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| Jarod Kopf in "We Phantom Figures" |
Part
of the enjoyment of sitting through a session watching Jarod Kopf perform is
trying to figure out if he’s more a gifted magician or a skilled storyteller. A
master of both skills, the Dallas-based magician can spin a yarn with the best
of them and, at the same time, mesmerize his audience with some dazzling legerdemain.
Excellent
at cards, the former attorney who shed his suit and tie persona, donned on an
alternate personality that reflects his wizardry. Long haired, bushy bearded, his
lithe image is now clothed in a sophisticated ensemble of dark jacket and matching
trousers. Over his eye-catching shirt, you’ll find a mysterious gold talisman,
dangling and tantalizing your curiosity.
The
soft-spoken magician enters the stage with a confident nonchalance and promptly
invites two members of the audience to join him at a table that sits in the
middle of the stage. Once seated, they segue into and out of the act, but
remain there for the entire duration of the show. Some in the audience are also
called upon to participate in the proceedings from their seats in the theater.
Penn
and Teller once called Kopf one of their favorite magicians and claimed the
handling of his cards is flawless and that his tricks are killer. Even so, he began
his performance with a ball under cone skit, one that I’ve enjoyed at other
shows by a host of magicians. This time, in Kopf’s hands, the magic takes on an
added dimension, still producing the expected oohs and ahs, but one that ends
with a surprise that almost takes your breath away.
Looking
at the promotional photo of Kopf on the wall behind the stage, I couldn’t quite
make out what he was holding in his left hand. When I asked my companion, we
came to the conclusion that it was an egg. Somewhere around the halfway point,
the egg came into play in a complex skit that included a mysterious locked box,
matching and unmatching keys and a simple cloth bag. It was one of the most
fascinating magical moments I can recall in recent memory.
His
card tricks are second to none. They’re used to read minds, or at least foretell
the position of cards in the deck. One involves a Tarot deck that was used in conjunction
with one of the seated guests. The enthusiastic participant drew the empress,
which Kopf then went about using the Tarot to reinforce the randomly drawn card
and its symbol.
In
between, he amazed with his intelligent narrative, often speckled with humor. During
the egg routine, for instance, Kopf even ventured into quantum mechanics and
superposition, referencing Schrödinger’s cat in a box experiment.
The
magician takes his presentation around the world and once showed off his skill to
Chinese audiences on an extended tour. He explained that when performing in
foreign countries, he uses a translator to get his narrative across. It would
be interesting to witness how the various translators handle the snippet of a Dylan
Thomas poem he includes as part of his act.
On
the road more than 200 days a year, he still finds time to occasionally write
books and articles on the philosophy of magic and the methods of stage
conjuring. Throughout his discourse, he kept mentioning Bob White, a highly
respected, veteran magician and educator known for his expertise in close-up
card magic, as his prime mentor.
In
the promotional material used by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to get the word
out about his run at Liberty Magic in Downtown Pittsburgh the Trust writes that
Kopf sometimes, in a company of wizards, creates practical effects for
theatrical productions, films, and television. They include shows such as Red
Thread, A Ghost Story, Light From Light, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and
National Geographic’s Breakthrough.
Kopf’s
current show at Liberty Magic is titled “We Phantom Figures” and runs through May
17. His is a unique take on the magical
arts, one definitely out of the box. Who else do you know who ends their show
reciting line from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat?
For
tickets and more information, phone 412-456-6666.
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