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Opening with a silk and dove production, Copperfield moves into a superb ZigZag that is painted to resemble a playing card with the young lady's face being that of the queen. Built somewhat differently than the standard ZigZag, it gives the optical effect of having moved the center portion almost twice that normally seen in this illusion. The effect is most startling and really wowed the magicians that dotted the packed house.
The Mutilated Parasol is next, quickly followed by a Sword Cabinet that was the first opportunity the audience had to watch Copperfield move with the grace he acquired in year's of studying ballet and interpretive dancing. The illusion moved very well in terms of presentation and audience appeal. The Chests of Mystery was next and then another dove via the Kardyro dove bag.
Without question, Copperfield presented the finest levitation I've ever witnessed (my opinion is even shared by none other than Dorny, and he's seen them all). The levitation was beautifully done with expert lighting and ideal musical accompaniment. The girl rose as on a cloud and the illusion of suspension was perfect in every respect. Copperfield handled his part with an expertise that is far beyond his years. Wisely, this effect was followed by an intermission; and another trick at this point would have been an anti-climax.
The second half opened with the portal escape with the mentalist and his manager locking up Omar in hopes of stopping his interference in their efforts to fleece the Professor. As they drew the curtain around the portal the magician and the mentalist have changed places. It was fast, clean and left the audience flabbergasted.
A classic of magic found Copperfield doing a fine job with the egg in orange; a previously vanished canary is found within the egg. The young performer again demonstrated his terpsichorean prowess as he masterfully handled the floating cane. In his hands it became
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a example of showmanship and presentation to behold. The Lady in the Drum production was next, followed by the Vanishing Dove Cage. Copperfield again surprised the magicians in the audience by doing about four minutes of card fans, front and back palms, card productions, all done remarkably well by this young New Jersey born necromancer.
The Arabian Tent mystery was done using giant playing cards. A chicken was produced and then one of the girls was transported from one cabinet to another with flash. The show closed with one of the girls stepping into a large cage and being changed into a giant sheepdog.
It was indeed a fine evening of magic. Comments of the audience were favorable toward the magic and seemed to ignore the play itself. Four Chicago reviewers gave high marks to Copperfield and yery low grades to the show itself and the balance of the cast with the exception of Jellison. The program gives Copperfield's thanks to Ed Mi shell, Irv Tannen, Channing Pollack, Al DeLage and Jay Marshall as well as Charles Dickens who created the character that was the performer's namesake. While no mention is made of the manufacturer of the large illusions, the equipment was positively beautiful in terms of appearance and working.
While this show will surely not move on to Broadway, or even tour for that matter, it is doing good business on an indefinite run. Regardless of the longevity of "The Magic Man," there's no doubt we'll hear more of David Copperfield. He has the flair, stage presence and commanding appearance that is the hallmark of the outstanding illusionist.
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