BWW Reviews: THE ILLUSIONSTS: WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE

THE ILLUSIONISTS: WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE, direct from Broadway, produced by Magicspace Entertainment is at the Knight Theater until Sunday, February 1, 2015. This show is part of the 2014-2015 Broadway Lights Series. For tickets contact Blumenthal Performing Arts Box Office at (704) 372-1000.

I was very excited to learn THE ILLUSIONISTS: WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE was coming to the Knight Theater. Growing up in Los Angeles, I have seen the best magicians from around the world, because my father is a magician and a member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Magic isn't commonplace in this town. This is a rare opportunity to get to see this caliber of magic talent in Charlotte.

THE ILLUSIONISTS: WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE lives up to my expectations for a touring magic show. This show brought an intimate parlor room feel with the help of a cameraman, who was capturing the magic up-close and projecting it onscreen.

This show's creative team includes Producer, Simon Painter, Executive Producer, Tim Lawson, Director, Neil Dorward and Creative Director, Jim Millan. They melded the best talents to truly round out this show. There was a genre of magic/magician for everyone's taste. The magicians included Yu Ho-Jin, named 2014 "Magician of the Year," by the Academy of Magical Arts; His slight of hand and card fanning was truly the best I have ever seen! Yu's ease brought magic to another level. Even when I looked directly at his hands, I was unable to tell how the cards were fanning so smoothly and swiftly. The Anti-Conjurer, Dan Sperry, who appeared on "America's Got Talent," was a goth-macabre character. He was very enjoyable because of how committed he was to his character and the shock magic he accompanied it with. He kept the audience on edge by bringing the audience and volunteers into very perceived danger. There were no boundaries to what he was capable of in his magic, which added a continuous uncertainty when he came on stage.

The Trickster, Jeff Hobson, one of the "hosts" brought dry, edgy and in-the-moment jokes to his part. He stopped a trick, just to comment on people arriving late, making everyone love him, as he gave an added gleam to this show. The Escapologist, Andrew Basso, performed a version of Houdini's famous Water Torture Cell. The audience was captivated by his escape knowing he put his life in danger. We all held our breath as he went into the tank. There was real stressed silence, you could hear a pin drop. The Inventor, Kevin James, the man who created illusions for Copperfield and some of the most celebrated illusions of the last century brought a "classic" feel to the show. The Warrior, Aaron Crow, was a first place finisher at the World Championships of Magic brought seriousness and conviction. He stayed silent and called on relationships and sacrifice, bringing the audience in with his sharp shooting talent. I would have enjoyed seeing more from him. The Futurist, Adam Trent, who began the show, fooled the audience numerous times throughout keeping us, the audience on our feet; whether we were or not.

This was the first show I have seen that had entertainment during intermission. A screen came down showing the Anti-Conjurer backstage performing magic followed by the Trickster roaming with close-up magic throughout the audience.

This show was one of the longest shows I have seen in a theatre, but in no way is that a bad thing. The magicians' versatility between close-up magic, big illusions, and a mix of the two with numerous volunteers and constant deception, kept the audience in constant awe. This show keeps you entertained every minute. Witness the impossible! Don't miss it!

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