The Illusionists, direct from Broadway. Photo: Mark Turner
Slick, professional, baffling, clever, gasp-inducing and all-round top-rate entertainment. The Illusionists is all this more, and even cynics can’t help wondering, “How do they do that?”
“Direct from Broadway” says the publicity, but this is a show that looks like it comes straight from Las Vegas. From the moment Jeff Hobson – aka The Trickster – prances onto the stage, sparkling in personality and costume, we know we’re in for a glitzy, spectacular evening. Hobson, like the other six illusionists who are in this brand new version of the show, is on top of his game. He’s funny, he’s smart and he knows a trick or two! The ultimate showman.
Illusionists Mark Kalin and Jinger Leigh. Photo: Mark Turner
He’s joined by The Manipulator (An Halim), The Daredevil (Jonathan Goodwin), The Mentalist (Chris Cox), The Conjuress (Jinger Leigh), The Showman (Jonathan Goodwin) and The Inventor (Kevin James), who between them deliver “death defying acts of visual, mental and optical illusion”. No arguing with that.
Jonathan Goodwin is on fire. Photo: Mark Turner
James as the Inventor, likes to ‘make adults feel like kids again’. He’s also adept at the chopping-the-body-in-half trick, and not just separating it in a box, but seemingly having the two halves on different parts of the stage. (Is ‘trick’ now non-PC? Are we supposed to call ‘trick’ and ‘magic’ an illusion these days? Whatever, there’s plenty of all in this show!)
A word of warning. If you’re not into audience participation, don’t sit at the front. If you have kids who want to be part of the action, then do! The Inventor is particularly good at invoking wonder in small children. This is entertainment for all ages.
Standouts for this kid were, in no particular order:
The Daredevil’s escape from a straitjacket before he was consumed in flames (not to be tried at home). Oh, and a live scorpion was also involved.
The Manipulator’s mesmerising and completely confounding card tricks. As with other acts, Halim is videoed so the audience has close-ups of the action, which doesn’t at all help explain how The Manipulator seems to produce card after card after card from each of his fingertips. Nor how he seems able to change the card face at will, or produce more packs of cards than could be carried about an ordinary mortal’s body.
The Mentalist’s “mindreading” exploits. Part mindreading, part comedy, the geeky and hilarious Cox proceeds to tell people what they are thinking. Somehow. We know there’s a trick here, but what is it? How does he do it?
All part of the fun, folks. Like joining and un-joining engagement rings, swiping watches off unsuspecting wrists, making folk disappear, then reappear, and inducing awe and wonder in kids of all ages. The gasp-inducing factor is a 10 for these Illusionists, who are at the Opera House only until February 1.
Highly recommended.
