David Copperfield braves "The Deathsaw" in his show,
"Dreams & Nightmares: An Intimate Evening
of Grand Illusion."
Copperfield a wizard
of illusions and
card tricksBy John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinAUDIENCE participation is a familiar part of contemporary magic shows. So are card tricks. Having the entire audience participate in a card trick is something else again. David Copperfield's "Dreams & Nightmares" dazzles with dramatic, big-budget, music-video style illusions, but he's even more impressive with the small stuff.
Want proof that a master magician doesn't need expensive gear to thrill and mystify? Copperfield is it. Everyone in the audience gets a free set of eight cards. One of the cards is not quite like the others. Copperfield tells the audience when to mix up the cards, when to make piles of cards, when to sit on the cards, and when to start counting the cards without looking at them.
He tells the audience when they have reached the special card, then asks everyone who finds that to be true to please stand up. An estimated 99 percent of the crowd stood up on Tuesday.
Copperfield enlists several people as active assistant magicians. Others serve in conventional "check this box" roles. Woe to those who come in late - they will be the butt of some witty and well-aimed barbs. Ditto anyone who tries to dodge their second of fame. A woman on Tuesday claimed her name was "What Can" but Copperfield didn't miss a beat in making the "name" into a punch line.
Drama, comedy, sentiment and style are equal parts of the show. Copperfield demonstrates the card trick he learned from his grandfather while an old family photo shows the two of them together. A story about snow becomes a big show-bizzy finale with an inspirational message.
Video cameras provide close coverage of the smaller "table magic" illusions. Center seating is the best view of the stage, but those down front or on the aisles have the best chance at becoming part of the show.
Copperfield spices the show with topical references to local figures and national events without ever sounding like he's going for cheap laughs. The man's a superstar magician, but he's an accomplished comedian too.
Want big? Copperfield delivers all the smoke and blinding lights any MTV-freak or Vegas-junkie could ask for. He is bloodlessly cut in half, walks through a giant fan, vanishes several times and defies gravity.
During intermission, a video is shown, featuring a recent escape stunt involving fire, great height and a straitjacket. Almost no one took a bathroom break on Tuesday.
Honolulu may recall a highly touted magician who played here a while back. Ponderous pacing. Bulky apparatus. Bristling ego. Mayor Harris face down on a lawn. David Copperfield's "Dreams & Nightmares" ain't that kind of party. Copperfield is the real deal!
Dreams, Nightmares
What: David Copperfield in "Dreams & Nightmares: An Evening of Grand Illusion
