In the video above, illusionist and Fairview High School graduate Adam Trent talks with DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore about his March 20 homecoming, and has some fun explaining an old-school finger trick. Video by DCPA Video Producer David Lenk.

Cloning, holograms and even a little song and dance: Hometown illusionist is ‘The Justin Timberlake of magic’

By John Moore
Senior Arts Journalist

Adam Trent knew he wanted to be an illusionist from the time he was 8, when he saw David Copperfield perform at the Buell Theatre. He then got a book on magic and started doing children’s birthday parties around Denver and Boulder. “That was the first time I remember seeing a show where the entire family was laughing and having fun,” he said.

But it was his later experience in theatre, comedy, singing and dancing that helped transform Trent into a modern magician for the 21^st century.

“I was involved in theater from a very young age, and I was always dabbling in other art forms before magic,” Trent said on the eve of his March 20 return to his native Colorado. “So when I started performing magic publicly, I combined music, dancing and comedy together, and they all worked harmoniously.”

Trent was born in the Cherry Creek neighborhood and graduated from Boulder’s Fairview High School. His big break came when he joined The Illusionists, which became the best-selling magic show in Broadway history and was followed by a tour that visited Denver last May. Trent, one of the show’s breakout stars, was known as “The Futurist.”
He has since been called “The Justin Timberlake of magic.”

Trent describes his upcoming solo Denver appearance as an immersive entertainment extravaganza of magic, comedy and music perfect for the entire family. “I would say my signature brand of magic is a combination of music, comedy and new-age illusion,” he said.

Magic has evolved considerably since Copperfield’s heyday, and artists such as Trent have had a lot to do with that.

“There is so much more technology available these days,” he said. “I clone myself, I teleport, and I try to re-create movie special effects using hologram projection and LED walls among other pieces of technology that are slowly becoming accessible.”

Trent said he can’t overstate what it will mean to come home on March 20 and perform his show in The Ellie.

“I’ll be next to the theater where I used to see great performers and national touring shows when I was a kid,” he said, “so it means the world to now be in a position where I can perhaps inspire a kid or a person and change a life.” 

Here are more highlights from our recent conversation with Trent:

Photos by Matt Christine.

John Moore: You were named one of the 10 most influential youth in the nation by US News & World Report. What was that all about?

Adam Trent: Every year AXA Financial and U.S. News & World Report Magazine choose one student from each state to name an ‘AXA Achiever,’ based on their nonprofit work and community contributions. I won for the state of Colorado — and also was one of the top 10 national winners — due to my work with inner-city schools and my fundraising for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Along with the title came a scholarship to Loyola Marymount College.

John Moore: Random aside: How come a magician never reveals his tricks? 

Adam Trent: It’s more fun to be left in the sense of mystery.

John Moore: Any big influences on your early life you want to shout out in advance of your return to Colorado?

Adam Trent: Anyone who ever came to see one of my smaller shows at a high-school auditorium. Doing those shows is what made me stick with it and brought me to where I am now.

John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S. by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist.

Video bonus: More from Adam Trent

Video: Colorado native Adam Trent talks about his March 20 return to his home state to perform his new-age magic in The Ellie.

The Magic of Adam Trent: Ticket information
Adam Trent, the breakout star of the world’s best-selling magic show The Illusionists, brings his signature brand of magic and illusion to this high-tech spectacle.  Produced by the same creative team behind The Illusionists brand, Adam Trent’s production is an immersive entertainment extravaganza of magic, comedy and music perfect for the entire family. “Seeing is dis-believing,” wrote The New York Times. Don’t miss the next generation of magic.

• Presented by DCPA Broadway
• March 20
• The Ellie, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter