Comedian/magician Derek Hughes instructs Samira Obied, 16, to check his mouth for any foreign objects that could aid his sleight-of hand trick. (Nick Jacquot)
“This is not magic,” comedian and magician Derek Hughes said. “It is a trick.”
Few can deny it takes a certain passion to perfect any interest, but to make it a daily routine takes extreme dedication. Hughes delivered the best of both worlds with his impressive sleight of hand and facetious banter on Wednesday, Aug. 24, in the SUB.
As the show drew near, just over half the chairs were occupied.
“It’s gotta be good,” Dean Bennett, the first audience member to take his seat, said. “He’s a good performer. Nationally known.”
The first volunteer of the night, Samira Obied, 16, a Dual Enrollment student, said she had never heard of Derek Hughes before.
“I just like free events,” Obied said.
Free it was. During the off-season, Hughes has been traveling from state to state, astonishing college students all over the country, 100 percent pro bono. NIC stands as one of two community college stops on the tour, next to a long list of larger universities.
As Hughes walked on stage, several students shifted to the front of their seats. He began his spectacle with a quick showing of the ropes. The trick involves three separate but equal lengths of rope, all dangling limply from his right hand. As he talked his left hand passed a shadow of mystery over the ropes. Suddenly there was a short, a medium, and a long rope instead of three of the same. One snap and a long “Oooooo” later, and all three pieces of rope were back to their original size.
There were a few skeptics in the crowd, including audience volunteer Tommy Yager, 20, Blanchard, Idaho.
“I was pretty thrown off by it,” Yager said. “There’s always that little thing in the back of your head like it was set up, but I was impressed.”
Hughes has been entertaining for years but said he has lost none of the awe he first felt when discovering his calling. He initially developed an interest in magic as a young boy after trading his friend a chemistry set for a magic kit.
“One in particular captivated me the most: Penny to Dime,” Hughes said. “Basically you turn a penny into a dime.”
Hughes has worked with famous magicians like David Blaine and TV networks such as Comedy Central, VH1, and MTV. He played the lead role in the independent film, “Audie and The Wolf,” portrayed a waiter in Adam Sandler’s “Mr. Deeds,” and appeared as himself in two episodes of the 2001 program “Late Friday.”
Hughes has regular gigs in California at The Magic Castle and The Comedy and Magic Club. He said he strays back to his roots often, faithfully manifesting his illusions at the ACME Comedy Club in his home state of Minnesota. He has performed live at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, and was awarded first place in stage magic in 1997 by the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
The Associated Students of NIC arranged this event. For information visit Student Activities, located in the lower level of the SUB.
To access Hughes’s tour calendar, magic tricks, comedy and more, go to www.derekhughes.net.
