SMOKE AND MIRRORS Enters Final Weeks of Performances at The Road

After more than a year of numerous extensions, LA's most beloved theatrical magic show, Smoke and Mirrors, is officially closing on Dec. 31. Ring in 2014 with spellbinding illusions, a life-sized rabbit and a timeless story that is as mesmerizing as it is heartwarming at the Road on Lankershim in the NoHo Arts District now in its final run through Dec. 29 with two New Year's Eve shows on Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. and a late night show at 10:00 p.m (Midnight Countdown party includes champagne, hors d'oeuvre and favors).

Lifetime member of the Magic Castle, and accomplished actor Albie Selznick's autobiographical play has enjoyed critical acclaim since it first opened in Santa Monica in 2012 before relocating to the Road on Lankershim in NoHo throughout its 2013 run. The phenomenal success has paved the way for future regional tours with an eye on NYC as Robert Egan (Mark Taper Forum, Ojai Playwrights Conference) has come onboard to direct as well as develop the play in collaboration with Selznick.

Earning rave reviews including a "Critic's Choice" from the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly's "Go!", Smoke and Mirrors is one of the most critically praised and longest running shows of the 2012-2013 season. Backstage hailed, "Smoke and Mirrors is about magic, wonder, and spectacle. You'll leave feeling spellbound." The LA Weekly said, "If you've forgotten the childlike joy and sublime wonderment of seeing magic performed, Albie Selznick's theatrical show is an enchanting reminder...a bewildering tour de force that has more "how did he do that" flashes than can be counted. Go!" Stage Scene LA dubbed Smoke and Mirrors "a uniquely entertaining show," while Broadway World called it "a magic show of the highest order, and much more...don't miss Smoke and Mirrors."

Attracting the attention of producer/director/dramaturge Robert Egan bodes well for Smoke and Mirrors in its next incarnation. Currently, Egan is the artistic director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference and Wattsmedia. He was the producing artistic director at the Mark Taper Forum for twenty years where he created the New Work Festival and directed numerous shows including Other Desert Cities starring JoBeth Williams, 10 Unknowns starring Stacy Keach, Closer with Rebecca DeMornay and Maggie Gyllenhall, Death and the Maiden with Jimmy Smits, Richard II with Kelsey Grammar and Michael Ceveris, Aristocrats with John Laroquette, and Made in Bangkok with Steven Weber. His extensive directing credits also include CTG at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Ojai Theater Festival, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Actor's Gang, Falcon Theatre, LaJolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Center, New York Shakespeare Festival, and Playwrights Horizon. As a producer and dramaturge, Egan has developed over 300 plays for playwrights such as Jon Robin Baitz, Maxine Hong Kingston, Tony Kushner, Stephen Adley Guirgis and George Wolfe.

Selznick is excited teaming up with Egan as Smoke and Mirrors moves into a new year with a fresh creative direction. Although the show has continued to evolve along the way, including additional magic acts and more fully explored storylines, 2014 will see further revitalization for regional productions and a promising NYC Off-Broadway run.

In a recent interview with Don Grigware, Selznick describes his process and journey, "I'm always working on how to connect everything but also keep it somewhat abstract and open to everyone's individual interpretation. I want to make this show a wild rollercoaster ride... something that has never been done before."

Created by and starring internationally renowned magician and actor, Albie Selznick (Castle, Grays Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, etc.), Smoke and Mirrors is a semi-autobiographical, fantastical coming-of-age story about a boy who uses magic to escape reality after the death of his father. Interweaving spellbinding illusions, special effects, audience participation and surprising appearances from the hereafter, themes of love, loss and magic are explored in a highly theatrical, stylized production that combines imagination with the heart.

Smoke and Mirrors is co-produced with Road Theatre Company. The Road Theatre Company was founded in 1991 and has a reputation for supporting, nurturing, and presenting new works. Deeply invested in the NoHo community and the neighborhood's revitalization, the company is a vital part of the community and educational outreach. The Road Theatre Company accomplishment of artistic excellence combined with outstanding production value, prompted the LA Weekly in 2010 to proclaim The Road Theatre Company "One of the best theatres of the decade" and the NoHo News to describe the company as "one of the finest venues for the newest and best American dramas." The Road's commitment to producing and developing new work has led to numerous plays being published and developed into film projects.

Albie Selznick (Writer/Performer) is a lifetime member of the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and is an award winning performer and accomplished actor. He began his career as a co-creator of The Mums, a popular boundary-breaking circus-theatre trio of the 80's/90's. The LA Times said, "The Mums do for the arts of Juggling and Magic what Elvis did for rock and roll." Andy Warhol gave them a two-page pictorial in Interview magazine, while the LA Weekly put them on their cover and called them "The Best Performance Troupe in LA." The phenomenon of The Mums went international when they opened for Duran Duran, Devo, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Berlin and Ry Cooder. Their fans included David Bowie and Sting.

Since then Selznick's work has ranged from world-class theatre to recurring roles on popular TV shows. On stage, he played the Fool in renowned director Robert Wilson's visionary production of King Lear, Mercutio in Deaf West's Romeo and Juliet and co-starred opposite Glenne Headly in Detachments. Most recently he starred in the west-coast première of The Water's Edge by Theresa Rebeck of TV's Smash, directed by Sam Anderson at The Road Theatre, where Selznick is a company member. On the small screen, Selznick is best known for playing Rabbi Ben for two seasons on Suddenly Susan and the evil D.A Owen Pomerantz on The Young and The Restless, he has guest starred on over sixty television shows including Castle, Dexter, Episodes, Grey's Anatomy, Southland, Desperate Housewives, NCIS, and all three CSIs.

Two New Year's Eve performances with a Countdown Party at the late-night show will close the wildly successful run with a celebration including food and drink in the lobby of The Road on Lankershim in the NoHo Arts District. There will be a 6:30 p.m. show on Dec. 31 with regular admission of $34 and the late-night show to follow at 10:00 p.m. (tickets are $60 including champagne, food and favors).

In its final extension, Smoke and Mirrors will continue to run through December 29, 2013 with performances on Thursdays, Dec. 19 and Dec. 26, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm (two Saturday matinees added on Dec 21 & 28 at 3 pm) and Sundays at 3 pm at the Road on Lankershim located at the historic Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, 91601. General admission is $34.00 (New Year's Eve late-night performance/party is $60). For reservations call 800-595-4849 or for information, call 310-450-2849 or go to www.smokeandmirrorsmagic.com.

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