David Copperfield’s next trick: Make the moon disappear
This is something a little more adventurous than, say, pulling a rabbit from a hat.
David Copperfield has set his sights on the moon. The legendary illusionist intends to make it disappear in February.
Copperfield is directing fans — of his, and the moon — to follow his @Copperfield social media pages for updates. Gaze skyward, deep into the night, for activity and tag the legendary illusionist with pics and video. Saturday is a full moon, so that’s a good time to start.
Follow along as I prepare to make the moon disappear February 2024 #CopperfieldMoon @SavetheChildren pic.twitter.com/GC9UtdlwrV
— David Copperfield (@Copperfield) October 27, 2023
Copperfield is also staging a contest to win a chance to see the moon vanish. Keep checking his socials in the coming months. Otherwise, details thus far concealed, will be revealed.
The never-before-achieved lunar trick is decades in the making.
“I’ve been working on this for 30 years, literally,” Copperfield said in a phone chat Friday afternoon, after announcing the effort on “Today” on NBC. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve done, for sure.”
That’s a claim as tall as the Statue of Liberty, which Copperfield has made disappear on national TV some 40 years ago. He’s also walked through the Great Wall of China.
“I have multiple methods to make it work,” Copperfield said of his vanishing-moon routine. “I’m just trying to keep it wondrous. That’s why its taken me so long.”
Copperfield’s most recent special, “Tornado of Fire” in 2001, invoked moon effects, including rising tides and the illusion of the moon rising. The illusion in February is to be the finale of that production.
The project is a partnership with the Save The Children charity organization. As the MGM Grand headliner says, “If one person can make the moon disappear from the moon disappear from the sky, imagine how together we can make poverty and hunger and dancer disappear from the earth.”
Copperfield already has a presence on the object of his next spectacle.
“My secrets are on the moon,” he said. “Remember that?”
Yep. To remind, some of Copperfield’s techniques that were etched into nickel plates as part of Arch Mission Foundation’s Lunar Library crash-landed on the moon in April 2019.
It is believed the payload of books, data and images survived the accident. But as is the case in Copperfield’s relationship with the moon, everything comes full circle.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
