Magic a fountain of youth for many

The old stereotype of magicians is they are all a bunch of kids who refuse to grow up.

Witness the fact that some of them planned a rent party last night to help out a local magic shop, because most of today's working pros were profoundly affected by such a place in their youths.

Today the World Magic Seminar again lands in Vegas, and magic hobbyists and professionals at various levels -- from birthday parties to cruise ships -- will admire the success of the guys who made it on the Strip.

Some might be especially fond of the new Las Vegas Hilton venture by Steve Dacri, because he is closer to being one of them.

Dacri is a close-up magician who works with cards, coins and little foam balls he calls "Martians," rather than stuffing tigers into cabinets.

The magician with 37 years in the trade also reminds us magic kids grow up to face adult problems, including cancer.

Dacri's Hilton debut was delayed by the removal of 18 inches of his colon. "I was sitting in the hospital going, 'Boy I'm so glad I have a show to look forward to.' That was a scary one, I'll tell you.

"There was a moment there when you start to wonder, 'Is this it? Is it over?' "

Dacri came home exhausted from a December trip to his native Boston. He thought maybe he just hit the wall after too many nights on the town with old friends.

By Dec. 30, however, a hospital confirmed his suspicion that something was blocking the passage of any food: a tumor "about the size of a golf ball."

Surgery was followed by "that two-day period where you wait for them to tell you how much bad there is left. I didn't sleep for a couple of days." Finally he got the news everyone hopes for: "We got it all."

So you might see a little extra joy in Dacri's Wednesday showcase. And audiences may decide there's magic in this not-growing-up stuff after all.

He also might have a new attitude about the business conundrum that's been hard to crack since Dacri and his wife, Jan, moved here in 2003, after years of commuting from Los Angeles to work the bygone Caesars Magical Empire.

The reason most Vegas magicians saw people in half is because you can follow that from the back row. For Dacri, 50 is a crowd even if "it doesn't always translate to making money for a casino."

Dacri somehow makes those signature foam balls appear in your hand without you feeling it. "When magic can happen in the audience member's hand ... that's the magic they remember."

It might even make them feel like kids again.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.