Illusionist Rick Thomas has a new baby, a wife itching to get back into the act and a love of magic big and small. See him at the Carlsen Center Nov. 12.
Illusionist Rick Thomas doesn’t promise a good show when he hits the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College Sunday, Nov. 12. He promises the best show, magic or otherwise.
In a profession littered by over-the-top presentation, that’s a big boast. Yet Thomas has the résumé to back it up.
As a Las Vegas magician for 15 years, he made a name for himself and perfected his craft. Now he’s a headliner at the Andy Williams Performing Arts Center and Theatre in Branson, Missouri, and takes to the road for months at a time.
He recently returned from an engagement at the Sydney Opera House, which Thomas described as “one of the grandest places in the entire world.”
Thomas also has been featured on national television specials, including the NBC series “The World’s Greatest Magic” and “Masters of Illusion” on the CW as well as his own special on ABC.
Giving his best
“It’s taken me years to create my illusions,” he said. “There are massive, grand illusions, and then there are more intimate, personal moments that I think sometimes connect even more with the audience.”
One example: He seeks volunteers from the audience, a husband and wife, to help him perform one illusion. Because a true magician never divulges his secrets — or his jokes — he said, “Suffice it to say that chaos ensues, and it’s hilarious.”
Thomas said every audience deserves his very best. He reminds himself that they are a community of people sharing an experience that will never be repeated in quite the same way.
In working on a newsletter for his Branson fans, he included the quote, “Wherever you are, you are there.”
“And it’s true, isn’t it, that we can’t be two places at once. We need to be present in the moment, and I try to bring that thinking to every show to create the best show possible,” he said.
Will the baby levitate?
After his performance at the Carlsen Center, he’ll return to Branson to team up with The Osmonds and The Lennon Sisters for the theatre’s “Christmas Extravaganza.”
In March, the show will spend a month in South Africa. It will be a homecoming of sorts for his wife, Tara. She grew up in neighboring Zimbabwe and studied dance in the United Kingdom before joining Thomas’ show in 2012. In 2015, they were married.
This year, the two welcomed a healthy baby boy, Preston Thomas. Tara plans to return to the show, but Thomas said he is not putting Preston into the act. Not even as a levitating baby?
“Nope, not even,” Thomas said, chuckling. “Everyone keeps asking me if I’m going to put him into the show, and I keep saying ‘no.’”
Family-friendly entertainment
Thomas said he’s proud of keeping the show suitable for all ages.
“One of my favorite moments was when a man came up to me and said my show was the best he’d ever seen, not a magic show, but any show,” he said.
Fans who logged into TripAdvisor tend to agree. Of the customers who logged in to share their opinion of his Branson show, an overwhelming majority gave Thomas a five-star rating of “excellent.”
“Probably the most personable and engaging magician I have seen anywhere. And the illusions were all very good,” shared a Murphy, North Carolina, visitor. “Making a helicopter appear then disappear certainly makes you scratch your head, but some of the smaller illusions were even more impressive to me. Highly recommend this show.”
Tickets for $35 and $45 are on sale at the JCCC Box Office by calling 913-469-4445. Buy online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.
–Anne Christiansen-Bullers
