NEW YORK – Wrapping up a wow show at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, Greek-American magician Criss Angel kept adding to his laurels – honored this year with The Greatest Magic show Of All Time (The Goat) Award from Vanish Magazine – with his show Raw – The Mindfreak Unplugged.

Born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos in Hempstead, Long Island, New York, his late father John owned a restaurant and donut shop but passed away in 1998 and didn’t get to see his son perform on Broadway under the bright lights.

“Angel shared inspirational stories growing up on Long Island, honing and perfecting his craft, and how it took him 18 years to become an overnight success,” wrote Markos Papadatos for The Digital Journal in his review that noted Angel’s mind-bending illusions including razor blade swallowing, the metamorphosis, which he performed in a straightjacket at a lightning-fast rate, his coin routine titled Black Star, teleportation, and crossbow act with a deck of cards.

“Angel closed his set with a spell-binding levitation that left everybody in total awe. Seeing him walk down a still ladder and floating in the air was quite the spectacle,” wrote Papadatos.