Review: THE ILLUSIONISTS LIVE FROM BROADWAY at The Overture Center

As a haze envelopes, The Overture Center for the Arts a drum beat begins, followed shortly by screaming electric guitar licks. The energy in the theater is palpable as dancers move and gyrate across the stage. A curtain drops over a cage suspended far above the stage and nearly immediately falls away to reveal...The Illusionists!

The Illusionists, a touring magical extravaganza that premiered in Australia, that is now making its way around the states after a stint on Broadway offers Madison a night that won't soon be forgotten.

With Jeff Hobson, as acting MC, we are led through a magical night illusion. Hobson's brilliant comedic timing coupled with some incredible sleight of hand set us up for laughs and wonders.

Watching Yo Ho Jin from South Korea work with cards was not unlike watching an elegant dancer, owning the stage with style and grace. While the music helped to set the mood, it was Jins fluidity that hooked the audience.

Through nearly the entire show, audience members were picked to join the Illusionists on stage. This can be a very dangerous thing in any type of theater as people are unpredictable. That being said, the troupe handled theses volunteers like the pro's they are. Sometimes subtly maneuvering them into the position they needed them in, and often utilizing the member to enhance the comedy of the night. They were great to never embarrass or humiliate their assistants, always treating them with respect.

Kevin James, "The Inventor" with the help of an 11-year-old girl reminded us what magic looks like through the eyes of a child. As a special thank you, Kevin presented the girl with her own magic kit, telling her, "There aren't enough female magicians". Truly a class act.

Dan Sperry was by far my favorite. His macabre magic coupled with his Bobcat Goldthwaite-esque voice and mannerisms left me laughing to tears. He is like the cynical Alice Cooper of magic. Heidi, the woman chosen to help him was unable to flip and catch a quarter, leading to hilarity for everyone involved, and that included the entire audience.

The woman who helped Andrew Basso an Escapologist, seemed genuinely terrified as she handcuffed his wrists and padlocked the shackles on his feet. He was lowered into what is now known as the Houdini Water Torture Cell, utilizing only a paper clip to escape certain death. Her horror grew as the clock ticked away nearly 35 seconds before he even attempted to free himself. The crowd seemed to lose its collective mind when after nearly 2 minutes and 45 seconds he emerged from the tank. The cheers and thunderous applause went on for minutes.

Colin Cloud, The Sherlockian Deductionist took the audience along with the two volunteers on stage on a fantastic voyage leaving the woman behind me to exclaim; "What?" "Really?" "Oh my god!" and my favorite, "How did he...." Yes, she was so confounded that she was unable to complete her thought.

This was a great night of entertainment~ Being my first magic show (Well, I did see a guy get out of handcuffs in Key West, but that may have been more to escape the police than real magic) I enjoyed it immensely. It is family appropriate, now, that being said Dan Sperry did some illusions that may have appeared to cause real self-harm.

All in all a very solid night of entertainment.

Madison, Wis. - On the heels of a highly successful multi-city tour and run on Broadway, the world's best-selling touring magic show, THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY™ will play Overture Center in Madison Tuesday, November 22 - Sunday, November 27 (no performance on Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24) as part of its current North American tour to more than 50 cities. Tickets for THE ILLUSIONISTS are on sale now and are available in person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), online at overture.org or by phone at 608.258.4141.

Overture Center will host Kids' Night on Broadway (KNOB) on the Friday, November 25 2 p.m. performance, which includes pre-show activities and a post-show Meet the Artist. A limited number of balcony tickets for this performance are discounted: buy one adult ticket and receive a youth ticket (age 6 - 18) free by using promo code KNOB at overture.org.

Pre-show activities for KNOB at Overture Center on Friday, November 25 1-2 p.m. include:

Promenade Hall - Nicky Fynn, Magician - shows at 1:00 p.m. & 1:25 p.m.

Promenade Terrace - Balloon art, illusion light display, Overture logo art, puppet theater interactive display, KNOB prize giveaways

Broadway Across America is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com and The Broadway Channel. Led by 9 time Tony-winning producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 41 markets with over 270,000 subscribers. Current and past productions include Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Quartet, Hairspray, On Your Feet!, School of Rock and The Producers. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information, please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in over half a million educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org

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