High school student makes magic
Liam Abner has been a magician from a young age. He sees his magic as not just sleight of hand, but a high-wire act of wit, wonder and a touch of amusing mischief.
Sixteen-year-old Rock Canyon High School junior Liam Abner recently performed on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a magic competition television show judged by two venerable magicians and illusionists. The episode aired on February 21 on the CW Network.
According to Liam, the producers, staff and entirety of the production were all amazing and the crew treated him with the utmost respect and care throughout the week. “It is something I couldn’t have expected and it was something I will never forget,” he shared.
For his act, Liam combined his passions of music and magic by blowing a stack of music flash cards from his tuba—including a musical flash card signed by host of the show, Brooke Burke. With his conductor wand, he caught the signed card as it popped out of the tuba—stunning the audience.
One of things he remembers most was looking out at the audience and neglecting to look at the show’s namesakes.
“Eventually I worked up the courage to do it, and they were sitting there with smiles on their faces. I’ll never forget Teller’s wave,” exclaimed Liam.
Penn offered praise to Liam straight away after his performance. “I just loved you playing the tuba. It’s so nice to see a magician who knows how to do something. You had control of tuba, control of the card trick—all of that going together. It was a great job all the way through.”
Fool them, he did not, however, as is the case with most performers on the show. After filming, he met Teller backstage who offered words Liam will always hold on to. “In this trick you have achieved the highest form of magical causality you possibly could have.” Liam translated this to non-magician’s terms to mean perfection when the cards flew out of the tuba—like a cartoon—the cause for the magic was brilliant.
Liam, an HOA1 resident, has been performing magic since a young age with wit, humor and incredible stage presence. He performs magic and emcee work nationwide, including at corporate events, community events, house parties, bat and bar mitzvahs and has much on the horizon.
“My goal is to just keep growing my reach and to keep performing. There are a couple more secret projects in the works which I can’t wait to share with the world,” he concluded.
Learn more about Liam, his magic and his emcee work by visiting his website at liamabnermagic.com. View his Penn & Teller performance and other videos on his YouTube channel at @liamabnermagic or search for season 11, episode 5 on the Penn & Teller episode page, cwtv.com. You can also follow Liam on Instagram at @liamabner.magic.
Liam Abner (16) is welcomed by host Brooke Burke on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Liam’s episode aired on February 21.
By Elean Gersack, photo courtesy of Liam Abner with an image from his Penn & Teller performance
