In the 1990s, Polish Television broadcast breathtaking shows starring David Copperfield. The illusionist performed out-of-this-world tricks, appeared and disappeared, freed everyone from trouble, even underwater with no access to air. However, the 1990s passed, and everything became quiet about David Copperfield in Poland. He himself stopped appearing on television and devoted himself to consuming the millions of dollars he had earned. But before this happened, he did several tricks that were talked about all over the Earth.
David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear
This was perhaps his greatest American performance. The disappearance of the Statue of Liberty in 1983 in front of 20 spectators gathered on Liberty Island and millions watching on television was only his second large-scale trick. The first – the disappearance of a plane in 1981 – received much less attention. The Disappearing Statue, over 45 meters high – that was something. The magician kept information about the show a secret for a long time: revealing it robs the magic of the entire spectacle, which consisted of Copperfield’s mystical voice, his concentrated movements and the music played at full volume from the speakers. The faces of the spectators who saw the empty (?) place left by the monument were priceless.
And of course it is known that, like any magic trick, this one also had its own rules. What? This was only explained years later. It took the magician several months to set up the entire set. He needed not only two very high towers and lighting around the Statue, but also a specially constructed stage that… would slowly rotate in the right direction. When the curtain fell between the artificial towers, the viewers (and the cameras) were already subjected to the optical illusion. The statue, of course, did not move, but the moving stage “hid” it behind one of the pillars. So that the tourists gathered in the audience would not feel anything, the mechanisms worked very slowly, the loud music – especially the bass – the omnipresent darkness and the growing excitement of the spectacle meant that no one noticed the discreet movement. The statue “disappeared”, which was also helped by powerful spotlights distracting attention from the place where it could be noticed. The “restoration” of the monument to its place was, of course, a reversal of the stage to its previous position.
The trick cemented David Copperfield’s fame for decades to come. In later years, he freed himself over Niagara Falls, flew, teleported, allowed himself to be cut by giant saws… His bank account swelled, and he invented more and more crazy spectacles. Finally, after 2000, he stopped traveling with his shows around the world.
What is David Copperfield doing today?
The owner of the most dexterous fingers in the world, however, did not completely abandon the world of prestidigitation in favor of a comfortable life. When he got bored with subsequent purchases (he acquired, among others, his own eleven islands), he established permanent cooperation with Las Vegas. There, for years, he has had at least two performances every day on the MGM Grand stage (even three on weekends). Tickets cost from about $100-110 to… even $1,000 for a seat right next to the stage. A year, Copperfield allows himself only ten weeks of vacation – on the remaining days he performs every day for audiences in Los Angeles.
His performances are still very popular. And no wonder, because who wouldn’t want to see with their own eyes the magician who “disappeared” the Statue of Liberty or escaped from Alcatraz prison. Unfortunately, his fame also has shadows. His name appeared in the court case surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal. David Copperfield was to be his frequent guest. Initially, all that was said was that he organized magic shows especially for others invited by Epstein. In January this year, it was already reported that in exchange for tickets to performances, Epstein offered him access to young women. Copperfield adopted the principle that only the guilty person explains himself and does not comment on the matter, while investigations related to the late Epstein are ongoing.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
