“I have never heard an audience so quiet, even before you got into the very personal details of the story.”
After witnessing 28-year-old magician Michael Webb’s moving performance on Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent, Judge David Walliams made that statement.
Michael has made a name for himself as Magic Mike at weddings, birthday parties, business gatherings, and other events in Canberra and beyond. But ever since he pulled out his first deck of cards and stunned audiences with what happened next, he has wanted to tell a story. A description of “Jack.”
Michael asked judge Alesha Dixon to shuffle a deck of cards on stage before instructing Shane Jacobson to choose any card, sign his name on it, and show the card to the other judges and audience. Then, without recognizing the card, Michael shuffled the autographed card into the deck.
He presented Jack to the curious audience after drawing a jack card from the deck.
He has a beautiful family and lots of friends. “And they think he’s kind of funny, they always think of him as a bit of a joker,” he added, drawing out a joker card.
When he goes out with his pals, they really stay away from him. They name him the king, he said, drawing a king card.
He remarked, “which is kind of ironic because whenever the night ends at the karaoke bar, he’s always the one singing Queen,” as he pulled out a queen card.
Michael continued to pull cards that were directly related to his story as it progressed, such as “full house,” “flush,” and relevant numbers, without looking.
But he would often stop and ask himself, “What’s wrong with me?” even on the happiest of days, such as Christmas or his birthday. as he looked around the house, where family and friends were having a good time. Like, how come I can’t have fun?
The more he thought about this, the worse he felt, and the worse he felt, the more guilty he felt. Suddenly, he would flush with emotion and feel humiliated. Then, what would Jack do? There was a quiet place in the house where he would cry.
According to Michael, it wasn’t until he learned that 3318 Australians had killed themselves in the last year that Jack realized he was far from alone.
“That’s sixty-three people every single week, and for every person that did, another twenty tried to,” he said.
“So, do you know what Jack decided? By sharing my experience today, I hope to help at least one person gather their thoughts. On Australia’s Got Talent, Jack decided to tell his story.
Michael and the judges were crying by this point. Shane whispered, “You’re doing great, buddy.”
Michael continued, “I want all Australians who are really struggling with mental health issues to remember that there can be no rainbow without rain.”
“So I want all Australians to shine bright like a diamond,” he said, removing the identical ace of diamonds card that Shane had earlier signed.
“As you can see, Jack was a 28-year-old man who felt that men of that age should be strong and emotionally indifferent.”
Michael’s performance stunned the judges, who described it as “the perfect act” and “mesmerizing.”
It was really heartwarming. “Seeing something like that was really amazing because I’ve been doing this show for a very long time,” Alesha said.
Despite feeling as like a heavy load had been removed, Michael was thankful for the deck of cards he was holding, saying it “helped give me courage and lower my inhibitions.”
Since 2018, I’ve wanted to share my story anytime I hear horror tales and days like RU OK? I kept thinking, “Maybe I should just do it myself and post it online,” as the day drew near.
When AGT reached out to him after hearing about his achievements in 2019, Michael thought this was his chance.
“It was satisfying to have it completed and broadcast—and broadcast completely at last.”
He, too, was amazed at the answer. Menslink and the Black Dog Institute have asked Michael to re-share Jack’s story with their groups, and he has received hundreds of messages from “strangers” who found him on social media.
One especially powerful one said, “I think I can talk to my friends and family if you can stand up and tell the world your story.” Thank you.
“If this helps one person, that’s a huge win,” Michael said.
“The sheer volume of people reaching out has been overwhelming.”
