David Copperfield truly is a living legend. And not just because the Library of Congress said so a decade ago. Who else could make the Statue of Liberty disappear, walk through the Great Wall of China or levitate across the Grand Canyon?
Tales of the Impossible & Beyond Imagination
In his 40-plus year career, Copperfield has wowed audiences through stage, television, and even literature. In the mid-90s he teamed with such authors as Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz and Joyce Carol Oates to publish two collections of short fantasy stories. The first was David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible, which was closely followed by David Copperfield’s Beyond Imagination the next year.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” he says. “I’m used to creating things using many mediums at once. On stage I can create an illusion with a story, but that involves lighting, music and magic...that’s a lot of misdirection. However, writing a piece in a book with some of the best fiction writers in the world is especially challenging and very humbling. So my solution was to rewrite the stories many times over until I was comfortable with the final product. Difficult and yet very rewarding at the end of the day. It was truly an honour to be in such great company.”
The International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts
And then there’s the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. “As a hobby, I wanted to give back to the magic world, offering an amazing resource of historical material to those serious about the Art of Magic,” he says. “I wanted to preserve some of the world’s great antiquarian magic and illusion under one roof; so when one giant collection became available over 17 years ago, I bought it all and began my quest for bringing some of the greatest illusions, books, and related art all under one roof at a secret location in the Nevada desert for scholars and other magicians to study and view.
“I have books dating back to the 15th century, as well as Houdini’s baby shoes, in museum style glass cases in an airtight vault complex two stories high,” he continues. “Everything is methodically catalogued, affording me an intimate, firsthand knowledge of all that I have collected. Nothing really surprises me after studying centuries of other magicians’ work.”
A Fresh and Witty Approach to Live Performance
What really seems to make him unique in his field are his wit and charm. Anyone who’s witnessed his live stage show knows that Copperfield has quite the sense of humour (not to mention great taste in music!). “A live performance is completely different from doing a show on television,” he says. “Unlike with TV, in the theatre you’re playing off of constant interaction with the audience; which means that every show is different and I have to constantly stay on my toes.”
Of course, having a duck for a sidekick doesn’t hurt. More specifically, Webster, Copperfield’s longtime stage partner. “He’s ageless,” the magician enthuses. “Plus he quacks me and the audience up on a daily basis.”
Groan if you will...but there’s a reason David Copperfield is one of the world’s highest paid entertainers! He’s been in the industry for decades, and yet still manages to keep things new and exciting. “My show is constantly evolving,” he says. “New tricks are added, old ones are dropped, so it stays fresh. It’s the randomly selected participants from the audience that make it fresh each and every show and also provide some of the best comic relief of the day! I believe that seeing an illusionist in person will beat watching an illusion on a computer screen any day.”
To witness firsthand this legendary illusionist walk through steel, predict lottery numbers and vanish audience members this May, visit Ticketmaster.
What's Next?
So what does one who makes dreams come true dream about? “I have always wanted to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa and even vanish the moon – now THAT will take some work!”
Ramona Zacharias - Ramona has been a freelance writer for ten years, focusing on arts, entertainment and pop culture, with a more recent dabbling in travel. ...
