It was supposed to be a show like any other. But that is not possible when a legendary, 25-year headliner shuts down his production at a famous Las Vegas Strip resort.
David Copperfield ran his show one last time at his eponymous, about to be renamed, theater at the MGM Grand. The illusionist summoned the ominous spaceship inside the venue; recalled his long-lost Tyrannosaurus rex friend, Frank; and summoned the quirky little alien robot Blu32.
The fragrance of root beer, which Blu32 emanates when he passes gas, still hung over the room as the crowd waited for Copperfield to walk from the venue a final time.
“I thought that I would die before David stopped playing shows at the MGM. I never thought I’d see the day,” said audience member Mat Franco, a 10-year headliner at The Linq Hotel at age 40. “I mean, 15 shows a week, sometimes more. It’s a crazy work ethic.”
Franco said of Copperfield’s legacy in the magic culture: “You’d be hard-pressed to come up with anybody that’s had a bigger impact in my lifetime, and probably beyond. You can name Houdini, the next name closest to that, by a long shot, is Copperfield.”
Not the final stop?
Also hanging in the air, in the room being renamed the MGM Grand Theater, was a sense that Copperfield isn’t finished with large-scale magic productions. He has not specified his post-MGM plans, other than to say it is “something spectacular.”
Three years ago, Copperfield announced a grand illusion of making the moon disappear. The screen flashed with that message during the show.
During his departure from the theater, weaving through the crowd, the 69-year-old stage star waved off a question about reopening at the Sahara. The hotel has been looking to reactivate The Foundry venue, similar in scale to Copperfield’s MGM room. Sahara officials declined comment two weeks ago, and again Friday, about this possibility.
Regardless, Copperfield’s contemporaries expect more magic.
“It’s the end of an era, but I’m excited to see where he’s going, because he’s going somewhere,” said Gerry McCambridge, a 21-year Las Vegas headliner who stars in “The Mentalist” at the V Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.
The MGM Grand and Copperfield announced March 5 that the headlining illusionist would close his 25-year run with the company.
His journey in magic
Copperfield posted on social media the day his closing was announced March 5: “My journey began as a kid in New Jersey with a dream of making magic in my life. I saw magic then — and I see magic now — as more than just my work. Magic teaches us that often things that others dismiss as impossible are not only possible, but within our grasp.”
He had run 15 shows per week in his 740-seat venue, renamed in 2013 from the Hollywood Theater to the David Copperfield Theater.
“We thank David and his exceptional team for the incredible energy they’ve consistently delivered with this larger-than-life production,” MGM Grand President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Neubecker said in a statement. “David has fascinated audiences at MGM Grand for more than 25 years, and we wish him every success as he embarks on the next chapter of his journey.”
MGM Resorts entertainment exec Laura Ishum was the company’s ranking exec at Thursday’s show. There was no mention from the stage, or formal recognition, of the night’s historic significance.
Controversy and allegations
Copperfield’s closing at the MGM Grand was announced more than two years after his name surfaced in the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The magician is shown in multiple photos with Ghislaine Maxwell, the two hugging while wearing bathrobes.
CNN reported this week on Copperfield’s numerous mentions in the files, stating that his relationship with Epstein dated to 2005. The outlet states several pages of largely redacted pictures in the files were labeled as being shot at “Musha Cay,” the cluster of private islands in the Bahamas that Copperfield owns. The reports do not implicate the magician in illegal activity.
Copperfield has said through his attorneys he “was not a friend of Jeffrey Epstein” and learned of his “horrific crimes” through the media.
In 2024, The Guardian reported claims of 16 women from 1980 to 2014 that Copperfield engaged in sexual misconduct. The international publication reported half of those making the claims were teenagers at the time, some as young as 15.
A representative of Copperfield said in an email statement to the Review-Journal as the story broke, the behavior is “the exact opposite” of the entertainer. “In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators. Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then,” the statement read. “David requested the ‘evidence’ upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided.”
Copperfield’s camp says the claims have been vetted by law enforcement, turning up “no case.”
He did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday, hours before his show. MGM Resorts officials have also declined comment regarding Copperfield, after the company’s statement in March.
History on the Strip
Copperfield originally headlined the old Circus Maximus at Caesars Palace for about 15 years, dating to the mid-’80s. He then opened in 2000 at the MGM Grand.
Over the past couple years, his theater has hosted the “Aces of Comedy” roster of headlining comedians. That series ran for more than a decade at The Mirage before that resort was purchased by Hard Rock International.
MGM Resorts officials are reportedly looking at all options for programming the versatile theater.
Including his run at the MGM Grand, Copperfield has performed for more than 7 million people worldwide. His most famous illusions on network television have been making the Statue of Liberty disappear in 1983 and walking through the Great Wall of China three years later.
He has also presided over his private, self-named International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. The off-Strip attraction is staged inside a 40,000-square-foot warehouse just a few miles from the MGM Grand.
Along with Franco and McCambridge, several figures in the magic community turned out for the finale. Spotted in attendance were Matthew Pomeroy and Natasha Lamb of The Conjurors, Magic Castle owners Randy and Kristy Pitchford, close-up artist Danny Garcia, magician-instrumentalist Chris “The Wonderist” Funk, illusion-builder Tim Clothier (“Death Becomes Her”), Canadian mentalist Ryan Edwards, Vegas veteran stage pro Mondre, high-haired comic-magician Ruby Coby, Magic Circle in England Vice President Michael Fitch and Nick Diffatte of “Mad Apple” at New York-New York.
And seated in the front row: Longtime Vegas celeb Holly Madison with billboard-gracing Las Vegas attorney Steve Dimopoulos.
Copperfield’s longtime executive producer Chris Kenner gave what amounted to the night’s closing statement. Himself an acclaimed figure in the magic community, Kenner told the crowd still milling around the room 30 minutes after the final curtain: “It’s been a great 25 years. Thanks for coming.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.