East Bay Illusionist Bringing Magic Back to the Masses

By Tiffany Rhodes, Patch Blogger

When you think about magicians nowadays, what usually pops into your head is probably Steve Carrell in “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” or Criss Angel being all weird and freaky on the streets of Las Vegas.

But I recently met Alvin Lui, an Illusionist who is changing the style of magic. I met him for a couple of cocktails at the Renaissance Hotel Walnut Creek last month to discuss his upcoming show “Before Your Eyes” with partner Timothy James on August 30 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek.

My first impression was, yes, this man can dress.

“I do appreciate fashion,” Lui said, “because I learned at a young age that how you dress and present yourself is 50 percent of how people initially react to you. As an entertainer, it’s important that I stand out, but also not look ridiculous, so there’s that balance. I wouldn’t say that I have anyone specific look that I model after but I do appreciate the classic style of guys such as George Clooney, Cary Grant, and Tom Ford. “

He lives locally, in Dublin, with his beautiful wife and their newly adopted puppy. His first job was with Barons Jewelers, formerly in Pleasanton but now in their new location in Dublin.

Lui says Barons is like his second family. At a recent event for the company, he donated his services to Stonecliffe Animal Rescue.

His upcoming performance will be with his partner, Timothy James.

Lui said, “Timothy James and I met about six years ago at the really cool California Magic Dinner Theatre that we both perform at from time to time and we hit it off almost immediately! We started to hang out and just bounced ideas off of each other and one day about two years ago we said, Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to do a show together? That’s literally how ’Before Your Eyes’ was born. Tim is the first and only magician I’ve ever performed with. I never considered performing with someone else, but Tim is not only a good friend, but such a mad genius, that it was a privilege and so much fun to perform the show with him!”

It’s clear that Lui is talented as he showed me a couple of sleight of hand tricks casually over drinks. I wondered how magic could change the world or the perceptions we have, to which he said, “I’m not going to say that an entertainment art form can change the world around us, but I think magic has the power to make people think and hopefully give someone a different perspective on their life and beliefs. I hope that what I do will inspire someone out there to pursue what they love and in that respect we all have the power to affect the world around us.”

Lui’s interest in magic started at a young age, though he laughed telling me, “No one ever thought to get me a magic kit.” He forged his own way and brings a unique twist on an old entertainment. He says he’s inspired by David Copperfield, who openly taught and mentored other illusionists.

I wanted to bring up some magic taboo topics; first the secrets of trade. For instance, how does one saw a human being in half while defying mortality or make large objects disappear into thin air?

“It depends,” shares Lui. “This is always a hot topic in the magic community. On one hand, secrets can’t be haphazardly shared because it is an important component of our craft. On the other hand, if you never share the secrets of your craft, how will it get infused with new blood and move forward?”

My other curiosity was deception, with this new education about magic, the power of persuasion, reading body language, watching people’s reactions all the time, well that all sounded like a perfect recipe for a villain in a movie. How could being deceived be fun?

Lui explained, “Robert Houdini said ‘a magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.’ I don’t struggle with the concept of deception any more than an actor struggles with the fact that he isn’t really the character that he plays. We’re playing a part.”

And that he does masterfully.

“All entertainment has a level of deception, it’s the way we suspend disbelief for our audience,” he added.

Though the foundation of magic resides within him, he is pushing boundaries to create a fun, sleek, and new way for magic to take center stage again.

I hope that you will come out to have a drink and dinner before the show with a date or friends because this will be one show you won’t want to miss!

For ticket information: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=23939&event_val=LUI1

Information about Alvin Lui can be found here.

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Photo caption: Alvin Lui performing for a crowd. Photo Credit: Jay Auldridge JayAuldridge.com