Susan Granger’s review of “The Illusionists: Live from Broadway” (Palace Theater/Stamford & Bushnell/Hartford)
When Simon Painter conceived “The Illusionists: Witness the Impossible,” he wanted to showcase magic in a very modern way. Now this magic ‘spectacular’ is on tour with stops at the Palace Theater in Stamford and the Bushnell in Hartford.
“The concept was to find the greatest illusionists in their respective fields and present the best of what they do in their particular genres,” Painter explains.
For their two Connecticut appearances, the cast includes:
The Trickster – Jeff Hobson, the host, whose specialty is comedic magic.
The Deductionist – Colin Cloud, Britain’s Sherlock Holmes of entertainment, whose mind-reading skills will definitely dazzle you.
The Inventor – Kevin James, who happens to be related to the legendary P.T. Barnum and whose original concepts are used by Doug Henning, David Copperfield, Penn & Teller.
The Manipulator – South Korea’s card shark, An Ha Lim.
The Daredevil – Jonathan Goodman, whose risks life and limb doing stunts. Unlike the others, he is neither a magician nor illusionist. Everything you see him do is very real.
Many of their tricks are staples of the art form, others are tributes to the great magicians who first introduced them.
For example, Kevin James puts his on twist on David Copperfield’s floating rose trick, where a piece of paper bounces around mid-air and is eventually transformed into a long-stemmed red rose, which he presents to an enthralled audience member.
Jonathan Goodman pays homage to legendary Harry Houdini, escaping from a water torture block, a stunt that Houdini first performed back in 1912.
One warning, however. I was seated in the mezzanine and, while there’s a large screen focused on the performers, much of the audience interaction was directly below me in an orchestra area that was not visible. For me, it was like watching a show on television – which – at these prices, is not acceptable.
So, if you’re planning to attend, purchase orchestra seats as close to the front as possible – or don’t bother.
ADDENDUM: THE ILLUSIONISTS is crossing the pond…it’s in London, and here’s the link: https://seatplan.com/london/the-illusionists/