Magic taught me that everything is possible,” he says. “When you’re a kid and you have no answer to what is going on, that sensation is amazing. And I fell in love with that and try to give this sensation to other people.”

Antonio Díaz.

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His show, which PEOPLE has the opportunity to see in Barcelona, drives the “nothing is impossible” message home. The 90-minute extravaganza is packed with over-the-top tricks that puzzle and astonish at every turn. It’s fast, funny and fueled by Díaz’s infectious enthusiasm and showmanship.

To get ready for Broadway, Díaz spent months prepping the show in the Branson Magic Theater in Missouri, the largest theater in the state. He purchased the 2,800-seat property in March, four years after acquiring the Teatre Victòria in Barcelona, and will make the space his headquarters in America.

“It’s been very intense,” he says. “We’ve been preparing everything for Broadway, getting the tricks ready for audiences. It’s a lot of work. We’ve had to practice a lot of things. But we are planning our very best, and we are going to surprise.”

Antonio Díaz.

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Getting his tricks together is one thing. But there’s another challenge to bringing El Mago Pop to Broadway for the magician: learning English.

“I have only been speaking English for a few months now. Maybe three, four?” he tells PEOPLE. “I have a great teacher and we’ve been practicing a lot. And I’ve seen every season of Friends like, ten times over. It’s the greatest series ever. But my English in the show is stronger because I have a script. I can practice a lot of the pronunciation.”

As for making history as Spain’s first-ever production — and as the youngest illusionist to perform his own show on Broadway — Díaz still hasn’t quite wrapped his head around that.

“I grew up doing magic tricks. I love performing arts. And for me to be the first Spanish production ever to be here? It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” he says. “It means a lot to me and means the world to me and means a lot for theater in Spain. It’s just an amazing honor. I’m so happy.”

And though his trip to Broadway will be limited this time around, don’t be surprised if Díaz returns in the future. “I would love to try to do a long-term run here,” he says. “We are going to try our best.”

Tickets for El Mago Pop, thru Aug. 27, are on sale now.

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Source: HIS Education