Double Dose of Disney Magic

There are performers who become upset when, after having spent years perfecting their art, they're relegated to co-star status.

Illusionist Brad Ross isn't one of those performers. That's because, if you're going to play co-star to somebody, it doesn't get any better than playing co-star to Mickey Mouse.

Ross returns to Las Vegas this weekend to perform in "Disney Live! Presents Mickey's Magic Show," which runs Saturday and Sunday at the Orleans Arena.

"We played Las Vegas, actually, at the Orleans Arena back in 2006, and we had sellout crowds," Ross recalls.

In the show, "Mickey asks me to come with him on the road and be part of the show," Ross says. "And, together, we're going to show some pretty amazing illusions."

Many will be based on scenes from such classic Disney movies as "Fantasia," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Aladdin."

For instance, Ross will levitate Princess Jasmine without benefit of a magic carpet. "Cinderella's dress turns from rags into a beautiful ball gown in a matter of two seconds. And the Mad Hatter is going to do a bit of magic with a giant prop hat, and there's no telling what's going to come out of there," Ross adds.

This melding of Disney's movie magic and the art of magic is perfect because, Ross says, both revolve around "that childhood wonder and that childhood curiosity."

"When you watch a Disney movie or go to a Disney park or come to see a live show, magic is the common thread that runs through it," he explains. And, in this show, "we weave the classic Disney magic with these illusions onstage, and it's a whole new experience."

Ross' introduction to magic came when a magician performed at his sixth birthday party. Enthralled, Ross began to learn magic and, by age 13, was putting on his own shows.

The appeal, he says, is the "surprise" that's inherent in magic, and the notion that a magician can take "something that wasn't possible or not supposed to happen" and make it happen anyway.

Ross, 25, came to the Disney show in 2005 after headlining his own show at the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in New Jersey. Along the way, he has made time to conduct programs in schools in which he employs magic "as a vehicle to motivate kids to set goals and believe in themselves."

While "Mickey's Magic Show" offers audiences some elaborate illusions -- it is, after all, a production of Feld Entertainment -- Ross also looks forward to the portions of the show during which he performs more intimate illusions with the help of kids from the audience.

"Kids are amazing. They say whatever comes into their minds, and that makes it exciting for the audience and exciting for me onstage," he says.

In fact, the entire audience is enlisted to participate by, for instance, offering up the magic words (from "Cinderella") "bippity boppity boo" at a critical juncture.

"The kids and adults will get a chance to participate right from their seats," Ross says. "It's not one of those shows where kids have to sit there quiet. We want everybody to get involved."

Last month, Ross received the International Magicians Society's Merlin Award as Best International Family Entertainer 2010. He has visited more than three dozen countries, as well as touring the United States. And one thing he has learned is how, well, magical magic is.

"I often compare it to other art forms," Ross says. "For example, dance pleases the eye. Music pleases the ear. A really great meal pleases the palate. Magic challenges the mind, it challenges your curiosity and it challenges your own wonder."

Sort of like he felt that day when he saw his first magician perform. In fact, Ross hopes that someday, when he's a retired magician, "I'll have some adult come to tell me, 'The reason I got started in magic is because I saw 'Mickey's Magic show.' "

But, until that day arrives, he's having a great time sharing the stage with a true show business icon.

"I feel like a kid walking out there every day," Ross says with a laugh. "How cool is it to walk onstage as a performer and go onstage with Mickey Mouse?"

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.