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reachingHA
America is fascinated with magic. Remember those ads in the back of comic books when you were a kid for novelty and magic devices that would fascinate your friends? Then we watched David Copperfield make entire buildings and landmarks disappear. More recently we have watched Criss Angel and David Blaine bring a new-generation edge to street magic, up close and off the cuff. And, of course, Penn and Teller are perennial favorites — often because of their irreverent take on any topic society can throw at them, but they still do some mean card tricks.
The Spencers, Kevin and his wife, Cindy, have long been a part of the ranks of these big names. In 2009, they were named Magicians of the Year by the International Magicians’ Society. Other winners of that honor include the aforementioned Copperfield, Angel and Penn and Teller. The Spencers have been bringing their magic to audiences for 25 years, and they will be at the Lexington Opera House on Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. each night, with their Theatre of Illusion production.
“We call the show Theatre of Illusion because it is a combination of our love for theater and our passion for the art of magic,” Kevin Spencer said. “We believe that magic deserves the same respect as other art forms, and when presented in the right way, magic should move an audience intellectually and emotionally in the same way that good dance, music or theater does.”
Their show has been called “a Broadway-style production with the high energy of a rock concert.” It is billed as a family-friendly night of fun and awe, but there is another layer to the Spencers’ dream life of magic and performing that Lexington should know about.
In 1988, as the Spencers were leaving town for a short tour in the Carolinas, the truck that Kevin Spencer was driving was struck by a speeding tractor-trailer. He suffered a closed head injury and a lower spinal cord injury and spent the next several months in physical and occupational therapy, aware that he might never perform again.
During that time, he came to realize how challenging it is for a patient to stay motivated during long-term rehabilitation. Once he regained function, he and his wife collaborated with therapists to develop a program that would use simple magic tricks to help patients regain lost physical skills while increasing motivational levels and self esteem.
Today, the concepts of “magic therapy” are being used in more than 2,000 rehabilitation facilities in more than 30 countries. Kevin Spencer is an assistant professor in the occupational therapy department of the University of Alabama in Birmingham and conducts continuing education workshops for therapists around the world. And while the Spencers will work to wow audiences at the Opera House in both their performances, they will also be working with therapists in the area with their Healing of Magic program at the same time.
According to the Spencers, “Healing of Magic is a therapeutic tool that empowers the physical and occupational therapist to motivate clients to become more involved in their treatment. Among other things, therapists will learn several easy magic tricks that can be implemented immediately into a treatment setting. They will examine each trick to determine the specific therapeutic goals, i.e., cognitive, motor, perceptual, and psychosocial. They will also learn ways to adapt each trick to the varying abilities of their clients.”
The applications of Healing of Magic address the entire spectrum, to include developmental disabilities, mental health, physical disabilities, gerontology and specific disease-related deficits. Magic therapy has successfully been used in acute care, rehab, outpatient hand therapy and pediatrics.
Spencer’s magic trick-based work has been featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, HEALTH magazine and the Washington Post. The concepts of “magic therapy” have been approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association and are being used in more than 2,000 facilities in 30 countries.
While working with local therapists is a great addition to the Spencers’ time in Lexington, the Theatre of Illusion production is where most people will see them.
What can audience members expect from the show? Kevin Spencer offered a little hint.
“Every audience expects to see a magician cut a woman in half, so we’ll be doing that one — but with a bit of a twist,” he said. “I'll read a few minds and ask the entire audience to participate in one of the illusions. Another illusion that we are featuring this season is Walking Through A Wall. Harry Houdini first performed it in 1914 on Broadway in New York. He performed it only a few times and then never did it again. Since 1914, it hasn’t been attempted on any stage, but you’ll see a modern, contemporary version of this illusion on your stage. And as another tribute to Houdini, we will end the show by re-creating one of his underwater escapes. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.”
For tickets to the Feb. 15 and 16 shows, call the Opera House at (859)233-3535.