By Stori Long
Reporter

One of the first things mentalist Blake Adams assured his audience Saturday was that he is not a magician.

“I am not a psychic, or a fortune-teller,” Adams said. “I have no special powers. I use the five senses to create the illusion of a sixth.”

Despite this disclaimer, the audience of more than 50 people gathered in the Great Hall at George W. Truett Theological Seminary seemed no less mesmerized and amazed throughout Adam’s show.

“I think it’s so much better that he tells you up front that he is not a magician,” Fort Worth senior Jeremy Chasteen said. “The fact that he is using his senses and his power of observation is so much more impressive than just learning a trick.”

From the beginning of the show, Adams engaged the audience, calling unsuspecting volunteers onto the stage to assist him in his illusions. Using his five senses by reading expressions, voice inflections and movement, Adams was able to correctly identify a number of things that seemed impossible for him to know, such as what a volunteer was thinking, picturing or drawing.

Among those in the audience was Mallory Homeyer, George W. Truett Theological Seminary graduate and Adams’ fiancée.

“He’s tried to explain them to me, but I have no idea how he does some of them,” Homeyer said. “But that’s OK. I like being in wonder.”

Aside from being a mentalist, Adams showed a flair for theatrics, building audience anticipation and tension.

One illusion in particular captivated audience members. A volunteer was in charge of placing a spike under one of five cups while another held up the tablecloth, blocking the view of the audience, all while Adams’ back was turned.

Adams then selected another volunteer and allowed the volunteer to guess where the spike was. Adams proceeded to go down the line of cups, slamming his hands down onto the cups. This tension was built even higher by the fact that Adams prefaced this trick with the statement that he has seen and known other illusionists who have “messed up” this trick before.

“I hate the spike trick,” Homeyer said. “It makes me nervous every time.”

The audible gasps from the audience suggested a similar emotion to Homeyer’s during that particular part of the show.

“The stuff he does is completely mind blowing,” Houston junior Natalie Payne said. “I just can’t imagine how he is able to do some of the things that he does. He was incredible, and well worth the $7.”

The fee paid by all those who attended will go toward funding seminary students’ mission trip to Germany over spring break. The students will be working with youth who live on military bases. The seminary students will lead a youth leadership camp on their first weekend there and then travel to different bases throughout Germany.

“This is not just a ‘go see the castles kind of trip,’” said Dr. Amy Jacober, associate professor of practical theology and youth ministry at Truett, who will be going on the trip with the students.

“We are going over there to serve the youth of our military overseas.”

For those who missed the event and want a chance to see Blake Adams, see his fan page on Facebook for information on upcoming appearances. He also performs from 7 to 9 p.m. every Friday at Poppa Rollo’s Pizza on N. Valley Mills Drive.