Magic with Mr. JJ
Carrie Henderson, Staff Writer
It started with a salt shaker.
Five-year-old JJ Pearson, who had been playing with some magic trick kits, decided to show his grandmother a magic trick: a vanishing salt shaker.
“She freaked out,” Pearson said.
After this experience, Pearson realized that this was what he wanted to do the rest of his life.
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This Friday and Saturday, Feb 19 and 20, Pearson will be performing “Apparitions: Moments of Magic with Mr. JJ” for his senior show at Billingsley Theatre.
Amy Dunlap, Head of Performance and Theatre Department Chair at North Greenville University, said, “He’s preparing to launch into a solo career upon graduation, and has done a lot of research and preparation in that vein.”
Pearson has been wanting to do this show for a while, and getting to have a show with his name on it in Billingsley Theatre is more than he thought he’d be able to do, he said.
Dunlap said, “JJ has been very self-motivated on this project. . . He has strong ideas about incorporating theatricality into the traditional ‘magic show.'”
This will be his first real stage show, and he will be trying out some new concepts of performance and trick styles, Pearson said.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said.
“Students seem very interested in seeing their peers performing. JJ seems to have quite a fan base on campus,” said Marnie Daniel, Theatre Assistant.
For anyone planning to attend, Pearson offers this warning: the first three rows are not for those who are just planning to sit back and enjoy the show. Plan to be interacted with.
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