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A few minutes into the second performance of "(insert title here)," David London presents a small box to the audience and asks them to guess what's inside.

"An elephant," says one woman.

"Air," predicts another.

It's not polite to reveal a magician's secret, but the box's contents are smaller than an elephant and more substantial than air. The Rockville native and Wootton High School alum is performing professionally now, but it began with the classic rabbit in a hat trick when he was 7 years old.

"As he got older and more into it, he became more passionate," recalls his mother Sharan London. "Of course, we were always supportive."

By middle school, David London realized that magic could make him more popular. He became "the magic guy," showing off tricks for classmates and teachers. Even today, with his small frame and math club glasses, he looks like he just arrived from a Star Wars convention.

"It saved my life," he says. "Although I was socially awkward, I had this tool that allowed people to have a good time. So, I knew everyone. And in high school, if you were to walk through the halls with me, you would have thought I was a popular kid."

But London strays far from the standards. During his show, the 27-year-old pulls a plastic bag over his head, performs a bit involving celebrity toenail clippings and makes himself a sandwich with Wonder Bread and toothpaste. Satan even drops by for a cameo.

If his act sounds absurd, that's because it is. London takes an intellectual approach to magic. He points out that there are the same number of slices in a loaf of Wonder bread (22) as there are major arcana cards in a Tarot deck.

"The Wonder Bread routine emerged at a moment in my magical life where I was thinking that I didn't really have an understanding of wonder that I felt I needed as a magician," he explains. "It was a way to explore this abstract concept of wonder in a tangible way."

Although he knew early on that magic would be his career, London earned a degree in film and video from Columbia College Chicago. He may not be a practicing Spielberg, but the school made a deep impression. The magician considers himself an artist, and includes street performances in his repertoire. One of his "divergencies," called "Be The White Rabbit," requires strangers at an event to jump into a fantasy land.

"It's sort of an interactive play," he says. "Step one is to put on the rabbit head and step two is to be The White Rabbit. And they do that for however long they think that means. Sometimes it's five seconds, sometimes it's an hour and a half."

London's brand of entertainment is hard to peg. Maybe that's why he believes a segment that aired on Current TV failed to capture his persona.

"They chopped it down and took out the tinges of me recognizing the ridiculousness of what I'm doing," he says. "I'm 100 percent happy with the piece the way it is. It's just not the piece I would have made about myself."

As he continues a philosophical path to success — what is "magic" anyway? —London acknowledges that his craft is continuously evolving. Veteran magician Bob Sheets, who helps run The Comedy & Mystery Society at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn, says London's act has taken a great leap forward.

"Last year, I gave him the most improved performer award," Sheets says. "He really came up. It's probably because he's working more. Not just at the Barn, but he's been doing more work generally. It's like anything else; the more you do your job, the better you get at it."

London's current stretch of weekend shows are part of the grand opening of The Fridge, a new art space in Southeast's Eastern Market. Proprietor and gallery director Alex Goldstein is not only hoping to exhibit emerging artists, but reach young people as well. Every painter, sculptor and photographer will teach two classes while their work is on display. London performed a children's show last Sunday afternoon.

"My mission here at The Fridge is to encourage children and their parents to enjoy the arts," Goldstein says. "We want them to take the adventure of the imagination together and to share that experience as a family."

Goldstein met London a little more than a year ago, and the two quickly became friends. He knew the magician was the perfect person to christen the newly-renovated building.

"He's been a very good friend to me as I've been going through this process," Goldstein recalls. "I really believe in his work as well, which is why I wanted to produce the first run of this show."

The performances are a stepping stone to a larger goal. London has taken the stage at the National Theatre and Warehouse Theater locally, and spent the summer hitting up festivals across the country.

"I've always felt that this is what I've wanted," he says. "There have been several times and there continues to be times where I have questioned that, but really, in the end, this is what I do. When I was in film school, I thought I was going to be a cinematographer. But magic prevailed once again."

See "(insert title here): An Evening with David London" at 9 p.m. this Friday and Oct. 2; at 8 p.m. this Saturday and Oct. 3 and at 2 p.m. Sunday. The magician will discuss his craft at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at The Fridge, 516 8th St. SE (Rear Alley), Washington, D.C. Tickets are $10. Call 202-664-4151 or visit thefridgedc.com.