Abracadabra: The Magic of Curtis

Abracadabra! Poof! The bunny disappeared, and the magician made an oblivious kid elevate mid-air; making the child believe that he can be Superman with his newfound flying power. Which is actually what magic is all about: making the impossible possible. Or at least to the eye of the spectator, make it appear that way. A lot believe in the wonders of the sleight of hand, or as adults preferably tag it, illusion. Wherever the difference between these two lie, still there's no denying we can take pleasure in witnessing magic.

It had been a spectacular journey of wonder, disbelief and humor combined as the internationally known illusionist, Curtis Eugene Lovell II, recently took the ever-anticipating audience at the Ayala Activity Center in his own world of magic. But not only did he have lots of tricks up his sleeve, he also sent the audience open-mouthed as he performed his breathtaking stunt - the Cube of Death. The FREEMAN takes a sneak peek into how he started and how he mastered his passion including "cheating" death.

Q: How do you personally define magic?

C: Well, there's this inner child in you who always want to believe in the impossible. It brings out the inner child out of you like, "Whoa! He's floating!" You know, everyone wants to disappear.

Q: At what age did you start to perform magic?

C: Seven.

Q: What were the tricks you performed when you were still a kid?

C: As a child, I was already happy doing a card trick and doing it right (laughs). And then, I wanted to float, I wanted to cut people in half and I wanted to cheat death.

Q: How did it all start?

C: Well, I always believe in magic. It actually started out as a hobby. When I was young, my dad made a coin disappear from his hand and pulled it behind my ear. That, for me, was the greatest magic.

Q: Is your father also a magician?

C: My dad is not a magician, but he did quite a lot of magic.

Q: Did he tell you the secret behind the coin trick?

C: I tried to figure it out for three years. It was so simple but it was so amazing!

Q: How did your family react to your choice of career?

C: They were all very supportive. They always brought me magic stuff and let me perform on special occasions. My father is so much into the craft. And my mother was like, "I guess this is what Houdini's parents went through." Because when they come home, there would always be, like a levitation thing in the air and a box to cut people in half (laughs)! I guess it's the magic that brought the inner child in them.

Q: How old did you start performing before the public?

C: Well, in talent shows, between 10 to 11 years old. But for a professional paying job, at 15 years old. I got paid $150. And I thought that was a great thing!

Q: Have you ever used magic to impress the ladies?

C: (Laughs) Oh! Everybody! You know everybody loves magic. You know, it's really great to perform magic because everybody is interested. And I also get special discounts from stores.

Q: By changing the price?

C: No (laughs). I mean, they give me like 10 to 15 percent off. Like when I pay on the counter, I try to perform a trick or two to entertain them. And they'd be amazed so they give me discount.

Q: Who is that one magician that you look up to?

C: Myself! (Laughs). No honestly, I admire the great Houdini. He was awesome. He left a legacy that still lives on until today. He's really great and he influenced a lot of magicians in our time.

Q: How do you manage to cheat death with your death-defying stunts?

C: In general, I have done all sorts of stuff. What happened was, I read about Houdini and he did all these great things. He was thrown into the river and things in that order. I really worked hard on these stunts. I started doing them five years ago.

Q: So what happened next?

C: A magician called me one day and he said that he had something to get rid of and then, I found a pair of shackles from his belongings. I learned how to get out of the shackles and then I went from the shackles to my neck and then to my feet. Then I wrapped my whole self up.

Q: How long did it take you before mastering this?

C: It took me quite a time and finally, on a live TV broadcast, they lifted the curtain up and I got out of them (shackles) all in 10 seconds! That's the fastest. And then, I got tied up and thrown into a river and I escaped!

Q: How did you exactly manage to do that?

C: Can you keep a secret?

Q: Yes

C: Very, very well (chuckles).

Q: How about the levitation?

C: It actually took me 10 years to perfect that trick!

Q: That's quite long!

C: Yah, I know. I could have already been a doctor!

Q: What other stunts have you performed?

C: You know, I have so many other stunts in mind, which would really make people nervous. But you actually haven't seen anything yet. I'm going to be chained upside down by a helicopter and I will be thrown in the ocean. I'm also going to be chained up and be thrown out of an airplane. And I have to escape quickly to get to my parachute.

Q: That's really something! What do you fear the most?

C: Falling down onstage in front of everyone (laughs).

Q: In that case, any bloopers?

C: We've had a few but that's a part of any show. We just learn from it.

Q: How do you prepare for a show?

C: You just relax and take a deep breath (laughs).

Q: Is magic all about doing tricks?

C: See, it's not all about doing tricks. You also have to relax, laugh and be amazed, that's actually what we all need.

Q: Will you expose your kids to magic?

C: I'm still single (laughs). When that time comes, first, I'm going to amaze them with magic and as they get older, I'd teach them the magic tricks if they want to learn.

Q: How do you want to be remembered by the people?

C: Oh, just a person who performs magic. Someone who amazed them, made them laugh and nervous (laughs).