the-illusionists

Broadway in Orlando presents: The Illusionists Live Review | Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando, FL | October 4-9, 2016

by • October 5, 2016

Thinking back to when I was a kid, I can remember watching magic show specials on television and being absolutely dumbfounded. First and foremost was David Copperfield. How did he make the Statue of Liberty disappear? Or how did he guess the card that my finger was touching on the TV screen? Another magician I remember watching on TV was Val Valentino, the “masked magician” on Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed. He gave away some top secret stuff, like sawing a lady in half or making a caged elephant disappear. Magic is one of the greatest mesmerizing things to witness. I got to thinking that I had never really been to a big magic show. I finally got that chance on October 5 at the Dr. Phillips Center. The show? FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando presents The Illusionists – Live From Broadway. And it was pretty incredible. Who knew the Dr. Phillips Center is where the magic happens?!

SEE THE MAGIC YOURSELF OCT 5-9

The show features seven modern magicians performing their tricks in a two-and-a-half hour performance with an intermission. The performers are Jeff Hobson (The Trickster), Kevin James (The Inventor), Dan Sperry (The Anti-Conjuror), Andrew Basso (The Escapologist), Yu Ho-Jin (The Manipulator), Colin Cloud (The Deductionist), and Ben Blaque (The Weapon Master).

The show starts with a quote on the screen: “You see, but you do not observe,” written by Arthur Conan Doyle for his detective, Sherlock Holmes. The first performance was an introduction that used math magic to get a result that ended with the number of people in the audience, the numerical date, and the time, in succession. The first act then started off with a card trick with the participant’s card ending up in the performers mouth, followed by a chewed up life saver being surgically removed from the throat with some dental floss, unchewed and whole, of course. Then came a mad scientist Frankenstein type act, putting body parts together of a little person Charlie Chaplin that then came to life. After that was a card performance that could have gone on forever as the performer kept making dozens and dozens of card decks appear in his hands one after the other. There was a mind reading bit with word play humor (sex and eat) … go check out the show to get the joke. Next came a skillful trick with a floating, dancing napkin that changed into paper rose and then fire turned it into a real rose, and the audience participant was young girl who said she was there “because my parents made me.” The first act was capped off with the classic Harry Houdini maneuver as the performer was submerged in a water chamber struggling to escape from handcuffs and a pad lock with only a paper clip … took about three minutes!

The second act started off with a performer inserting a participant’s marked quarter into his eye, only to cut his arm open and remove the coin. Following was your typical cut a man (doctor) in half routine and showcase his upper torso around the stage, and then reconnect him. The second act included classic favorites like stealing volunteers’ watches, disappearing objects in a bag, fire-eating, and dangerous crossbow marksmanship. My favorite part of the show was probably the bird section, where the performer kept making birds appear/disappear and change colors, placed them into a cage, turned all of the small birds into one big cockatoo, then instantly turned that bird into a woman. The second act was capped off with with a paper snowflake that transformed the front of the room into a winter wonderland. The show ended with a finale featuring another card trick that turned one card into several, erased the front and back markings to a clean white slate, then spreading the cards on the table to reveal a special message – “The Illusionists – #OrlandoStrong” – displaying their gratitude for our fine city.

The show was mind blowing and included plenty of comedy and good dramatic music to accompany the wonder and amazement. The Illusionists runs through October 9, so get your tickets and prepare to be thoroughly astonished.

SEE THE MAGIC YOURSELF OCT 5-9

The Illusionists Live Review by Richie Williams, edited by Matthew Weller.

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