Interview: THE ILLUSIONISTS' Kevin James Will Fool You Now

Kevin James, consummate trickster and mischievous sleight-of-hand magician, has been casting his spells for more than 30 years. Nothing pleases him more than leaving an audience in stunned silence, dazzling effects punctuating the moment.

He, along with six other world-class magicians, will be mystifying audiences during their Broadway debut on the first leg of a 30-city U.S. tour, THE ILLUSIONISTS - WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE.

The show, a potpourri of seven bewitching illusionists, promises to inspire, startle and confound. "It's a very exciting show, family-friendly," James said after a recent rehearsal. "Seven top-ranked magicians from around the world are working together to create things you've never seen before." Wearing a white lab coat onstage, James is known as The Inventor. His routine, which ­includes sawing a patient in half, then restoring the parts into a whole with a staple gun, has been tantalizing audiences for years.

Another trick combines a dancing cocktail napkin, a child from the audience and a flower. "The napkin levitates in front of the child, and just that look of wonder sends a ripple through the audience," James said. "It's our way of reminding people what it's like to be a kid again. And instead of having one magician perform for two hours, we're putting together a buffet.

"We all have different specialties-I'm The Inventor," he said. "The Trickster is really, really funny. We have monikers, like the Avengers," he said. "I'm called The Inventor because I invent all my own material."

James fell under the spell of magic as a child growing up in tiny Jonesville, in south-central Michigan. "It was kind of an isolating experience-it had a six-book library," he joked. One memorable day he learned about a magic shop about an hour's drive away, in Colon.

The Abbott Magic Company is touted as the magic mecca of the world, with a billboard claiming this honor. "It was a creepy place with a musty feeling and creaky floors," James said. "I remember it like it was yesterday." And with that visit, James was hooked. "I memorized their whole catalog, and it made Christmas very easy for my parents. I did lawns to raise money."

One trick that hooked him was the floating light bulb. "How did they do that?" he remembers thinking. James had found his calling. "By not being around other magicians, I learned how to become creative and think outside the box." Literally, as when he puts a victim-uh, participant-in a compact box during his doctor/patient routine.

Other magicians have borrowed from his repertoire, including David Copperfield, Penn & Teller and Doug Henning, a magician who performed on Broadway 30 years ago. "Most kids get interested in magic around the age of 9 or 10," he said. "Then they move on to other stuff-they want to be a fireman or astronaut. I just stuck with it and knew instantly I wanted to do this the rest of my life. The magic bug bit very, very hard."

James said he gets inspired by a lot of things. "Cinema is one of them," he said. "I love Tim Burton films, horror films and music. I'll hear something and go 'Omigod, that makes me feel a certain way' and it sticks in my brain.

"I always try to find some emotional hook. I remember growing up in Michigan and the first snowfall of the season was always magical for me," James said. He draws on memories of sledding with his grandparents, which led to his act's whimsical conclusion.

Some illusionists bristle when described as magicians, but not so James. "Some think 'magic' is a derogatory stereotype," he said. "But the fact is illusionists and magicians are the same. Some may have props that are bigger, some are close-up magicians. I want to bust the stereotype and let people know it's a beautiful art form that transcends race and age barriers. This isn't some boring magic show with a guy pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

"You don't even have to understand English to enjoy it," he said.

The Illusionists' goal is to transfix and baffle with storytelling and trickery. "I use a lot of techniques-lights, music, body language-all tools to guide you through a story," James said. "This is an art form-just as important as music or dance. It's not just eye candy."

The troupe was established three years ago, and its first show was at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. "We smashed box office records," he said. Then it was on to Singapore, South America, Mexico and Europe. The Broadway show is the illusionists' North American debut.

James keeps his routines fresh, even when performing his classic tricks. "I've always got 10 or 12 ideas in the pipeline at any given moment, in various stages of development," he said. "I live life with curiosity and am always looking for inspiration. I have a lot of tricks. They're not all diamonds, I show the public only the best ones."

There are also ensemble bits, and each illusionist performs for roughly 25 minutes. Sometimes the minutes don't go as planned. "Anything that can go wrong has gone wrong," James said. "We learn from it and nowadays not much goes wrong."

Performing on Broadway has always been on ­­James' bucket list. "I've played the White House, just Obama and 500 friends," he said. "I love history and was thrilled to perform in the East Room." But nothing compares to Broadway, he said.

James' goal is to transport the audience to a willing suspension of disbelief. "Life, as you grow up, starts beating you up," he said. "You go to college, pay bills, change the oil in your car, everything that comes with reality. A magician's job is to give back, if only for a couple of hours, that sense of wonder and delight in being a kid again."

The Illusionists - Witness the Impossible plays November 26-January 4 at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets. It opens on December 4th.

Photo Credit: Vanessa Viana