BEVERLY — When the Le Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Company ended its historic run at The Cabot theater in 2012, one might say that David Bull disappeared.
Bull, who played the show’s headlining magician for more than 35 years, moved to western Massachusetts, got married, and has not performed a magic trick in public since.
“I don’t miss performing the show we did,” he said. “We did over 2,600 performances in Beverly. But I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to get on stage again and get in front of an audience?’”
Bull will do just that on Sunday, May 26, when he hosts what he is calling ”Le Grand David’s 70th Birthday Bash.” The show will include comedian Paul D’Angelo, Amy G., Kenny Raskin, the Jethro Tull tribute band Minstrels in the Gallery, and others.
Bull will mostly play master of ceremonies and tell stories about the history of the magic show, but said he will also perform “three or four” magic tricks, including one called the Upside Down Production Box.
“I’ve been practicing,” he said. “This is not push-button magic.”
Le Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Company ran from 1977 to 2012 in Beverly, making it the longest-running stage magic show in the world, according to Guinness World Records. The troupe that performed the shows also owned both The Cabot and Larcom, two vaudeville era theaters down the street from each other in downtown Beverly.
The company was led by Cesareo Pelaez, a charismatic Cuban who created the show and played Marco the Magi. The show ended shortly after Pelaez died in 2012. The company eventually sold both theaters and auctioned many of its props, costumes and other artifacts.
Bull – who won the Illusionist of the Year award from the Milbourne Christopher Foundation and was given honorary lifetime membership in both The Magic Castle in Hollywood and The Magic Circle in London – said he loved performing as Le Grand David, calling it a “wonderful adventure.”
But he also said he and the rest of the troupe were ready to give it up by the end.
“The shows were so physically grueling,” he said. “It was go-go-go for 2½ hours. I did it from ages 22 to 58 and it became physically difficult at the end. We were the owner-operator, so we popped the popcorn and went in and swept it up in the morning.”
“We said, ‘We’ve done it for 35 years. We’re in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s time to do something else.’”
The only performing Bull does these days is when he and his wife sing in a choral group in nursing homes and hospices. He survived a heart attack and is now a stepgrandfather, which he called “an unexpected blessing in my life.”
Bull admits he’s nervous about performing at The Cabot again. But at the same time, he takes comfort in knowing he is returning to a very familiar place.
“I swing between utter panic and thinking, ‘I’m in my living room. I was on this stage for 35 years.’”
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.