Adam Trent Brings Much More Than Magic in New Show

Adam Trent isn’t what most people think of when they hear the word “magician.”

My first impression of Trent as we sat down to chat at Literati Cafe in Brentwood was that he resembled a mastermind of the next big start up - young, cute, motivated, smart and very strategic. As we spoke about a shared love of magic, it became clear that Trent had a plan from a young age to not just fool people with tricks. His goal was to entertain an audience with comedy, dancing and with illusions that incorporated innovative elements.

Trent grew up in Colorado, known more for beautiful mountains than for magic. After witnessing David Copperfield perform with his family at the age of eight, Trent knew he wanted to do something to recreate the same feeling of fascination that could be shared. “I saw my entire family having fun. I don’t even remember it being magic, I just remember that it was entertainment that all of us enjoyed.”

He started learning magic from books and eventually performed in cafeterias, nursing homes and birthday parties. Trent moved to Los Angeles and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in finance. Shortly after graduation, he began doing tricks on the Santa Monica pier. “I spent about two years street performing and survived on that income. It was brutal work but I learned how to perform in any situation,” he said.

Next came cruise ships, college shows and eventually producing his own small solo theatre shows. “I was doing fairly well with my own shows, averaging about 100 a year.”

Someone saw one of those shows and recommended Trent become one of “The Illusionists,” a touring magic show of rotating magicians. Trent was a cast member before the show was a worldwide and Broadway hit. “The show experience was very different for me. I was only doing a twenty minute act and I had always done longer solo shows,” said Trent. “It was amazing because it allowed me to perform in venues that I wouldn’t be able to get in yet as a solo act.”

Trent was also interested in changing the format of magic to a broader audience. He created the pilot “The Road Trick: The Magic of Life on the Road,” a show that begins where a magic trick ends. “I had an idea of exploring what happens after someone sees a magic trick, where might that lead?” After shooting and editing a demo reel in his apartment, he pitched the concept around Hollywood studios and got several offers. Red Bull agreed to Trent’s concept of producing a true reality program with no preconceived scripts. That led to 10 weeks shooting around the clock in Europe with lots of footage and a show documenting authentic experiences after the magic trick is over.

Netflix recently acquired the series and will begin airing “The Road Trick: The Magic of Life on the Road” on June 15.

After a few years touring around the world with “The Illusionists,” including a 40 city U.S. tour, Trent decided to return to producing his own solo show. He teamed up with the producers of “The Illusionists” to create “The Magic of Adam Trent,” with local performances at The Pantages on June 29 and 30.

“Everyone who comes to the show can participate. I wanted to recreate the same feeling I had with my family over twenty years ago,” said Trent. “It’s all encompassing and is a fresh take on magic incorporating storytelling, comedy and technology into one show.”

In his new show Trent teleports himself across the stage and utilizes a hologram projection. Instead of trying to incorporate sleights and illusions that he has learned into an act, Trent is inspired by things by default that he then applies to magic. “I visited a car manufacturing plant in Detroit and saw all of these car building robots. This was fascinating to me so I ended up creating a car building robot and incorporated that into a magic illusion for my show.”

Performing at The Pantages as a solo act is a milestone for Trent. “When I moved to LA, The Pantages was the first theater I visited,” said Trent. “I was 18 years old. It is amazing that I am now headlining here. It’s a great time to be a magician.”

“The Magic of Adam Trent,” playing at The Pantages, June 29 – 30, 8 pm. Tickets at https://www.hollywoodpantages.com/events/detail/adamtrent.