By Youri Wuensch, EDMONTON SUN
Competition? What competition? For illusionist David Copperfield, it's lonely at the top.
When Copperfield asserts that he's the greatest illusionist of our time, it's less a byproduct of braggadocio than it is historical fact.
There never really is more than one magician that is accepted by the public at a time, believe it or not," he explains. "Throughout history, the public really only embraces one magician who is a name performer at the time."
Take that, David Blaine and Mindfreak Criss Angel. Their TV shows and specials will never be a substitute for the stature of a stage show, says Copperfield, but he adds that anything that generates more interest in the craft is welcome.
Take that, David Blaine and Mindfreak Criss Angel. Their TV shows and specials will never be a substitute for the stature of a stage show, says Copperfield, but he adds that anything that generates more interest in the craft is welcome.
In a league of their own were the likes of King of Cards Howard Thurston through to the Blackstones, Sr. and Jr.
Born Ehrich Weisz, the late, great Harry Houdini adopted his stage name in homage of his own heroes, magicians Harry Kellar and Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.
Copperfield chuckles, saying he owes some of his own brand name recognition to Charles Dickens.
He also notes that his handle has become so engrained in pop culture that it's been name-dropped in flicks like Night at the Museum, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Inside Man - and those are just recent examples.
There's nothing magical about Copperfield's work ethic, however. Now 50, he continues performing about 500 shows annually - sometimes as many as four a day.
During the '80s, the excesses of the decade wove their way into his act, when he made objects like a jet airliner and the Statue of Liberty vanish before television audiences.
He's walked through the Great Wall of China, levitated across the Grand Canyon and, in a feat mobster Al Capone could never accomplish, escaped from Alcatraz.
In the '90s, Copperfield and director Francis Ford Coppola even brought illusion to Broadway with their record-breaking show, Dreams and Nightmares.
These days, it's the dreams that most captivate Copperfield. Not his, per se, but those of people in the audience. Such dreams comprise his current tour, An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion.
"Nobody really dreams of pulling a rabbit out of a hat or making the Statue of Liberty disappear, unless they're me," he says with a laugh.
"When Francis and I did Dreams and Nightmares, he wanted all the magic in the show to be based on my personal dreams and nightmares. When that show closed, I took that idea and made it about everyone else's dreams. That's really been my muse for the past 10 years or so. I really talk to the public, asking them, 'If you really wanted to see something, what would it be?' ''
The results are illusions like Reunion, which sees an audience member reunited with a long-lost loved one, and the Lottery, where Copperfield shares a scheme for correctly predicting lottery numbers.
"People also dream about having the perfect car, so I make the perfect car appear, too." he adds, never actually clarifying whether anyone from the audience gets to keep it.
Each illusion's five minutes worth of "oohs," "aahs" and head-scratching also takes at least two year's worth of planning to realize.
If there is a quicker, more mystical solution to putting illusions together, Copperfield would love to hear about it. But if his personal library of some 80,000 books on magic has taught him anything, it's to remain skeptical.
"People who say they have real powers are usually illusionists in their own way," he says.
"That's what Houdini went through in the last years of his life, trying to expose people who claimed to have supernatural powers. I think we do have powers that go beyond what's normally done.
"We have that potential. It's just a hard thing to call up when needed."
Born Ehrich Weisz, the late, great Harry Houdini adopted his stage name in homage of his own heroes, magicians Harry Kellar and Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.
Copperfield chuckles, saying he owes some of his own brand name recognition to Charles Dickens.
He also notes that his handle has become so engrained in pop culture that it's been name-dropped in flicks like Night at the Museum, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Inside Man - and those are just recent examples.
There's nothing magical about Copperfield's work ethic, however. Now 50, he continues performing about 500 shows annually - sometimes as many as four a day.
During the '80s, the excesses of the decade wove their way into his act, when he made objects like a jet airliner and the Statue of Liberty vanish before television audiences.
He's walked through the Great Wall of China, levitated across the Grand Canyon and, in a feat mobster Al Capone could never accomplish, escaped from Alcatraz.
In the '90s, Copperfield and director Francis Ford Coppola even brought illusion to Broadway with their record-breaking show, Dreams and Nightmares.
These days, it's the dreams that most captivate Copperfield. Not his, per se, but those of people in the audience. Such dreams comprise his current tour, An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion.
"Nobody really dreams of pulling a rabbit out of a hat or making the Statue of Liberty disappear, unless they're me," he says with a laugh.
"When Francis and I did Dreams and Nightmares, he wanted all the magic in the show to be based on my personal dreams and nightmares. When that show closed, I took that idea and made it about everyone else's dreams. That's really been my muse for the past 10 years or so. I really talk to the public, asking them, 'If you really wanted to see something, what would it be?' ''
The results are illusions like Reunion, which sees an audience member reunited with a long-lost loved one, and the Lottery, where Copperfield shares a scheme for correctly predicting lottery numbers.
"People also dream about having the perfect car, so I make the perfect car appear, too." he adds, never actually clarifying whether anyone from the audience gets to keep it.
Each illusion's five minutes worth of "oohs," "aahs" and head-scratching also takes at least two year's worth of planning to realize.
If there is a quicker, more mystical solution to putting illusions together, Copperfield would love to hear about it. But if his personal library of some 80,000 books on magic has taught him anything, it's to remain skeptical.
"People who say they have real powers are usually illusionists in their own way," he says.
"That's what Houdini went through in the last years of his life, trying to expose people who claimed to have supernatural powers. I think we do have powers that go beyond what's normally done.
"We have that potential. It's just a hard thing to call up when needed."
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