If your experience with magic involves a top hat and a live rabbit, or a cutthroat Dungeons & Dragons game, David Copperfield provides the antithesis with his large-scale illusions. His enormous stage shows display shocking feats of implausible wonder.
In this adaptable show, "the theatre space works with his illusions," said Bethany Gauthier, assistant director of marketing at the Miller Auditorium. "He has a crew that comes in and works with our crew."
The current incarnation of trickster, David Copperfield's touring show, "Grand Illusion," runs the gamut from anthropomorphized neck-ties to the revelation of a sure-fire way to predict the lottery.
"He is master of his craft with illusions," Gauthier said. "Highly orchestrated, he just pulls them off and makes it look so easy."
Copperfield's act, "Killer," takes a traditional sleight-of-hand trick and ups the ante by adding a "lethal" black African scorpion into the mix and is noted as "a test not to be tried at home." Described as "close-up magic," this is an opportunity to revel in the sweat beads forming on Copperfield's forehead as he struggles with the flourish of a showman.
"Squeezebox" is an act that rivals computer-generated imagery. In the ultimate feat of illusion, Copperfield's six-foot, one-inch self is mysteriously compressed into a shape tiny enough to fit into a small box.
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David Copperfield:
An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion
Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo May 10, shows at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. $27-$57 millerauditorium.com, (800) 228-9858
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Similar to the well-publicized stunt where he walked through the Great Wall of China, Copperfield replicates the act, but stage-swaps the famed monument for whirling, steel, fan blades. By "floating through solid steel," he asserts that dreams can be made a reality.
A major element of "Grand Illusion" is the attainment of dreams. The production of the show is geared toward the realization of personal dreams. To Copperfield, this translates to winning the lottery or obtaining a prized possession. Incredibly, a major aspect of "Grand Illusion" is the segment where he teaches the audience how to predict the numbers called in that night's national Lottery.
On top of that is Copperfield's most famous illusion, called "Thirteen." He "randomly" selects 13 audience members and makes them disappear. Before chaos erupts, the individuals reappear in random, curious locations throughout the theater.
Gauthier describes it as a "crowd pleasing show," where Copperfield "always has new stuff up his sleeve." How does he do it? While no answers are provided, even the most skeptical malcontents will be amazed at Copperfield and his stage antics.
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hopcatgr.com, (616) 451-4677
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Storytelling Through the Mail: Tall Tale Postcards
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May 14-Sept. 26
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
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kalamazoomuseum.org, (269) 373-7990
This delightful exhibit features visual tall tales in a 4x6 format. The collection of early 20th century postcards are primarily doctored photographs. Artists use juxtaposed images to exaggerate, deceive and entertain. A small girl peddling 30 pound cabbages, or a man dueling with a six foot grasshopper are a few examples. The exhibit includes newspaper cartoons, magazine covers and even taxidermy specimens that convey the spirit of the tall tale.
