Still have to say that that "Portal" vanish was superb! And I got to see it up close and saw the method (I was looking out for it)! Still, beautiful magic! Simple yet mind-blowing!

"Portal" is _much_ better in person than on television -- at least when I saw it. Watching it was one of those moments where I could barely believe I was in the real world. (I had a similar feeling a few years ago when I saw a tornado forming about a mile away . . . astonishment comes from many different things . . . )
Even if some people might know the method and think it's corny and all, I thought it was one of his most beautiful pieces of magic . . .
and I actually liked the story a lot. Without it , it would sort of be like, "Wow, look guys, I'm going to the beach . . . nice sand . . . look! I'm coming back!"
I hope I made my point . . . I love this illusion . . . and I'm glad I'm not clever enough to see through it all . . .

Actually, I thought it played much better on TV. Live, it seemed the methodology was slightly different and slightly less convincing. The overly dramatic "father/son" reunites soap opera thing seemed a bit more appropriate on the boob tube...

I love Copperfield and he was great inspration to me when I first started out. He magic is so much about story. Yes some of it is weak... never seeing snow... being traped in a fire, reuniting a dad with his son... But it works for him and his style. He sells the tickets and loves what he does. I just hope he sticks to what is true to him. The last special with the "shock" like live segments outdoors just really was not him.

I love this fourm where we can all speak our mind. It so educational to here what other people think.

I hear you Ryan... I think I speak for all of us when I say this forum is a really great place!

I was shocked by the appearance of the car. That had the most shock value for me because I didn't know what was coming.

The video portion of portal I thought was weak, as was coming back on stage with a handful of sand. I never figure out anything but I think my wife had the portal video thing figured out by the time we got home.

In general,I'm really turned off by all that parachute cloth everywhere to make stuff appear and disappear. There's got to be a better way.





Aha!!! So he used the Ramsay Subtlety to vanish himself! Now I get it! Or was it the Tenkai Pinch?

Frank

Yep, My girlfriend was also profundly unimpressed by the "video" portion of portal. Right after it was over, she leaned over and made some very astute observations on how it was probably acheived.

Agreed that it's becoming a bit cliched.

fstarsinic.... It was just a Classic Palm! But the actual vanish on Portal was as I said "a great rethinking of an old concept.." Of course the "old concept" is an illusion concept.... you...you.... kidder you!
Btw, DC did a car appearance when you saw him! Dangnammit, he didn't do it at my show. Could ya' give us all here a brief rundown of that car illusion, please? Also, anyone ever tell you, you look like Kurt Russel in that pic?

Flip and fstarsinic, guess we'll just have to settle with paracute cloth for the time being as DC does try to avoid using too many "boxes" if he can help it, imo. You can thank FOX and that Masked Buffoon for that!

My 2 cents!

The Portal vanish is great. Live it is even better than on the TV special. I think the story is OK for this illusion...

I saw him perform this illusion live a few times before the TV special aired, and when I saw it on TV, it was completely different. The illusion was done the same, but seeing it live was much more amazing. I saw it after the show ran also. Unfortunately, the TV special just doesn't do this illusion justice. Watching it happen right in front of you is just superb, and everyone in the audience was speechless. Excellent illusion

Having seen portal live and on tv *twice*, my girlfriend and I agreed that it was much stronger on tv. The corny storyline just seemed to work better there...

I saw him last week, and I agree, the car appearance is spectacular. Two short pillars on stage, audience circles behind the pillars and on the side, and two other audience members crouch and hug the pillars.

Drop cloth over the front, draped for maybe 3-4 seconds, gets pulled away and there's a freakin' car on the pillars! Some 195X convertible.

I didn't see it coming. Nicely done! Copperfield climbs up, opens the car door, gets in... pretends to start the car up, though it's obviously a smoke machine kicking out through the exhaust pipe and recorded engine noise.

Very cool stuff.

Copperfield is great, I just saw him here in sweet home San Diego and the whole show keeps you on the edge of your seat. The question is are the people he takes the pic's plants? If you have seen the show and it is was in a different city E-mail me at themagicquest@mail.com and tell me the main plans names.

Magicquest,

The people who take the pictures during Portal cannot be plants, as the ball is thrown around a number of times in any direction. It would be too risky to have plants during this, b/c it could easily be thrown to anyone. Just letting you think about it

The picture of the people has no reason to need to be done with plants. It is a different picture of different people and drawing each time.

Kevin
http://www.livingillusions.com

Another good point, Kevin. Remember MagicQuest, David does this illusion two times a day, almost 7 days a week. Each show has different people. I can guarantee you this as I have seen him perform this illusion 5 times live. Different people everytime.

Well, not to expose secrets but i did see them switching people out on one illusion. I am stumped on the prediction and the 13 people vanish was really cool to. I still haven't figured out the portal vanish. That vanish was really really well done. I do admit the video thing was really bad. I liked to thing with the duck. All i can say is he is a great show man.

I won't say that he doesn't have plants in his audience, but he doesn't NEED any for the illusion we were discussing.

As far as the father and son reuniting, does anybody remember his earlier T.V. specials?

If you do, you will recall that this is not the first time that DC has used this plot.

In one of his earlier specials, a father and son are reunited magically using the "Magic of David Copperfield" and it is a heart warming tear jerker type of thing.

So, my point is that this plot is not new with David.

Just FYI.

I caught the ball for Portal when David did his show in Birmingham and he told me to give to the nearest adult lady, which was my wife.

Neither of us were plants, but got to say hello to him after the show.