The Tennessee Performing Arts Center presents an evening with renowned magician David Copperfield Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., as part of its TPAC Presents series.

True to its title, Grand Illusion is the logical, and incredible, evolution of this conjurer’s art. Copperfield’s goal in Grand Illusion is to take your dreams (and maybe a few nightmares) and make them come true using his state of the art wizardry.

“David Copperfield is always a favorite among Nashville audiences,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC’s president and CEO. “It’s been a few years since he’s appeared - and disappeared - at TPAC, so I am sure he’s got a few new tricks up his sleeve. We’re proud that Jackson Hall is a space that can accommodate many diverse types and sizes of productions including Broadway, comedy, concerts and, of course, magic. This will be a truly magical night of awe and wonder.”

“For magic to be relevant,” explains Copperfield, “it has to evolve so it keeps up with, or even surpasses, the best film and theater. I want to base my work on what people really dream about. Most of us don’t dream of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But what affects people is realizing personal dreams--dreams almost everyone shares--that they thought were impossible. In the cinema the audience watches the characters’ dreams come true. In Grand Illusion, the audiences get to watch their dreams come true, live, before their very eyes and in three dimensions; it’s an interactive experience of wish fulfillment. Nothing like it has been done before. Grand Illusion deals with real people who dream of being reunited with a loved one they thought they’d never see again. And making it happen—instantly--in front of three or four thousand people who witness the event and see that it’s real.”

Show highlights include:

REUNION
A member of the audience takes the trip of his or her life. One of the most startling, affecting illusions ever devised, in REUNION a person who has longed for a reconciliation with a loved one realizes their dream. While standing on a crane arm with David suspended over the heads of the audience, the person vanishes impossibly, only to reappear moments later—in the freely selected location of their dreams. From Hackensack to Honolulu, the person’s “dream” location is where they magically arrive. REUNION is an illusion so challenging Copperfield employs proof that would make Johnny Cochran envious.

KILLER  
In one of the show’s “unplugged” moments of pure sleight-of-hand, Copperfield performs “close-up” magic with a lethal black African scorpion. In one of the most original, startling—and dangerous—effects ever, this unforgettable display of sleight-of-hand presents Copperfield with a true challenge to his will and dexterity. A test not to be tried at home.

SHORTSCHANGE has Copperfield stepping, hilariously, into the Victoria’s Secret catalogue, a dream of guys across the world. He persuades two (female) volunteers from the audience to lend him a “personal item of clothing” for a magical exchange David never tires of performing. Perhaps most amazing of all: this is an effect suitable for the whole family. No kidding.

SQUEEZEBOX
Copperfield takes liposuction to a whole new level as the six-foot-one King of Magic gets squeezed into a bite-sized piece that could fit into a Prada shoe box.

THE LOTTERY
Inspired by David’s grandfather’s unfulfilled dream, LOTTERY is an astonishing epic of brain-busters. Copperfield involves the entire audience, and shares his secret technique for predicting the winning numbers of THE LOTTERY.

MAN VERSUS STEEL
David walked through the Great Wall of China. This time, he’ll do it a little slower. Instead of walking, he floats through solid steel, proving that dreams can dissolve barriers.

THIRTEEN
One of Copperfield’s most heavily-requested creations. Thirteen audience members chosen entirely at random vanish, leaving friends and family wondering whether to applaud or put their loved ones’ faces on milk cartons. Their fears are allayed as the thirteen reappear, instantly, in the most surprising of places.

David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion is an affecting, life-changing event that reaches into the audiences’ minds and hearts and takes them on a feast of wish-fulfillment. Displaying his off-the-cuff brand of humor, Copperfield breaks new ground in Grand Illusion and takes his art to a grand yet intimate, personal yet universal dimension for an evening of wonders you’ll never forget.

Tickets for David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion range from $25-45, depending on seat location. For tickets, visit www.tpac.org/copperfield, the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills), or any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 615-255-ARTS (2787). Group discounts for 20 or more are available by calling 615-782-4060.  

Performance date:
February 23; Andrew Jackson Hall
Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)
505 Deaderick Street, Nashville

Performance times:
6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Saturday ONLY