All-Star Magic Revue IT'S MAGIC Set for the Harris Center

Once again, the art of magic is alive and thriving at the Harris Center for the Arts. It's Magic, a live stage show which features some of the finest magic performers from around the world, returns to Folsom, and well it should. Regional audiences have fallen in love with the show, as demonstrated by consecutive years of sold-out shows and added performances. Now It's Magic returns to celebrate its 60th Anniversary. It's "A must for magic buffs of all ages!" (Los Angeles Times), and wraps up a weekend of family fun in Folsom.

This live stage show is unique in that it features many of the top professional magicians from around the world, with each act carefully selected to represent the variety of the art of magic. Many of these performers are internationally recognized award-winners, direct from exotic showrooms as well as Hollywood's famous Magic Castle. Parents who came to see It's Magic! as youngsters are now bringing their children and grand­children to see this amazing line-up of famous magicians.

It's Magic! 60th Anniversary Tour plays on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 2 and 6 pm. Tickets are priced at $21-$39, Premium Seats $45. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from noon to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. The Harris Center is located on the west side of the Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

In this year's edition of It's Magic, the lineup of acts includes Master Magician Chuck Jones, who has devised many of his own illusions. His original creation, the MIS-MADE GIRL ILLUSION (a girl is divided into four parts and accidentally assembled wrong) won him an award from the Society of American Magicians and has been widely copied by virtually every illusionist in the world. Also featured is the husband and wife team of John Shryock and Mari Lynn who masterfully incorporate skillful magic and grand illusion with drama, dance, and comedy. Tom Ogden brings to the stage 30 years of professional touring, beginning with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. He traded the tinsel-and-sawdust of the circus ring for the glitter-and-sequins of Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Lake Tahoe. Along the way, he's opened for such acts as Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, The Osmonds, and B.J. Thomas. Joining the list of talented performers is Mystina, who has combined her natural dance ability with an ear for music and flair for magic to become one of the most unique magical performers in the world. Rounding out the show is Henrik Bothe who originated "Neonman," a glow-in-the-dark optical illusion that has taken him all over the world for TV appearances and is now a major part of his show.

The tradition of an all-star magic show started in 1956 when two young entrepreneurs, Milt Larsen and Oliver Berliner, produced a show called Hocus Pocus '56 at the magnificent (now demolished) Carthay Circle Theater in West Los Angeles. The following year, the show was renamed It's Magic! and moved to the 1300-seat Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles' swank Hancock Park area.

At first, the shows played for a limited time only. However, as the number of fans grew, the number of performances expanded. The success of It's Magic! proved there was a genuine interest in the ancient art form of magic. This, in turn, gave Larsen the idea of forming a full-time private club for magicians and magic enthusiasts. Thus was born the Magic Castle, which opened its doors in 1963 and today is the most famous and successful magic enterprise in the world, with a current roster of 5,000 members internationally. Many credit the show It's Magic! as the spark that rekindled the resurgence of the art of magic in America.

In 1965, Milt produced It's Magic! as a solo venture with his brother Bill as Associate Producer. It's Magic! then moved to the Variety Arts Theater in downtown Los Angeles in 1977 and played annually until the mid­eighties. Since its inception, Southern California audiences were treated to such legendary magicians as Harry Blackstone (senior and junior), John Calvert, Senor Wences, Richiardi, Chang, Mark Wilson, Frakson, Tenkai and Dai Vernon. The show also provided the springboard for newcomers like Lance Burton, Mark Kalin, Shimada, The Pendragons and Harry Anderson, all of whom have since become stars. Since 1994, the show has toured annually throughout the United States, each year with a new lineup of top flight magicians.

It's Magic wraps up a weekend of family fun in Folsom. The weekend opens with two performances of Japan's sensational taiko drumming group TAO on Saturday, March 19.

Now in its Fifth Anniversary Season, the Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.

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