Kevin Myrick plays Doctor Strange in ‘Age of Heroes’
On the new Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes tour, Doctor Strange serves as the Sorcerer Supreme, the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. With apologies to Criss Angel, in other words, Doctor Strange is “the mightiest magician in the cosmos” and “more powerful by far than any of your fellow humanoids” by Eternity. The tour produced by Feld Entertainment ended its three-day Las Vegas run at the Thomas & Mack Center yesterday (Aug. 30).
Before heading out of town to continue his superhero journey I learned that Kevin Myrick, who plays Doctor Strange is a real live hometown Vegas brave heart. He asked himself an important question: “Easy shoes to fill, right?” But the answer that followed surprised me: “Not so much! I went through an exhausting full-day audition including staging fight scenes. The movie “Doctor Strange” had just come out and I hadn’t seen it yet but I did my best based on the information provided to me.
“I went straight from the audition to the movie theater and it was great! I was so nervous after seeing the movie. I thought it would be the coolest role to play and I was so excited when I got the call! It really is an amazing role to play and I love being involved in many of the special effects. He is the master of the mystic arts, appearing through portals and flying about, and I can draw from my dance background to finesse the martial arts sequences. I get to incorporate dance into the character with grace and grandeur.”
Kevin continued with the story of his Vegas link: “I began coming to Las Vegas from Southern California around age 10 as a competitive dancer. Every year, national competitions were held in one of the Strip hotels and I looked forward to returning every summer. Growing up, Vegas to me was electric and exciting and I always knew I would live there someday.
“As I grew older, I joined a Disney Live! tour covering 30 states and more than 15 countries but would return to Vegas several times a year for vacation. Last summer, I finally decided to “settle down” and moved to Vegas, into a “dancer house” with another Feld Entertainment dancer friend and a few other local performers.
“The sense of community in Vegas is amazing. The performers all know and support each other. LA and NYC are so cut-throat but Vegas is different — everyone helps out and refers each other to find work, which was great! Besides corporate gigs and other performances, I joined the Sample Dance Company, created by former Celine Dion dancer Greg Sample; took classes at The Rock Center for Dance every day and also taught hot Pilates at all three local TruFusion locations.”
Kevin’s “dancer house” is near The Silverton off Blue Diamond Road and sits on a large parcel of land. One of his roommates, Brandon, is a huge animal lover and started a “rescue farm” of sorts when he came across animals that need a loving home. The farm has now grown into a family of two pigs, three goats, two turkeys, a horse and 30 to 40 chickens! He sells the eggs to other performers in town and has now started a garden growing organic fruits and vegetables, too. He also created Goat Yoga Las Vegas!
When Kevin wasn’t tending to the farm, dancing or teaching, he would have friends visit and they would hang out at such places as Born and Raised in Henderson but he admits he is always down to go to the Strip for a good buffet. “Anytime. Anywhere.”
Kevin summed up::” Marvel Universe LIVE! Age of Heroes is a great show for the entire family! Quite different from anything else you would see in Vegas, the live action show weaves incredible physical stunts, state-of-the-art technology and special effects into an original storyline peppered with humor throughout. Marvel fans will enjoy seeing so many of their favorite and familiar heroes and villains come to life. Make sure you catch it when it comes to your town.
