Card trick worked magic on once-wayward teen

Expect a little sleight of hand and a whole lot of "how did he do that" moments.

"The Magic of Devereaux" is planned for 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas W. Ryan Blvd.

Greg Devereaux first became interested in magic as a teenager. He and his buddies would sneak out of their houses at night to hang out, not to steal cars, per se, but move them down the street.

"Just enough to cause the owner a little bit of panic," he said.

One such prank earned him a stint in community service work. There he was paired with Scott Middleton, senior minister at Providence Christian Church in the Houston area.

Middleton got Devereaux's attention with a card trick. Instead of telling him the secret, the pastor instructed him to go to the library to look at magic books and learn the trick. Middleton had a special agenda.

"He told me, 'For every trick you learn from books, I'll teach you another,' " Devereaux recalled. "Because of him I got my first library card."

Devereaux delved into books and learned more and more about performing magic.

The more tricks he learned, the more he wanted to perfect them. Soon he was performing at private parties and special events with up to 1,000 attendees.

It can take six months to fully learn a trick. Even then, not every trick goes as planned, so ad-libbing is a necessary ally.

"It's Murphy's law," he said. "You can practice in front of a mirror a hundred times, but you can't account for a little girl who reaches up and disturbs your props."

He went on to earn a degree in theater arts and teaching. Time passed and life happened -- a wife and a child -- and he gave away his props. Just when he thought his future was set as the owner of three coffee stores in Colorado called the Jovis Coffee Co., Devereaux met another magician, Ty Gallenbeck. They began talking, and the spark to perform magic took hold again.

"He was a mentor to me," Gallenbeck said. "His theatrical knowledge ... he showed me things I'd never have considered."

The two devised a show where each appeared. It was a sort of "battle of the magicians" show -- Devereaux delivering stage magic and Gallenbeck performing Criss Angel-style street magic. They performed the show at area fundraiser events. The last show they did together was in June in Grand Junction, Colo.

Devereaux moved to Las Vegas two years ago. The two magicians still get together whenever Devereaux is in Colorado.

Melissa Spina, director of community services for Sun City Summerlin, said Devereaux was a last-minute replacement for another magician.

"Normally we're booked a good year and a half ... we haven't had a big magic show in years," she said.

For the Starbright Theatre show, Devereaux plans big illusions. One is called Live Cinema and brings a movie image to life. Another is the Tango Lesson, where a girl's hips are moved away from her body. Then there's Angel's Revenge, which has to be seen to be believed.

He also plans to use audience participation ... maybe you.

Tickets are $13 for Sun City Summerlin residents and $15 for nonresidents. For more information, call 240-1301.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.