Video by Jess DiProspero and Rahmere Griffin.
Have you ever watched someone cut through their own arm with a knife with no damage whatsoever? Have you seen anyone escape out of a straight-jacket and successfully beating Harry Houdini’s world record time? If not then you should’ve been there to witness illusionist Joel Meyers do all that and more Thursday night in Grace Hall.
The audience was on the edge of their seats last Thursday night as they witnessed this television-famous magician perform a few of his outstanding acts. He has done everything from classic card tricks to swallowing needles.
“He was awesome, I loved just about every trick he did,” freshman Gwendolyn Roberts said. “I sat in the very front and when threw those deck of cards into the air, I caught the joker.”
Needless to say, Grace Hall was absolutely packed that night. Every seat was taken and the air was filled with both squealing, laughter and the occasional “how did he do that?!”.
Students found it was difficult to sit still during a few of his tricks. Some people still are not over the fact that he threaded a needle in his throat.
Despite how grotesque some of his tricks were, Joel Meyers amazed everyone, both magic believers and the skeptics. His eccentricity and liveliness will have people wish they were up on stage to be apart of his performances.
“I may have caught the Joker card but I envy my friend, Jojo. She was on stage twice,” Roberts said.
Roberts was not the only one who wished she was on stage. Almost 100 students were in the audience that night.
“I was not expecting a full house. This was an insane turnout,” senior Jena Marinelli said.
Marinelli is a CAP board member who helped put the entire event together.
“Booking him will be a lot of work but we’re hopeful to have him again next year. We’ve had magicians here at Cabrini before but Joel Meyers was definitely a big deal to book.”
Joel Meyers.
If the name seems familiar, that means some may have seen him in shows like Fakeoff or America’s Got Talent. Since then, Meyers has been on tour across several countries with hundreds of sold-out shows.
“I’ve been practicing illusions and tricks since I was 7 years old. I got my foot in the door by doing street magic first,” Illusionist Joel Meyers said. “Since then, I’ve been working hard to get to where I am today, which is crazy. I loved the audience tonight. Everyone wanted to participate and had great energy,” Meyers said.
On the flip side, students fed off his energy as well. One even went as far as to admit that she was a hardcore believer in magic.
Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, watching Joel Meyers perform will leave people wondering the rest of the night: How did he do that?
