Photo by Joe Imel/Daily News Internationally renowned magician John Calvert stands Friday outside the Capitol Arts Center to announce his upcoming performances at Bowling Green’s historic downtown theater. The 96-year-old illusionist and stuntman will bring his brand of magic to the Capitol from June 23-29.

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With the wave of a hand, smiles are expected to magically appear on the faces of patrons at the Capitol Arts Center when renowned magician John Calvert brings his Magicarama show to Bowling Green for a week-long engagement.

From June 23-29, Calvert’s two-hour show featuring astounding illusions and entertainment for all ages will come to the Capitol and will be attracting several other entertainers.

Perhaps equally as amazing as the act itself is the fact that Calvert continues to perform at age 96.

“It is a pity a lot of people think that after you pass the mark of 80, it’s time to lay down and die,” said Calvert, a former actor who appeared in several major movies in the 1940s and appeared in three films as detective and adventurer “The Falcon.”

Though he attained some fame as a Hollywood actor, Calvert established himself as a magician, packing houses in six continents with his Magicarama show.

During the 1940s and ’50s, Calvert flew his stage show around the world on one of his private airliners, later touring the globe aboard a 65-foot yacht.

The semi-retired Calvert, who was born in Indiana and has a daughter who lives in Bowling Green, said he was inspired to bring his show here to help the Capitol Arts Center raise some much-needed funding.

Barry Williams of the Capitol Arts Alliance said in a news conference last Friday that scoring a week’s worth of performances would be a coup for the theatre.

“His abilities as a magician and illusionist are world-renowned,” Williams said of Calvert, who recently visited Columbus, Ohio, for a week’s worth of shows there. “For a young man of 96, I guess there’s no such thing as retirement.”

Calvert’s career as a touring magician dates back more than 70 years.

Among the highlights of his Magicarama show are Calvert levitating his wife and assistant, Tammy, over the audience while she plays an organ and Calvert cutting off and reattaching a man’s head.

“I challenge the audience to detect the moment when medical science ends and the art of magic begins,” Calvert said.

Each night, Magicarama will feature a special guest star performing alongside Calvert during his run at the Capitol.

Special guests will include performers such as Jade, “The Oriental Queen of Magic” from San Francisco, Faust the Magician from London, Liberace impersonator Martin Preston from Ottawa, Canada, Florida magician Vince Carmen, Michael Woodward of Lexington, Kevin King of Nashville and Johnny Fox of New York.

Calvert said he was looking forward to performing on stage at the Capitol, calling it a “beautiful theater.”

“Every day when I awaken I say to myself, ‘All the world’s a stage and today I’m going to play the part of a young man all day long,’ ” Calvert said.

General admission tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for children with an adult. Orchestra seats are available for $35 ($30 for seniors). The show will go on at 7 p.m. nightly from June 23-28, with a matinee at 2 p.m. June 29.

— To order tickets, call (877) 694-2787 or visit www.capitolarts.com.