Local Celebrity Brings Magic to Cedarville Stage

David Williamson has something up his sleeve. Before you can figure out what it is, though, he’ll distract you with his madcap mix of magic and humor. Whether he’s shuffling through a deck of cards or corralling the antics of a frisky squirrel named Rocky, Williamson is a master at sleight of hand magic. Just don’t ask him to pull out a top hat and plastic pigeons. That’s not how he works, thank you very much.

This native Ohioan—who is considered one of the world’s best magicians—will, once again, bring his old-fashioned, family friendly show to the Miami Valley. Williamson, along with a few of his friends, will present OperaCadabra 2010 at the Cedarville Opera House for two performances on Saturday, April 17.

Since his family has been laying down roots in the Cedarville area for years and they still own a farm on Turnbull Road, it’s not surprising that Williamson leapt at the chance to support local performance art at the Opera House.

"It’s the same kind of theatre where magic thrived in the days of vaudeville and a perfect place to perform," he said. "I knew instantly this would be a great venue and that my performer friends would love to come here … and I was right." Joining him this year are John Ekin along with Charlie Frye & Company.

Like many boys, Williamson got a magic set around the age of 8 and the magic bug bit him hard. He got his start standing outside a candy shop in south Xenia hustling candy for magic tricks. That lasted until Xenia resident Marcia Richley set him straight. An amateur magician, Marcia and her husband, Dave, took Williamson under their wing and put him on the right path. He studied the craft, attended magic shows and started performing for birthday parties, talent shows, any venue that would take him. When he was 13, Williamson’s mom dropped him off at his first magic convention in Colon, Michigan.

"They say that, sooner or later, everything passes through Colon," Williamson says. "So it was a good place to get my start." While in Colon in 1981, he won first place in the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ sleight of hand competition and became the first ever recipient of the prestigious Gold Cups Award of Excellence in close-up magic. Since then, he has performed for Fortune 500 companies and traveled all over the world, including Spain, Portugal, England, France, Finland and China. He has worked with David Copperfield and David Blaine, hosted TV specials and wrote a best-selling magic book titled "Williamson’s Wonders."

Money raised through OperaCadabra will go to the Cedarville Opera House and The Riding Centre of Yellow Springs. For more information on becoming a corporate sponsor or to buy tickets, visit www.operacadabra.org.