When magician Rob Lake was only 10 years old, the trajectory of his life changed forever. While visiting Branson, Missouri, with his family, he remembers being spellbound watching what was the world’s largest magic show of the time.
“As a kid, I saw my fair share of magic shows—even had a magic kit—but it never took hold,” Rob reflects. “Then I saw this huge production. It had tigers, lions, 30 or 40 dancers, and was very theatrical. At that very moment, I knew I would be an illusionist. It was as if my full life path was programmed and downloaded into me with great certainty.”
Even before that pivotal moment, Rob remembers having what he refers to as the “show business bug.”
As a child, his heroes were Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg and Jim Henson. He grew up watching “behind the scenes” documentaries on the making of movie magic and Broadway productions. Instead of children’s books, he read textbooks that educated him on the art of making television shows.
“When I saw that first big magic show, I was overwhelmed and excited. But I also knew it was just the right fit. I knew I would someday be on stage,” he adds.
The Norman native has since become a worldwide sensation. To date, Rob has sold more than 850,000 tickets in more than 55 countries, and performed for sold-out audiences in Hollywood, Atlantic City, Times Square, the Dubai Opera House, the Atlantis Bahamas and more.
His YouTube and Facebook videos have more than 70 million views, and he was a finalist in season 13 of NBC’s America's Got Talent. He is also the youngest magician in history to be awarded the Merlin Award for International Stage Magician of the Year by the International Magicians Society, the highest distinction for magicians.
Even while performing around the world, Rob says his ultimate focus on using magic to bring wonder and joy has never changed.
“Every time I create a new illusion, I’m literally creating the impossible, and holding myself to the highest standards. It can take years for an illusion to make it into my show. I often smile while performing, because I am thrilled that my ideas, dreams and inventions are real, live and on stage,” he explains.
“I often create wonder for audiences that really need it, like our troops, veterans, and shows for kids who would not normally be able to experience something like my show. I also do benefit shows for animal rescue groups, a major soft spot for me, and enjoy using my skills to help these organizations move forward.”
When creating his illusions, Rob says the style and vibe of the presentation is often more important than the trick itself.
He collaborates with designers, customers, stylists, scenic designers and lighting designers to bring his visions to life for his audiences to experience. He hopes to create the feeling that anything is possible, even for a fleeting moment.
“Everything I do is about style and theatricality,” he explains. “I don’t want to just fool or trick the audience. That isn’t thrilling for them or for me. I want to create a theatrical world to escape, but where the laws of our own reality can bend.”
Rob has also served as an illusion designer and creative consultant for multiple Broadway and national touring productions, as well as Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs for Disney attractions worldwide.
“I’m always being creative and coming up with new ideas,” he says. “When I work with Broadway shows, Disney Parks or even Adele’s Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, I get to think in new ways that would not really apply for what I am doing in my shows.
“In my show, I can change the scenery and lighting and staging to adapt a new illusion. In their shows, I have to work with more limits so it allows me to stretch and try creative new things and innovate in new ways.”
In terms of the man behind the magic, Rob says he learned early on that he has to be authentic and vulnerable to gain an audience’s trust. He says the Rob Lake that the audience sees on stage is very similar to who he is offstage—just an amplification of his real personality. Offstage, he says he enjoys reading, watching movies and attending theater.
“I use downtime to recharge myself for the rigors of touring and performing,” he says. “I also recharge by being healthy and working out, and I love doing triathlons, especially alongside my dad. I love having a quiet time with my dog, and playing catch-up on the Oklahoma life I’ve missed while touring. I still fly home to Cleveland County after touring all around the world.”
This fall, Rob will tour in South Africa and hints of exciting projects and new illusions to come.
“Looking forward, I want to always be able to create, make magic and enjoy what I do,” he concludes. “I am proud that I get to literally make things I dreamed of become real. I’m a living testament to follow your dreams and passions. This is absolutely not the easiest path, but I can’t imagine it any other way. “
Follow@RobLakeMagic on social media, and view upcoming performances and tour dates at RobLake.com
ROB’S FAVORITE ILLUSIONS:
- Most fun to perform: The Tower: https://vimeo.com/roblakemagic/roblaketoweragt
- Most difficult to create: The Mirror: https://vimeo.com/roblakemagic/mirror
- Most challenging: The Artist’s Dream: https://youtu.be/OoG_x-ygB2g
- Most time needed to create: The Laser. “I had the idea for this when I was 12. It took more than two decades and countless setbacks and trials before it made it to the stage,” Rob explains. https://vimeo.com/807102580/7252c7c77a
“Every time I create a new illusion, I’m literally creating the impossible, and holding myself to the highest standards."
“Everything I do is about style and theatricality...I want to create a theatrical world to escape, but where the laws of our own reality can bend.”