Wednesday, October 3, 2001
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Wednesday, October 3, 2001 |
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Do you believe in magic
Jasen Chadwick brings Las Vegas to Fayetteville
By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
For Jasen Chadwick, seeing magician David Copperfield as a boy was a magical experience. Chadwick was so amazed at what he saw that he began a lifelong love of magic and illusion and is now a famous magician who has had the chance to work with one of his heroes in the industry. Chadwick brings his bag of tricks to Sams Auditorium this Saturday as a benefit for the Fayette County High School drama department. Chadwick is originally from Griffin, Ga. but has lived in Las Vegas for six years. He started learning magic soon after seeing Copperfield as a boy and got to meet the magician at the age of 12. He has trained ever since the first show and has worked with Copperfield on a number of occasions, including the performance where the Statue of Liberty disappeared. Several of the tricks in his show have been borrowed with permission from Copperfield's show. "People ask me if it is hard to learn magic," Chadwick said in a recent interview. "Is it hard to learn how to play piano? Yes, at first, but you learn it step by step; it's a growing process." Chadwick must have grown quite a bit as an illusionist. He has many top notch tricks to perform at next Saturday's performance, including walking through a solid brass mirror, levitating an assistant 30 feet and vanishing him or her, some mind reading and one really big trick that could net the school $10,000. There will be a packing crate and several pair of handcuffs, a leg iron and 25 feet of chains that the audience will be able to examine in the lobby before the show. Chadwick will escape from the crate and the restraints in a set amount of time or will pay $10,000 to the school. Since moving to Las Vegas, Chadwick has moved up from lounges to the main show rooms of such venues as Caesars Magical Empire and MGM Grand. He would now like to expand on his high school tours. "It's great to be giving something back to the community," said Chadwick. "I was in the drama club in high school and it is fun to show the students what a professional show looks like and how it works." Jasen Chadwick Live: From Las Vegas will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Sams Auditorium. Tickets are $8 and are available at the door or in advance at Fayette County High School. |
