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Magicians with a message

By Ron Brownlow and Noah Buchan
STAFF REPORTERS
Friday, Dec 29, 2006, Page 13

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SPENCERS

All children dream, but few grow up to pursue their dreams with the kind of tena-city that has seen Kevin Spencer become one of the world's most prolific touring magicians.

As a child in the 1970s, he begged his parents for a magic set for more than a year before they bought him one. Early in his professional career he overcame a horrific car accident that left him in a wheelchair and had a doctor warning him he might never walk again. Now, after more than two decades on the road — a time when most magicians would have already "retired" to the comforts of a regular gig in a place like Las Vegas — Spencer keeps touring, because it's what he loves.

"I feel so privileged to do this," said Spencer, who was interviewed by phone from Hong Kong, where he and his wife Cindy were performing their Theatre of Illusion magic show before coming to Taipei for three performances starting tomorrow. "I take it very much as a big responsibility to stand on the stage every night and give the audience the best show that I can. I want them to walk out of there not just having had a good time but to know who we are, to have an idea of the kind of life we live, and to challenge them to not give up on their own personal dreams."

It was exactly two years ago that Kevin and Cindy Spencer, the first woman to be recognized by the International Brotherhood of Musicians, first brought their high-tech Theatre of Illusion to Taipei. Combining dazzling special effects, comedy, choreography, scenery, lighting and music, the Spencers are known for stunts that leave audiences with mouths agape.

But Theatre of Illusion is more than a magic show. Working with some of the leading magic-trick creators and illusion inventors in the business, the Spencers' act is a thrilling roller-coaster ride that sees a woman folded into a 30cm box, cut in half while standing up, and has Kevin Spencer accomplish dangerous feats such as freeing himself from locked chains while submerged inside a tank of water. The duo encourages crowd participation, and their current show includes a mind-reading segment that will involve everyone in the audience.

While many of these tricks are similar to those of great illusionists like David Copperfield, Kevin Spencer said the shows are unique because they reflect different personalities. "David is very much the dramatic sort of magician who likes to pose with the wind blowing through his hair … . I'm pretty much a laid-back sort of performer," Spencer said. "I try to break down that wall between us and the audience. They get to know who I am as a person" and when the show ends with a dramatic underwater escape, "the audience feels that they know me and they have a relationship with me. And they care whether or not I die."

Spencer's career is a good example of what can happen when the separations between performer and audience are broken down. When he was six years old he asked his parents for a magic set after seeing a television show featuring Doug Henning, a Canadian credited with helping revive the magic show as a form of mass entertainment in North America. Spencer, who was small for his age and suffered from asthma, found that his magic tricks gained him the kind of acceptance that other American children attainted through playing sports.

He worked in magic shops to help pay his way through university, but it was seeing Henning perform live during a break from school that turned what he called an "unconscious decision" to pursue magic as a career into a "conscious" plan.

During the show Spencer scribbled a note requesting a meeting with Henning and handed it to an usher, who delivered it and instructed Spencer to wait at the stage door. When Spencer turned up backstage, he saw that lots of other fans were also waiting to meet the entertainer. His hopes were dashed and he was about to leave when the road manager emerged from Henning's room and called Spencer's name.

He spent an hour with Henning, talking about touring with a large show and life on the road. At the end of the meeting Henning told his staff to answer any questions Spencer had. "I'm looking forward to a long relationship with you," Spencer recalled Henning saying. "If it can help you get work don't be afraid to tell people you know me."

Spencer said he probably would not be where he is today if it were not for that meeting. "It was the simple fact that he believed enough in me. He kind of gave me this confidence that you can do anything that you put your mind to." When Spencer returned home he told his parents that he was going to go for it because "I didn't want to be 40 some day and look back and wonder if I was going to make it. If it works that would be really cool. If it doesn't at least I could say that I tried."

The Spencers were named Performing Arts Entertainers of the Year six times by US events programmers — more than any other artist. Their latest tour, which has been in Hong Kong since last Tuesday, includes new material and tricks that were designed especially for the husband-and-wife team. These include walking between the blades of a spinning industrial fan and walking through a wall, the latter a stunt that Houdini introduced in 1914 but gave up after a few performances.

Like their North American shows, the Spencers will end their Taipei performances with an inspirational message, one which was not heard by Hong Kong audiences because their translator there said it would be hard to convey its meaning in Cantonese.

"It's a message that someone shared with us a long time ago," Spencer said. "'Never ever, ever let anyone talk you out of your dreams — because even if you shoot for the moon and you miss, you'll still be among the stars.'"

What: The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion
Where: Novel Hall (新舞臺) at 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
When: Tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
Tickets: NT$600 to NT$2,000 and are available through ERA ticketing, at www.ticket.com.tw

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