As part of his tour, world-renowned illusionist David Copperfield will bring An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion to the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, for six performances on April 27 and 28. However, he found the time to answer some questions that Windy City Times e-mailed to him.
Windy City Times: What's the most fundamental rule of magic?
David Copperfield: By the very nature of the art, magicians tend to be a secretive group. Even with my own crew, often times only a portion of the actual illusion is revealed to different people and only then on a need-to-know basis.
I know lots of news was made in recent years about the so-called 'Masked Magician,' who revealed many secrets. That was, in my opinion, another unfortunate decision by the powers that be at Fox—much like the plan for the O.J. Simpson special that was ultimately pulled.
I am fortunate to have the resources to use many methods for my illusions. If someone makes a guess that is in the correct ballpark as to how I perform my magic, I keep the illusion but change the method. But there are thousands of magicians with families who are less fortunate. They are hard-working entertainers who cannot afford to have multiple methods for their illusions. The producers at Fox were putting these people out of work and affecting their families. I hope Fox ultimately realized that what they did was shameful.
WCT: After decades of being an illusionist, what keeps you going?
DC: More than anything, it's the audience participation that keeps things as fresh as ever—I never know what is going to happen with the people who get randomly selected to participate in the show. Often, those are also some of the funniest moments in the evening. Seeing the reactions of my fans keeps me going.
WCT: In the 1990s, you purchased a museum of the conjuring arts. What is the most valuable item in that museum?
DC: One of the most valuable single items was a book dating back to the 15th century. It actually explained how magic was done in an effort to stop the burning of witches at the stake. It wasn't very successful with its mission.
Today, its value is priceless, but I believe at the time the cost was in the six figures.
WCT: Describe your current show.
DC: This entire show is based on making dreams come true. People don't dream of pulling rabbits out of a hat, but they do dream of seeing someone they haven't seen in some time coming back into their lives. I'm not bringing people back from the grave, but I am reuniting people through the art of magic—live on stage—and transporting them to a far away place right in front of the audience's eyes—and hopefully bringing them back safe and sound.
WCT: What would be the ultimate trick?
DC: I had this dream once of making the earth stand still. By that, I mean [ that ] the sun stops moving in the sky and nighttime never manifests itself. Dreams ( and nightmares ) are often a source of inspiration for many of my illusions.
WCT: What feat are you proudest of?
DC: This is Project Magic's 25th anniversary; I am very involved in the foundation. When I started it many years ago, I had correspondence with an individual who showed a great amount of self-esteem in his letters. Finally, after many months, I met him at a show and, to my surprise, he was in a wheelchair. I was a bit taken back only because he had never mentioned it. Then I realized he didn't think of himself as being physically challenged and that his use of magic at home gave him a great amount of self-esteem.
From there, I started a program called Project Magic with an occupational therapist in Los Angeles that is in more than 30 countries around the world and over 1,000 hospitals. The motor coordination required through performance magic gives patients from stroke victims to those with physical imparities a great amount of self-esteem, and it improves their manual dexterity. It is a program I am most proud of.
