For this Champion of Magic, it’s a family tradition
A fourth-generation magician, Liberty Larsen is carrying on the family business.
But it wasn’t a given.
“I really didn’t think I was likely to do it even though I’ve always enjoyed magic, but you never really want to do what your family does, right?,” she said. “You want to rebel, even though it’s something really fun.”
Larsen is among the “Champions of Magic,” performing next week at Century II concert hall, part of the Broadway in Wichita season.
Her part of the performance is “kind of a nod to my family,” who are responsible for creating The Magic Castle and Academy of Magical Arts.
“I’ve done several tributes and homages to my family,” she said in a phone interview from a tour stop in Logan, Utah. “I’ve done literally the same material they’ve done. I’ve also done things that are more surreal.”
She includes music – her own compositions – in her performances, as well as performances of mentalism.
Larsen got a degree in education and was ready to begin teaching until the family trade lured her back.
She said she saw the best and worst parts of the profession from watching her family.
“Even the worst of magic is still really fun,” she said. “When something’s part of your family your whole life, you want to do something different, a big left turn.”
In “Champions of Magic,” which began a month ago and extends for another two months, she is joined on stage by British duo Young & Strange and magician Fernando Velasco.
Despite not knowing any of her castmates, she said they developed a rapport instantly.
“It was a really lucky situation, because you never know who your castmates are going to be or their personalities. We all really hit it off in pretty much minutes,” Larsen said. “We ended up working on writing together, jokes and new material. We got put together in this collaboration and it went great. We all have the same kind of sense of humor and very similar temperaments in a lot of ways. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been very lucky.”
Her fellow magicians are cooperative and willing to work together for a better overall show, she said.
“Everyone has been so helpful. If you’re working on anything new, you can go to your castmates and everyone is ready to jump in and help and give it a pair of eyes or add a joke,” Larsen said. “The camaraderie in magic, when it’s good, is one of the best things I’ve ever found.”
Larsen said she and the others always consider the show a work in progress, changing it up frequently.
“Every single week, every show we’re noticing little things and helping everybody tweak it and make it better,” she said. “We’ve taken a routine we’ve done for months, broke it down and remade it with the sort of hivemind brainstorm we do.”
The “Champions of Magic” tour takes the performers from arenas to theaters like Century II. It’s a big change from the intimate, cabaret-style performances she’s used to.
“This is a whole new scope for me, working in arenas and playing to the cameras,” she said. “They (fellow magicians) have a lot of magic expertise and general life lessons.”
CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17
Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas
Tickets: $60-$106, from the Century II box office, selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328