Yesterday Carol and I went to see Broadway Across Canada's production of "The Illusionists". It was a different play, but very enjoyable. There were five Illusionists, The Daredevil, The Manipulator, The Magician, The Deductionist, and the Grand Illusionist.
They performed many magic tricks and illusions using a few audience members to complete and verify their tricks. The theatre wasn't full, however the audience was very responsive.
Cec found a series on Netflix called "Breaking the Magicians Code: Secrets finally revealed". If you want to understand how they make cars appear/disappear and some of the other "magic tricks", watch this series. Another Netflix series we enjoyed was "Penn & Teller: Fool Us". It's a one hour competition when amateur magicians try to fool Penn & Teller. It's filmed in the UK and when Penn and Teller are fooled they fly the contestants who fooled them to Las Vegas to perform their trick on Penn & Teller's stage show at the Rio!
From watching "Breaking the Magic Code", I figured out three of the tricks. The first one was with the arrows and the circular target with the lady inside. I also figured out the "fold the number and throw it in my hat" and then it magically appeared in the glass. Carol and I both saw the magician leave the chair on stage so we knew he would reappear. It may have been our seats which are dress circle, balcony on the side, row 10. If you want me to explain any of the tricks, email me. The card tricks and the mentalist were awesome and I'm still stumped at how they did it.
Carol and I really enjoyed the show as well as her friends, Tony and Sandy, who kindly drove us down. I didn't know there was a hockey game so Skytrain would have been very busy both ways. It's nice to hear the Canucks won another game, especially at home. It was a gorgeous day and on the way home we saw the Super Blood Wolf Moon in full view. No clouds in the sky so it was clearly visible. It hadn't turned red yet as it was still early, but nice to see the full moon.
I found this information online and thought I would share it:
Colin Cloud – The Deductionist
Gaining fame as a finalist on America’s Got Talent, Cloud was astounding in both his patter and his mentalist abilities. We all know what he does isn’t really mind-reading, but he does it with such panache and skill we are willing to suspend belief. An obvious audience favourite on opening night, it was tough not to wonder aloud “how does he do that?”
Jonathan Goodwin – The Daredevil
We’re told there are no tricks involved in what Goodwin does, but even if you take that statement with a grain of salt, there is no denying he is fearless. Having one of the night’s best stage presences, he is as likeable as he is wacky.
Darcy Oake – The Grand Illusionist
Winnipeg’s own represents with many of the bigger scale illusions. As the quintessential Canadian, Oake is quietly understated even when he goes big, and his simple nod to the audience’s approval at the end of each of his illusions is simply adorable.
Adam Trent – The Magician
Boldly announcing him as “one of the most televised magicians working” in the program, is it any wonder why Trent plays so fully to the live cameras which follow the quintet through their segments. Trent does try to mix things up a bit from the more traditional illusions with the use of technology, but most of it is in simple timing, and the one big trick where he jumps between large video screens in a blink-of-the-eye only registers well after the show moves on.
An Ha Lim – The Manipulator
Lim’s skills with manipulating cards are indeed impressive but his stage presence seemed very wooden. Not saying a word, he pulls deck-after-deck from the hidden folds of his suit. He is also the show’s encore.
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| The Finale and final bow! |
This was one of the last in this series. The final performance will be Come From Away which is being shown in March. Tickets for the next series go on sale soon. We are waiting for the email letting us know which plays they are bringing to Vancouver and hoping the rumours of "Hamilton" coming here are right. We will continue to enjoy Broadway shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
