Jennifer Brown

MAGICALLY DELICIOUS

By Jennier Brown

Published in the Syracuse New Times February 4, 2009

 

Leon Etienne sits in a booth at Babe’s Macaroni Grill and Bar and casually scoops up the deck of cards scattered along the table, ready to make the Two of Spades jump from the middle of the deck to the top just by snapping his fingers. As he gives the magic command and turns over the top card, though, the Two of Spades is nowhere to be found; the Ace of Diamonds basks in its spot. Etienne lets out a nervous laugh.

 

“I’ll admit it, getting the wrong card, especially for you… that’s a little embarrassing,” he says as he rips the offending Ace into four pieces. “We’ll try to fix it though.”

 

He taps the torn card and asks the girl at the booth to turn the pieces over. This time around, though, the dismembered Ace of Diamonds has transformed into the severed Two of Spades. Etienne tells the girl to gather the pieces of the card into her hand, squeeze it tightly, and recite some magic words. When she opens her hand, the Two of Spades is crumpled yet whole once more. He gives a sly smile, never missing a beat.

 

As impressive a trick that may be, to Etienne, 24, this game of cards is just child’s play compared to the other magic he can whip up: making people disappear or reappear in the most spectacular of fashions, having them float around in mid-air, and even conjuring up the weather on stage and controling it as he pleases… when it comes to magic, Etienne means business. A highly accomplished and award-winning Grand Illusionist (which Etienne says is just a magician with flashier tricks), Etienne hails from Utica but has performed across the U.S. and Europe in both intimate walk-around demonstrations and in his immaculate stage performances. On Friday, he’ll bring his charismatic show to the Palace Theater, where audiences can expect not only to be mystified, but also to have many chances to help Etienne with his magic tricks.

 

Besides working hard to make his shows an experience for the audience rather than something they just watch, part of Etienne’s personal brand of magic involves taking old-fashioned tricks and revamping them. Instead of trying to become the next Criss Angel, he’s happy doing his part to help keep the old traditions alive, evolving, and engaging to the public.

“Onstage I like classical magic effects,” Etienne said. “There’s a reason that they’re classics – they’ve amused audiences for hundreds if not thousands of years. However, I do have new twists I’ve put on them and modernized them. It’s just what attracts me…”

 

Etienne’s shows also receive acclaim due to theirs heavy theatrical influences. For that, he uses stories to heighten the excitement or wonderment of a trick, such as having the Raggedy Ann doll come to life and get into mischief with a magician, or Etienne telling a story from his childhood to set up a trick. Bringing in the theatrics was a concept Etienne came up with after five years of teaching magic at a summer performing arts camp.

 

“That made me think hey, I can do the same thing {they do in theater} with a magic show and make it theatrical show and an experience, not just be a magician presenting trick after trick after trick after trick,” Etienne said. “That’s currently where the show’s going, {and we’re starting to tell} the story of my life in magic.”

 

Being someone whose life is filled with magic, it’s only fitting that Etienne discovered his niche by sheer luck. When he was twelve, his mother grounded him, and he, of course, was sent to his room. He soon grew tired of his punishment and rummaged around the place until he came across a magic book that he’d tossed under his bed. Intrigued, Etienne began practicing one of the tricks until he was able to perform it.

 

“I {then} went out of my room, which is a no-no when you’re grounded, and my mom said, ‘What are you doing out of your room?’ I said, ‘I just want to show you this thing.’”

 

Etienne then took a card and tore it in four, placed it in an envelope, said some magic words, and pulled out the restored card. His mother watched, bemused by her son’s newfound talent.

 

“I showed her the trick and she let me off of the grounding,” he laughed. “I got a great reaction and I guess it’s that reaction that kept me with it.”

 

For Etienne, latching on to the human side of performing and connecting with people is the most crucial part of his work. As much as he loves all parts of performing, there’s a certain give and take between Etienne and the audience that sustains him far more than perfecting flamboyant tricks or creating enchanting stories ever could.

 

“Basically what I’m trying to accomplish when I’m on stage is first off to let people have fun, and two, to make people feel like that kid again, to find that sense of wonder again,” Etienne said. “{Achieving that} is the best feeling in the world.”