Internationally acclaimed magician Franz Harary, quite simply, continues to redefine the art of magic. This year, he will launch "HyperReality," a world tour the likes of which has not been seen in decades. "HyperReality," Harary's showcase of over 30 state-of-the-art illusions, is, in the opinion of Milt Larson, owner and founder of Hollywood's internationally renowned Magic Castle, "the largest traveling illusion show ever. Not since the spectacle era of the 1920's and 30's, with such artists as Keller, Thurston and Dante, has any magician attempted to take on the road a production of this magnitude."

In the history of magic, Franz Harary is truly unique- he is the first world-class magician ever to design and create all of his own illusions, as well as perform them, live, for stadium crowds.

In addition to performing his own magic, Franz Harary has also recently created "mega-magical effects" for superstar Michael Jackson's current "HIStory" World Tour, as well as a mind-boggling illusion featuring the "Houdini" character in the new musical production of "Ragtime." Based on E. L. Doctorow's best-selling 1975 novel, "Ragtime" opened to rave reviews at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto and arrives in Los Angeles in June and New York in December, 1997.

Some of Harary's greatest accomplishments over the past five years include:

1992

* Making an MD-80 airliner "appear" from thin air. This promotional stunt, performed for Reno Airlines in Nevada, appeared extensively on national television in the U.S. and abroad.

1994

* Before a live audience at Spaceport USA, Florida, Franz Harary made NASA's Space Shuttle "disappear." This mega-illusion served as the finale to NBC's "World's Greatest Magic," which became the highest rated NBC television special of the year.

1995

* Franz "TelePorted" a Japanese superstar 500 miles from Osaka to Tokyo, live, for a television special entitled "Franz Harary's Mega Magic." During the same special, he also "vanished" a 52-story skyscraper from the center of Tokyo. This "disappearing" skyscraper stunt has been acknowledged by the international magic community as setting the record for the Largest Illusion ever performed in history!

1997

* Franz Harary "vanished" the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, before a live audience, in broad daylight. This was recorded by the #1 Japanese television network, and later aired as a 2-hour special.

During the fall of 1991, Franz Harary amazed audiences throughout Asia with his unique form of magic. During a promotional visit to Taipei, Franz Harary shut down traffic for eight city blocks as a crowd of 30,000 people witnessed one of his spectacular illusions above a busy intersection. This event was repeated in Indonesia for a record crowd of 47,000. Moving on to Bangkok, Franz Harary mounted the largest live show ever presented in Thailand. Following his ten week engagement headlining in Lake Tahoe, Franz Harary returned to Asia where he received rave reviews and continued to be mobbed in the streets of Hong Kong, Jakarta, Malaysia and Singapore.

Incorporating a life-long love of both music and magic, Franz Harary became well-known throughout his home state of Michigan as an extraordinary young boy who could dazzle crowds with large scale illusions.

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Franz Harary's fascination with magic began in his youth, as did his avid interest in the arts. "I was in plays and productions from elementary school right through college," Harary says. He attended Eastern Michigan University on a classical voice scholarship.

While in the Michigan marching band, Franz Harary convinced the director to let him merge his passions for music and magic by designing illusions as part of the half-time shows. Harary once made the trumpet section vanish from the 20-yard line and also levitated a young lady at mid-field. Since then, his magic has been featured at countless sporting events, including the 1983 Rose Bowl and the 1989 Super Bowl.

However, it was not until he sent a letter and videotape "cold" to superstar Michael Jackson in 1984 that Franz Harary's career sky-rocketed. The material so impressed the singer that a quick meeting was arranged and Franz Harary found himself the designer of all of the illusions Jackson utilized for the famous 1984 "Jackson's Victory Tour." Since working with Jackson, Harary's credits read like a veritable who's who of the music industry. His clients have included Janet Jackson, Alice Cooper, Bobby Brown, M.C. Hammer, Tina Turner, Boyz II Men, and Cher to name some. Franz Harary has single-handedly brought back magic as a viable element in today's concert productions.

As a designer and innovator, Franz Harary is also in constant demand from the corporate world and amusement parks. His illusions have been seen as part of shows in many of the top amusement parks in the world, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Walt Disney World and Euro-Disney.

Corporations regularly call upon Franz Harary to magically bring their message to both the public and their own employees and clients. Honda and Nissan are but a few of the many industrial clients for which Franz Harary has created his spellbinding illusions. In January 1997, Franz Harary made Chevrolet's new Corvette "disappear" before astonished crowds at the Detroit Auto Show and "TelePorting" the vehicle to Los Angeles, where the car and its passenger magically reappeared seconds later.

Since deciding in 1980 to begin performing live himself, Franz Harary has appeared on countless television programs worldwide. In the U.S., Franz Harary's appearances have included "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous," "The Jerry Lewis Telethon," "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee," "E! Entertainment Television," and many others.

More importantly, Franz Harary has also starred in many of his own television specials worldwide, in such countries as Singapore, The Republic of China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. Frsnz Harary's appearance on Indonesia's number one sitcom ("Fan Danu") generated that program's highest ratings in its history. Harary's recent appearance on Japanese television broke all records for ratings in its time slot.

Explaining his unprecedented marriage of magic to rock music, Franz Harary says, "I think MTV's presence has been one of the most important reasons why magic has become such a viable element in rock shows today. Magic can satisfy the public's craving to see the same feats of technology and imagination on stage that artists freely use in their music videos."

As for the future of the art form, Franz Harary, (who has been dubbed the "Digital Doug Henning" by members of the world media), continues to bend it, twist it and change it, developing new principles and bringing the phenomenon to higher levels. "The magical arts have lain virtually unchanged for over 30 years," he says. "It's time to bring them up to the level of sophistication, popularity and acceptance that film, video, music and multi-media now enjoy. I believe that it's up to me to make that happen."