For over a century the levitation illusion has been a staple of the big-time magic show - so much so that some of the secrets of its performance have become common knowledge. Trust David Copperfield to breathe new, baffling life into the old war-horse by turning levitation into flying, not only around the stage but even within a sealed Plexiglas box.
David Copperfield's latest cavalcade of wonder, Journey of a Lifetime, played the Fox Theatre in St. Louis April 7th - 9th - a fact which, all by itself, makes him unusual if not unique among contemporary illusionists. Because while nearly all of the celebrities in this field are playing Las Vegas and Branson, Copperfield still takes his show out on the road for stops in cities throughout the USA and Canada. It's nice to see that someone is keeping the tradition alive.
Like his last show, Dreams and Nightmares (which played the Fox almost exactly two years ago), Journey is classic Copperfield. Elaborate, flashy illusions alternate with intimate close-up effects, the latter made visible to everyone by a portable video camera. Moments of high drama alternate with inspired silliness. Volunteers from the audience are used frequently. And the whole thing is wrapped up in Copperfield's unique "aw shucks" charisma.
My own experience as a magician in my teen years and beyond has left me with a love of the art and admiration for its better practitioners. I've seen my share of magic shows and I'm occasionally disappointed - but almost never by Copperfield. He continues to provide new and sometimes startling variations on traditional illusions while developing some stunning new effects.
In the former category I'd put his revisionist take on sawing a lady in half. In Copperfield's version it's the magician who is cut in half. Instead of a saw there's a laser beam, and instead of separating his two halves in boxes, Copperfield's apparently free-floating torso holds on to his legs while they walk down the stage. In the "new stuff" category are, among others, an effect in which Copperfield apparently walks into the whirling blades of an industrial fan and is transformed into smoke, only to reappear among the audience seconds later; the seeming teleportation of an audience member to Hoover Dam; and, of course, the much-advertised effect in which 13 randomly-chosen audience members appear to vanish in - literally - a flash.
If I have a criticism of the current show, it's that it relies a bit too much on the big effects and not enough on the minor miracles performed close up in the aisles, and that it also expects us to find Copperfield just a little too amusing. On the other hand, he continues to delight and entertain and this time was generous enough to share the stage with a local magician, whose comedy-oriented act was a genuine crowd pleaser.
Journey of a Lifetime has already moved on to its next and final venue of Rosemont, Illinois, but given the size and enthusiasm of the audience I'd expect Copperfield to come through town again in a year or so. Don't miss him.