Harry Houdini 00/00/0000 - Articles Page 15

The Chicago theater community will present a wide variety of plays and musicals, as well as dance and concert offerings this summer. In support, the League of Chicago Theatres will once again create a comprehensive Summer Theater Guide that will be available at hotels, theaters, events, and destinations across the Chicago area.

The rich versus the working class. Immigrant crises. Police clashing with rioting African-Americans. Women discovering their independence. Celebrities in your face. Is it 2016 or 1916, and how do you know?

The House Theatre of Chicago is proud to announce the return of the first play to ever grace its stage, the magic-filled thrill show and crowd favorite Death & Harry Houdini, written and directed by The House Theatre of Chicago Artistic Director Nathan Allen and starring Company Member and professional magician Dennis Watkins as Harry Houdini. Filled with stunning magic, poignant dialogue and original music, Death & Harry Houdini presents the story of history's most famous magician and his life-long war against Death. The production runs from May 12 - July 24 at the Chopin Theatre's Upstairs Theater, 1543 W. Division St.

?The story of Memorial Players' spring musical this year is almost prescient in its relevance to Baltimore (and the country) in 2016 - wealth inequality, abuse of power, corruption, the struggles of immigrants, collectivist organizing, cults of celebrity, the American dream lost and then found. What is almost more amazing is that it was selected by our Theater Committee more than two years ago.

Rhode Island audiences, prepare to be dazzled. RAGTIME is - deservedly - one of the most highly acclaimed musicals of the last two decades and the touring production now playing the Providence Performing Arts Center does the show's rich legacy proud.

At the beginning of Act II of Ragtime, Terrence McNally's masterful musical adaptation of E. L. Doctorow's novel, journeyman pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr., decimated by the murder of his beloved Sarah, sings, 'Say goodbye to music / Say goodbye to light.' This sums up my feelings about Theater League's production of Ragtime, which arrived for a brief four-day stay at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on Thursday night. The original 1998 Broadway production won a Tony Award for Best Score, but many patrons who packed the Fred Kavli Theatre on opening night were dismayed to discover that Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's sumptuous, moving songs were being played from pre-recorded synthesized music tracks. Despite superb performances from the entire cast, Theater League's Ragtime suffers greatly from this omission, which was apparently a decision of Phoenix Entertainment, the independent theatrical producing and management enterprise in charge of producing the show.

The touching love story of a boy and his cow, with a Mysterious Man, a Giant, Ogra the Giant's wife, and more jokes than legally allowed. The fun? You can't handle the fun.

A new book documenting the extraordinary true story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's belief in spirits is released by publisher Life Is Amazing this month to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creator of Sherlock Holmes going public about his interest in the paranormal. 'Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light, 1887-1920' written by Matt Wingett traces the author's story from his earliest psychic experiments while working as a young doctor in Southsea, Portsmouth, to his dedication of the final decade of his life to Spiritualist missionary work, during which he became world leader of the Spiritualist movement. 'The new tv series, Houdini & Doyle, is great fiction,' says author Matt Wingett, 'but the truth in the book is far stranger - and more moving.' The book, the first of three on the subject projected by Life Is Amazing, reveals how Conan Doyle was fascinated by psychic phenomena throughout his life. He declared himself a Spiritualist as early as 1887, but didn't fully commit to the religion at this time. In the following years, he founded the Hampshire Psychical Society, investigated poltergeist activity, attended séances and was approached to join the mystical cult The Golden Dawn, of which 'the wickedest man in the world' Aleister Crowley was a member. Though Conan Doyle eventually declined this offer, he continued his psychic investigations. In 1916, after a series of inexplicable psychic events, Conan Doyle finally became convinced of the 'undeniable truth' of Spiritualism and began his missionary phase. 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle travelled the country tirelessly, addressing hundreds of thousands of people,' says author Matt Wingett. 'He believed that Spiritualism was a new revelation, sent by God to console the bereaved who were experiencing the terrible grief that swept Europe during World War One. He published books on the subject and because of his great fame, caused deep controversy in the Church, in the Press and among scientists.' His dedication to the cause reached new heights after the death of his son Kingsley in 1918, whose spirit Conan Doyle was convinced spoke to him at a séance in Southsea in 1919. 'That was the moment he lost his objectivity,' says Matt Wingett. 'It left him open to hoaxers and frauds.' Though Harry Houdini later became good friends with Doyle, in the period the book covers, Conan Doyle would have been aware of the controversy around the great escapologist. 'Houdini started out as a fake medium,' says Matt Wingett. 'His fake séances were so convincing that many were adamant he must have real psychic powers. Think of the mystique of Derren Brown today. Their friendship was a double-edged sword to Conan Doyle, who sought to prove to Houdini that though he had faked some spiritual phenomena, not all such phenomena were fake.' 'Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light, 1887-1920,' is published by Life Is Amazing on 11th March, 100 years from the date of publication of Conan Doyle's letter that commenced his Spiritualist missionary phase. It is available direct from the publisher at www.lifeisamazing.co.uk, Waterstone's and through Amazon. The hardback is £25, paperback £12.99 Further Press contacts: Matt Wingett, matt@lifeisamazing.co.uk

?The House Theatre of Chicago's Board of Directors announce the 4th annual incarnation of The Secret Soiree, which celebrates the company's continuing commitment to amazing feats of storytelling with a one-night-only stage magic performance from Company Member Dennis Watkins (The Magic Parlour, Death & Harry Houdini). This year, the gala is hosted by Peter Sagal of NPR's Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!. The Secret Soiree will be held Saturday, March 5 at 7:30pm at the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel's Red Lacquer Room, 17 E. Monroe St.  The Secret Soiree Event Sponsorships, Event Supporter packages, group tickets and individual tickets may be purchased through The House Theatre of Chicago at 773-769-3832 or online at theHouseTheatre.com.

The Grand 1894 Opera House presents RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, tonight, February 20, at 8 pm, and tomorrow, February 21 at 3 pm.

Fresh from its hugely successful run in the West End, Impossible is a brand new stage spectacle featuring six of the best magicians and illusionists that this country has to offer. From death-defying stunts to close-up magic, the show manages to strike the perfect balance in scale and has the audiences enchanted and on the edge of their seats for the whole two and a half hour show.

RAGTIME at San Diego Musical Theatre brings a revival of a poignant time in US History to life at the Spreckels Theatre through February 21st.

Filled with eye-popping visuals, optical trickery, risky stunts, hilarious audience participation, and lots of hammy showmanship (complete with Solid Gold-style background dancers-slash-magicians' assistants), THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY is a supremely entertaining if occasionally cheesy stage show that's like several caffeinated Vegas magic shows on steroids all mashed together. The first stop of this new leg of the post-Broadway national tour is Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, where it will attempt to wow local audiences for a strictly one-week engagement until February 7.

The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of THE LAST DEFENDER at the Chopin Theatre Downstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Today, Jan. 21 - Sunday, March 13, 2016 written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen, with puzzle design by Sandor Weisz and art direction by DC Comic Artist and Company Member Chris Burnham.

The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of THE LAST DEFENDER at the Chopin Theatre Downstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., tonight, Jan. 21, through Sunday, March 13, 2016 written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen, with puzzle design by Sandor Weisz and art direction by DC Comic Artist and Company Member Chris Burnham.

?San Diego Musical Theatre announces the first production of their 2016 season, RAGTIME, February 5-21, 2016 (press opening on Saturday, February 6th) at the Spreckels Theatre.

The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of The Last Defender at the Chopin Theatre Downstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Thursday, Jan. 21 - Sunday, March 13 written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen, with puzzle design by Sandor Weisz and art direction by DC Comic Artist and Company Member Chris Burnham.

The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of THE LAST DEFENDER at the Chopin Theatre Downstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Thursday, Jan. 21 - Sunday, March 13, 2016 written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen, with puzzle design by Sandor Weisz and art direction by DC Comic Artist and Company Member Chris Burnham.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Tony nominee Elizabeth Swados, composer of Broadway's RUNAWAYS, theatre educator, off-Broadway director and more, has passed away. She was 64.

The Grand 1894 Opera House presents RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, Saturday, February 20, at 8 pm, and Sunday, February 21 at 3 pm.

One of the hottest shows on Broadway is making its way to TV as The Illusionists bring their unique brand of magic with a one-hour special scheduled for tonight, Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

YEE-HAW! Theatre of NOTE, in association with Opiate of the Masses, are thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed, world premiere production of RIO HONDO, written by Bill Robens (Entropy, Kill Me, Deadly, A Mulholland Christmas Carol) and directed by Jaime Robledo (Stoneface, Watson) is EXTENDING through SUNDAY, JANUARY 10at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd. (just North of Sunset) in Hollywood.

Theatre of NOTE, in association with Opiate of the Masses, brings a bonus production to its 2015 season: the world premiere of RIO HONDO by Bill Robens, the author of Entropy, Kill Me, Deadly and A Mulholland Christmas Carol and directed by Jaime Robledo, of Stoneface and Watson fame. 

Author Jim Togerson grips readers with a thrilling and heart-pounding read with the publication of his book, 'Bishop: Phantom of Espionage' (published by AuthorHouse). It allows readers to enter the world of espionage.