Copperfield to perform magic

David Copperfield will be appearing -- and disappearing -- this evening at the IU Auditorium. \n The world-renowned entertainer will bring his newest act, "PORTAL," for shows at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.\nIn this act, Copperfield selects members of the audience and leaves viewers wondering where they are going. The show can get cut short for some of the audience members, because they will not have time to get back from Timbuktu.\n"In the current show PORTAL, we have an illusion with a deadly scorpion," Copperfield said. "I make 13 audience members disappear from the theater, and I even take one lucky person on a journey to a tropical island somewhere on the planet. The person vanishes right over the heads of the audience."\nCopperfield has mystified the eyes of the world. He has performed for presidents. He began teaching magic classes at New York University by the age of 16. He has made the Statue of Liberty disappear, walked through the Great Wall of China and escaped from Alcatraz.\nStill, he feels his greatest accomplishment has come through "Project Magic," a program that began when Copperfield started talking with a fan. After arranging a meeting when Copperfield was doing a show, he was surprised to find out his amateur magician buddy was in a wheelchair. This is when he realized that magic was an aphrodisiac and had health benefits as well.\n"He had never mentioned to me that he was physically impaired," Copperfield said. "That's because he did not perceive himself that way. Magic, it seemed, had given him great confidence and self-esteem. I decided to explore this with a physical therapist and we came up with 'Project Magic.'" \nThe program is now in over 1,000 hospitals in more than 30 countries worldwide.\n"Stroke victims and those with physical challenges can use magic to improve their manual dexterity and regain sleight of hand," he said. \nFreshman Julia Murcia came to college hoping to see many shows at the IU Auditorium. She received a tip from someone in her Spanish class last semester -- if she signed up to be a volunteer usher, she would be able to see the shows for free. Knowing it would be fiscally impossible to see everything, Murcia figured this to be her gold mine. She had to sign up for at least eight shows, and Copperfield was at the top of her list.\n"It's a tie between Copperfield and Cabaret," Murcia said. "Copperfield might beat it by a small margin. I've seen the specials and always thought they were neat. It's the whole concept of magic. I think magicians are cool. They do stuff that you can't, which you will never be able to figure out."\nMurcia has always been impressed with magic. She saw Copperfield in her home town when she was five. The Cincinnati native has always admired the ability to deceive someone with the sleight of hand.\nIt was an easy decision to bring Copperfield to Bloomington for Douglas Booher, interim general manager at the IU Auditorium. Copperfield's ability to perform and the public demand brought the Auditorium to the decision.\n"Each year one of the things we do is poll the audience," Booher said. "(Copperfield) was an overwhelming favorite on that survey. He is a world-class magician who is incomparable in the world of magic."\nTickets are still available for both shows, with plenty of good seats left, Booher said. \nTickets are available through the IU Auditorium, 855-1103, and Ticketmaster.