Review: Witness the Impossible with THE ILLUSIONISTS

Magic shows. These two little words spark so many different thoughts, feelings and opinions from people. Some view them as a complete farce and waste of time, while others are completely fascinated by the sleight of hand, the disillusionment and the mystery behind it all. I happen to be the latter type of person and have seen my fair share of magic shows, so I really wasn't expecting to see anything new or daring in this particular show. Boy, was I wrong! In THE ILLUSIONISTS the seven different type of magicians promise they will "notice, observe, deduce" in a way never seen before, and they absolutely do not disappoint.

THE ILLUSIONISTS is not your typical "pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat" type of magic show. For starters, the visual effects are outstanding and truly add to the amazing feats being done on stage. The set designers and show producers did an outstanding job of incorporating simplicity with grandiose pieces. Some acts were performed with a simple black curtain backdrop or simple lighting, while others were major showstoppers with beautiful dancers, loud music and lots of different lighting effects. Add to that the extensive resumes and skill of the seven different magicians and you have yourself one of the best magic shows the world has ever seen.

Another great thing about this show is that there truly is something for everyone. Each of the seven different magicians is an expert at a different type of magic, and therefore it's easy to pick one or a few that you particularly like and latch on to those performances. For me this was hard because I genuinely liked all of them, but it was clear from the reactions of the audience members sitting next to me that they preferred certain performers.

Colin Cloud, or The Deductionist as he is called in the show, opened the evening's performance and performed in a few solo acts at various points. The Sherlock-esque mind-reader was absolutely fascinating. His witty humor and ability to read people was astounding, and while I don't wish to give any of his tricks away, there is a particular revelation at the end of one of his tricks with the audience's playbill that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cloud has an extensive background in the field of Forensic Investigation which makes his work on stage even more fascinating. While I knew his abilities to deduce what a person was thinking stemmed from small movements or tip-offs from the selected audience member, his dexterity and perfection to his craft truly made me believe it was magic.

The funny-man and host of the show was Jeff Hobson. Known as The Trickster, he offered a much needed comic relief element to the production while also performing outstanding tricks of hand. Many of the acts throughout the night employed audience participation and the magicians chose people from the crowd, but many of Hobsons acts relied upon them. His jokes and quips to the audience had me laughing hysterically throughout the night and his skill with magic was definitely up to par with the others. He also had many costume changes throughout the night and in a way he reminded me of The Hunger Games' Caesar Flickerman - stylish, funny, and always keeping the audience wanting more.

Some of the more elaborate tricks came from Kevin James or The Inventor. His mad scientist demeanor fits perfectly with his acts - at one point he cuts a person in half just to put them back together again and he also makes snow appear out of thin air. Each time he was on stage I found myself asking "HOW is he doing this?" and to me that's what makes a fantastic show. While he played the part of the mad scientist well in his bigger acts, the audience does get to see a lighter side to him during the show when he selects a child from the audience and performs a simple trick with a paper napkin. I won't give the trick away, but it definitely left the audience saying "aww!"

The Anti-Conjuror, or Dan Sperry, was the only one I'd heard about before the show. Sperry has thousands of followers on YouTube and after seeing him perform it's easy to see why. His first act was completely silent and had slightly gruesome effect to it (there was dental floss and a mint...that's all I'm saying) but it worked. Later, he comes out with another trick that's less gory and involves doves and it was one of the most breathtaking of the entire show. I was in awe of how he fast he was - I admit, I was trying to see how the trick was done, but he's so fast and skilled that I could merely sit back and enjoy the amazingness of it. While his aesthetic and goth look may be off-putting to some, to me it fit his quirky personality perfectly and he was a great addition to the show.

One of my favorite performers was The Manipultor - Yu Ho-Jin. Every time he was on stage I was completely drawn in. His set-up was very simple, just light music and minimal lighting, but his manipulation of playing cards was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. With a concentrated look on his face you could tell he truly loves his craft, and his smile when the audience erupted in applause was incredibly heartwarming! In the show they make a point of telling the audience that Ho-Jin was named the Magician of the Year in 2014 and it's easy to see why.

Both The Weapon Master, Ben Blaque and The Escapologist, Andrew Basso were both equally amazing, I was sad that they each only had one act in the show. Both of their acts were meant to be highlights of the show (Blaque performs an outstanding bow-and-arrow trick with the help of an assistant that involves multiple bows and a great deal of skill and Basso pays tribute to the great Harry Houdini by doing the famed water torture cell trick), but I was hoping to see more from them. While I realize this would only make the run time of the show longer, I believe their skills warranted more time in the show and they had other tricks up their sleeves to show the audience.

Whether you've been a magic fan for years like me, or your just mildly interested, THE ILLUSIONISTS is one show you don't want to miss! The jaw-dropping illusions and witty humor of each magician will leave you thinking about the show well after you leave the theater. You may even be asking yourself, "Is magic...real?!" Abracadabra!

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