Magic Man mesmerizes audiences at old haunts By MIKE ABRAMS Daily Record staff York, PA      With a magic kit his parents bought for him in third grade, James Warren embarked on a career as an illusionist for the stars.      Over the years, the York native has performed with his linking rings, mysterious cards and burning flowers for the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Steve Allen, and Sinbad from the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.      But Warren returned Tuesday to less glittering surroundings: his former stomping grounds of Central High.      It was the school where he once dazzled classmates with his magical prowess and earned top acting honors during his senior year, 1968. (Oh, and he "cut" a person's head off during a talent show that year.)      Back in town for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary this week, Warren stepped on Central's stage this time to deliver his magic, wit and a social message for a new generation of students.      He burned a girl's $20 bill, only to make it reappear encased in a cigar. He had a guy tie him up with a rope, only to escape in seconds. He had members of the crowd join in an "ESP" game, in which he correctly predicted and wrote down what the participants were going to say before they said it.      During another bit, he used Chinese Linking Rings to demonstrate the pressure of joining friends for doing drugs or getting in trouble.      "Most people start smoking because their friends do it because it's cool," Warren said, joining the silver ring from his right hand with two others already linked.      The students packed in the auditorium "oohed" and "aahed," clearly amazed that their visitor had connected seemingly unconnectible objects. He wanted the rings to demontrate how people can connect with each other as true friends--not just as partners in destructive behavior.      Trying to avoid sounding too preachy, though, Warren spent most of his hour captivating the students with various tricks from his black bag. He included a half-dozen student volunteers and a teacher in his act.      Like any good magician, though, Warren wouldn't reveal his secrets. He did, however, share the story of how he came to be a magic man.      As an elementary student in the Central York district, he picked up the magic bug from the toy set his parents, Bob and Jean, gave him. It featured a plastic woman he could cut in half and a vanishing box.      "I actually used that stuff to do my first assembly," he said, remembering his initial appearance in front of fellow seventh-graders at North Hills Junior High (now North Hills Elementary).      From there, he performed for classmates, family members and civic groups around York. After earning two degrees, he moved to California, where he refined his illusionary skill before celebrity and corporate audiences.     On this trip home, he has stops scheduled at York Suburban Middle School and West York Area Middle School.      "I'm very happy with it," Council President Phong Doan said. "I think they all enjoyed it."      Stacey Butash, an 11th-grader, seemed to enjoy it as much as anyone, if not more. After all, she was just glad to get her $20 back.