"How does he do it? How DOES he DO IT???" you keep asking yourself.
But it's sort of like pondering the mysteries of the universe. The more you wonder, the more your thought waves just get all jumbled up.
The best way to watch "The Magic of David Copperfield" is just enjoy it for what it is - incredible entertainment.
Because that, simply, is what it is.
Copperfield is no ordinary magician.
Copperfield's elaborate gear caused some problems for his opening performance Wednesday night at the Capitol Theater. The show, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., didn't actually begin until nearly 6:15. One of his sound crew said that a crew member had been injured earlier, delaying the backstage setup.
Appearing from out of nowhere within what had been a large, empty container, seated atop a revved-up Harley-Davidson, Copperfield apologized for the delay.
He said he had two choices: present a shorter show minus some of the illusions or take the time to make sure everything was in working order and present his complete production.
Copperfield doesn't just pull a few scarves out of a hat or other simple feats of trickery. He lives up to his reputation as the world's greatest illusionist by creating routines that are spellbinding.
With a mix of well-choreographed movement, audience participation and dazzling special effects, Copperfield seduces the audience into an adventure-filled journey through time and space.
An audience member, Tim, is invited up on stage. Copperfield borrows his bright, red necktie. Tim goes back to his seat, the tie goes into a clear, plastic box, then starts performing like a charmed snake. Before he's through, Copperfield has the tie doing the calypso, then joining with a trio of three other ties.
One routine segues immediately into another in rapid-fire succession.
A tiny red box with three long Japanese swords sits atop a table. The swords are sharp. Copperfield removes them, then slowly, methodically, unhinges the sides and top of the box until it's . . . big enough for one of his beautiful young cast members to crawl inside. She's wearing a bright red blouse. Once she's inside, he folds the top and sides of the box until it's . . . tiny again, then re-inserts the three swords. When Copperfield reverses the process (removing the blades, re-enlarging the box) Guess Who steps out. The fetching young lady, now in a WHITE blouse.
Now, logic tells us that she went backstage, changed outfits and sneaked back into the box.
But logic flies out the window when Copperfield performs such feats as:
- Walking through a plate-glass mirror that has been checked out by an audience member.
- Fleeing a high-rise building about to be blown to bits after escaping from a safe with 4-inch thick walls (shown via a video clip just as it was filmed for one of his CBS television specials). He assures the audience that while some skeptics claim his TV shows are nothing more than "camera tricks," they are mounted within full view of an audience.
- For one of his final illusions on stage, he does a real "camera trick" - making a $170,000 CBS television camera (and Andre, its operator), disappear. We know this is a working TV camera, because it's being used to photograph Copperfield right there on stage - until the big-screen TV picture goes poof! - along with the camera and Andre.
- In an embellished throwback to the old "slice 'em, dice 'em" carnival spiel, another young lass is placed inside an oblong box. Three blades are inserted (so far, it looks a lot like several other magicians' tricks, right?) - but then even more blades are shoved into the side of the box, which is then separated, accordion style, into nine smaller boxes. The contraption is then pushed back together, the blades removed - and the attractive lady emerges, still in one piece and unscathed!
- His spectacular "Death Saw" routine is back again, still as awesome as ever. (We won't go into the gory details.)
- And for the dazzling finish, he maneuvers his Harley-Davidson onto a giant hoist, then is elevated high above the stage. The platform falls open, flashing lights are activated and . . . suddenly, out of the semi-darkness, Copperfield reappears in the middle of the auditorium.
How does he do it? Don't ask. Just enjoy.