Lights, camera, magic?

Edwardsville High School’s second annual Beauty Week kicked off this Monday with a 6:30 p.m. magic show.

The show was organized by Student Council (Stuco) adviser Melissa Beck and performed by Josh Routh, who hosted a hypnosis show at EHS two years ago, according to senior and Stuco member Hannah Griffin.

“(Stuco) thought of different ways to get more people there so we decided on a Cup party for the sixth hour class with the highest attendance,” Griffin said.

As the auditorium filled, Routh conversed with the crowd. One student he came into contact with was junior Joe Paolucci.

“I love to support anyone who is doing something that they love,” said Paolucci, “and he was really passionate about his trade so it was really nice to come out and support him.”

He started by balancing Paolucci’s hat on his nose. This was followed by a steady stream of jokes.

“He was a really cool guy and he interacted with the crowd nicely,” Paolucci said.

As Routh performed mind-reading and card-guessing, he implemented the theme of Beauty Week into his jokes and monologues.

He discussed his struggles as a student with social issues.  Once he turned to magic, his perspective on life changed and he found joy from performing.

That performance ended with a trick that only about 110 people knew how to do, according to Routh.  He swallowed a sword in front of the audience after pausing multiple times to “ruin snapchats” and tell jokes.

“The magician interacted with the crowd really well and people seemed to enjoy it,” Griffin said. “I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout for the event.”