He has?been called the greatest?magician of all time. He has walked through the Great Wall of China, flown through the air, and made the Statue of Liberty disappear. Now he?s taking his magic one step further? on a much smaller stage?with his latest show, ?David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion.?
True the title, Copperfield conjures up dreams and fantasies and makes them reality with mind-boggling illusions that never cease to amaze. Imagine if you could win the lottery, travel to your perfect place in the blink of an eye, own your dream car, turn back the hands of time or reunite with a lost loved one. All of these things inexplicably became reality inside the small Hollywood Theater at the MGM Grand Las Vegas as Copperfield worked his magic over the crowd. Copperfield said “Grand Illusion” was partly inspired by one of his grandfather?s unfulfilled wishes, but also on the universal dreams that we all share.
Vrooming his motorcycle across a stage so small he was practically in the audience?s lap, Copperfield?s entrance designated him not just as our entertainer for the evening, but as a part of the crowd. The intimacy promised in the title of his show was certainly evident, and not just because his costume was a casually unbuttoned blue shirt over a white T-shirt. It was because Copperfield involved the audience at every turn, something many magicians might not risk, throwing out Frisbees and beach balls to further demonstrate the pure randomness of it all. This only added to the mystery and amazement of the experience, because how can you control the illusion when your partner has no idea about what?s going on?
With the intimate nature of the show, it was not surprising that “Grand Illusion” demonstrated a toned-down exhibition of Copperfield’s expertise. There were?neither flashy pyrotechnics nor the scantily clad models that are usually associated with Copperfield shows. Instead, he worked on a nearly bare stage with steel construction-like sets. He interacted with his audience, cracking jokes and making trips up the aisles, instead of distancing himself. In short, this was an ordinary guy in jeans on an ordinary stage, entertaining us ordinary people. The acts, however, were anything but.
His grandfather?s dream was realized in the mind-bending routine, ?The Lottery.?? Taking a more personal turn, Copperfield revealed how it was his grandfather?s life-long wish to win the lottery so that he could buy the car of his dreams. Every week he would use the same numbers?from his license plates?to play the game. Using randomly picked audience members to select the winning lottery numbers, Copperfield then revealed a locked and sealed box containing his previously conceived predictions as to what the winning number combination would be. And yes, as you can guess, the numbers chosen by the audience and the numbers inside the box were identical! He then revealed his grandfather?s keepsakes?the license plates?which contained the same numbers as the predictions. Copperfield won the lottery for his grandfather.
The most theatrical piece of the night, “Reunion,” reunited a woman from the audience with her long-lost father on the sandy shores of Perth, Australia. Copperfield increased the drama by unfolding the routine over the course of the night. A video camera set up on a sunny beach waited with several Copperfield assistants, and Copperfield checked in with them sporadically, having them interact with audience members to prove the real-time of what we were watching. When the time came, he and the woman climbed into a box suspended over the audience. The curtains dropped and both were gone, only to show up seconds later on the beach. Father and daughter tearfully ran to each other and Copperfield reappeared in the Hollywood Theater with a handful of sand.
Besides these miraculous feats, the evening also had a few old-fashioned, abra-cadabra gems. In “Killer” two nervous female audience members and one large, lethal African scorpion pulled off the old sleight-of-hand, “this is your card” trick. A more vaudevillian routine with his side-kick Webster, a duck with a fondness for spraying the audience with water, concluded in the adorable fowl being magically transported from one wooden bucket to another. The 90-minute show ended with “Thirteen,” a daring illusion involving audience members. Thirteen?people sat on chairs in a sheet-covered cage?that hovered?over the stage. All were given flashlights to illuminate the inside of the contraption. Copperfield then whipped off the silky cloth and all 13 had disappeared. Seconds later we found them grinning and waving?flashlights and all?from the back of the theater!
With roaming video technicians beaming close-ups onto large and small-screen televisions, it was brain-boggingly impossible to figure out how he managed any of the feats. The real magic must happen for Copperfield in his incredible mind, where all these fantastical acts are created. A biographical film sequence during the performance, listing Copperfield’s achievements as a Guinness World Record holder, noted that each illusion takes about two years to complete from conception to performance. Yet Copperfield remained seemingly down-to-earth the entire performance. Always humorous, the fun-loving and cheeky host concluded the film homage by quipping, ”Eleven world records and 12 bad haircuts.”
“David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion” was an affecting display of magic, a night of humor and amazement with ?how did he do that?!? moments around every corner. Copperfield once again proved himself to be the greatest magician of them all, once again taking the art to new heights. The night will not soon be forgotten. Now if only he could teach me to win the lottery!
Copperfield will continue his magic at the Hollywood Theater in the MGM Grand from November 9 to 29, 2006 and December 21, 2006 to January 3, 2007.
