Tip-Off
David Copperfield plans Hawai'i performances
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
David Copperfield, who makes people and things vanish, will reappear in Hawai'i Aug. 18 through 26 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Over nine days, he will do an unprecedented 12 performances, including weekend matinees. If sales warrant, it's possible that more shows will be added.
Dubbed "our era's giant of magic," Copperfield, 44, brings his latest show, "Portal," to the concert stage, demonstrating his uncanny ability to transport himself from the theater to another side of the planet. He attempted this on his last TV special earlier this year, when he "left" New York and "appeared" on the North Shore of O'ahu, in a sequence difficult to explain.
David Copperfield will be performing Aug.18 through 26 at Blaisdell Concert Hall
The technique is called a "portal," as in gateway, in which Copperfield takes distinctive mementos, including signed and dated Polaroid photographs of the audience, and selects a member from his audience to join him in the seemingly impossible journey.
The groundbreaking illusion is repeated in the finale of his latest show, when 13 members of the crowd, chosen at random, vanish in a fiery blast. Some reappear miles away; some don't come back.
Copperfield also risked death in his April TV special, "Tornado of Fire," in which he stood in the middle of a man-made fire, surrounded by tornado-power winds of 140 mph, surviving to tell of the dangers of that feat.
Copperfield has redefined the magic of his sleight-of-hand artistry and expanded the horizons and boundaries of his craft. Over the years, he has played to sellout audiences on Broadway, walked through the Great Wall of China, survived a plunge over Niagara Falls, made the Statue of Liberty disappear and escaped from Alcatraz and freeing himself from a straightjacket while suspended from a burning rope.
He has won dozens of Tony Awards for his 20 TV specials and has twice been named Entertainer of the Year. He is the lone magician honored with his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. His last Island appearances were in 1998; veteran show-goers remember when he launched his professional career, at age 19, at C'est Si Bon supperclub at the Pagoda Hotel, winning many friends and fans for life.
Playdates: 8 p.m. Aug. 18; 5 and 8 p.m. Aug. 19; 8 p.m. Aug. 20 through 24; 5 and 8 p.m. Aug. 25 and 26.
Tickets: $85 and $50 for evening performances, $70 and $55 for matinees. There are $5 discounts for children 12 and under, people 62 and older and military personnel with ID, exclusive of Saturday evening performances; on sale at 9 a.m. this Saturday at the box office and Ticket Plus locations, including Foodland, Sack 'N Save and military locations.
Reservations: 526-4400; 10 percent discount for group sales of 15 or more, at 732-7733.
Sponsors include The Honolulu Advertiser, KGMB-TV and KSSK Radio.
