Copperfield: Hammier than Porky PigInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

The Stuart Treasure Coast Post said it, we didn't.

"He's flamboyant, he's over the top, he's hammier than Porky Pig. But there's no denying that David Copperfield is one of the most popular entertainers in America.

The master illusionist's never-ending tour visits West Palm Beach, Sunrise and Orlando this week, and it'll be the usual crowd-pleasing combination of Vegas-style theatrics, jaw-dropping illusions and sleight of hand on a massive scale.

Mr. Copperfield has scheduled a very quick trip through the Sunshine State and as we have always noted, he does great advance work.

Q. You've always referred to yourself as an illusionist. Strictly speaking, what's the difference between illusion and magic?

A. Well, if you call yourself an illusionist, you get paid 20 percent more!

Q. Can you talk about your fascination with Broadway shows, and how that influenced the way you wanted to reach an audience?

A. A live performance is like no other: It's real, if
something goes wrong it goes wrong. I love to see the reaction of
people. I personally love my connection with the audience. When I was a
teenager I used to take the bus into NYC from my home in Metuchen,
N.J., just to catch the second act of every show on Broadway. I had no
money to buy a ticket and after intermission I would walk into the
theater with all the other patrons and find an empty seat. I've
probably seen more second acts than just about any one else I know!

Q. You change things up every time out. Is this as much for you —
to keep from getting bored with the material — as for the returning
audience?

A. I do over 500 show a year and never get bored, because
every show elicits a different reaction from the audience and each new
audience member I bring onstage makes it all very fresh and unexpected.

Q. I've always assumed the big spectaculars — walking through the
Great Wall of China, making the Statue of Liberty vanish — were the
things that you, personally, got the most out of. Do you like a good
combination of big and not-so?

A. My audiences seem equally divided, between those that
like the small, intimate close-up magic, and those that prefer the
grand illusions that you refer to. Personally, I like to perform both,
and hence the show is a fairly equal balance of the two.

Q. You've mentioned before that you lose your sense of wonder as
the technology behind the illusions becomes second nature. What sorts
of things give you that sense, in life, onstage or wherever, these days?

A. Movie-going is still one of my favorite pastimes, and I
have delighted when I get so lost in the story by what is happening on
the screen — it's a special treat when the director has worked HIS
cinematic "magic" on me!

Q. So why the name David Copperfield?

A. David Seth Kotkin was my birth name. "Copperfield" was
suggested by a writer friend of mine at the beginning of my career. I
have done well by it — however, I will always have to share it with the
Dickens novel.

Check out the full article at the Treasure Coast Post here.