Years ago when he was performing magic shows at an amusement park in New Jersey, fans kept telling illusionist Brad Ross that his act was “so Disney.”
“I kept hearing that my act would be perfect for Disney World,” Ross said.
And as fate would have it, in 2005 the House of Mouse came calling. But they didn’t want to relocate Ross to their Florida theme park. Disney wanted him to be the featured magician in “Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show.” This live touring production combines large-scale illusions with some of Disney’s most famous movie scenes.
Q: What’s it like doing magic with Mickey Mouse by your side?
A: First of all, it's just such an honor and a privilege to be a part of a production like this. It's every magician's dream to be a part of a multimillion-dollar, multiyear world tour. ... And now to still be part of the show, and to have taken the show to five continents and to literally have performed for millions of people, it's one of those pinch-me moments when I walk out on that stage and look beside me and see Mickey Mouse, our master magician. It's really a dream come true, as cliched as it may sound.
Q: Did you develop some of the illusions that are featured in the show?
A: I did. Another one of the surprising pinch-me moments was when they asked me to be a part of the team that was working on the magic and illusions, so I worked alongside Jim Steinmeyer. He's like the Steven Spielberg of the magic industry. He's the guy you call when you want something really spectacular in your magic show, so I worked with him and came up with a lot of the different illusions that you're going to see in the show -- like the double-sawing illusion when we actually cut two girls in half at the same time with a surprise ending.
Q: Describe the show itself.
A: We have scenes that are re-created in the show from "Snow White," "Alice in Wonderland," "Cinderella" and elsewhere. We're taking the Disney magic that's beloved from all of those movies, such as Cinderella transforming from her rags into a beautiful ball gown, and re-creating those moments live on stage. So those moments combined with the world-class illusions that I'm creating is really going to [allow] folks in Atlanta to experience the Disney magic in a whole new way.
Preview
“Disney Live! Mickey's Magic Show.” Noon and 3 p.m. Dec. 19. $19-$77.25. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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