When many people think of magic shows, the words “cheesy and boring” usually come to mind. This is exactly what Drew Thomas set out to dispel and he succeeded.

Drew Thomas brought his latest show “Transparent” to the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Friday. Walking into the theater, you could tell this was not going to be the typical magic show. Current music was playing, with multiple lights on stage rotating to it. The music was courtesy of DJ Hollywood, Drew’s traveling DJ.

Before the show began, a video appeared on the two screens asking the audience to send in audition videos, by text, to be a part of the show. Shortly after the video had ended, the lights dimmed and the show began.

Before any tricks or illusions started Drew addressed the audience, mentioning that this show was specifically meant for those who are skeptical of magic. He encouraged the audience to use their phones throughout the show to take pictures and video. He also had around 20 seats on stage for audience members to get a closer view of what was happening.

If that was not enough, the stage had been raised to where you could see completely everything under it. Throughout the show he had several cameras on him at all times. This show was beyond transparent.

At first, the audience did not seem impressed. He even addressed that Shippensburg is a “tough audience.” As the first illusion began, the audience became very comfortable. He started with the usual cutting a girl in half trick. This was not the usual trick, however.

Throughout the illusion he constantly had audience members checking the validity of the illusion, again proving that he wanted transparency throughout the performance.

Drew used audience members in almost every illusion he did. He also used humor throughout the show. This is something the audience really enjoyed. One of the funniest moments during the show was when an audience member joined Drew on stage for an illusion. The basis of the illusion was a disappearing shot glass.

The moment that stood out during the trick was when he asked the woman to check his sleeves to make sure he had nothing hidden. She was very comfortable, to say the least and very thorough. After a minute of “checking sleeves,” the theater could not stop laughing, including Drew.

After several illusions on stage, Drew made his way out to the middle of the audience. He used several audition videos to find volunteers for his next set of tricks. He chose a 7-year-old girl who was seen in her video asking to be chosen because “she wanted to entertain people.” This moment of the show became very special.

Drew did a close-up trick using military dog tags. It was dedicated to those who have been in the military or who are serving right now. The audience really responded to this.

During intermission I overheard a lot of excitement for what was to come next. After 20 minutes of intermission, the show quickly went into the next trick. The trick was the exact one that Drew had performed for his “America’s Got Talent” audition.

The second half of the show also had a very elaborate trick that involved several audience members, a deck of cards, oranges and a magic marker. The chosen card ended up being in the orange, which was randomly selected by another audience member. The crowd really enjoyed this trick.

The night ended with a very heartfelt message from Drew. He asked the audience when they get home to take out a pen and notebook paper and write out five words that mean something to them. He showed us what he had written down: It was his kids’ names. Shortly after a video of his assistants and crew telling the audience what they believe in, Drew came back out on stage.

He made origami out of a whole sheet of paper using just his fingers. White confetti fell from the ceiling, creating a snowy scene in the theater. It was certainly a beautiful ending to the show.

The show certainly proved that Drew Thomas has something different to offer compared to any magicians I have seen in person. Personally, I thought he was heaps better than Criss Angel and on the same level as Penn & Teller. The show stayed true to its “Transparent” theme and it really worked.

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