If you missed them their last time around back in March of 2015, then guess what? The masters of deception have returned, this time making their very temporary home at the Oriental Theatre.  

Criss Angel helped in paving the way for modern magicians, making them hip, cutting-edge pop stars and The Illusionists has his stamp written all over their show - at least a good portion of it. Featuring seven magicians from different corners of the world, The Illusionists: Live from Broadway is an exciting show that, while catering to the younger audience with the likes of The Daredevil, The Escapologist, The Manipulator and The Anti-Conjuror, also pleases the classic magic fans with The Trickster, The Futurist and The Inventor. In all, anyone intrigued by mind-bending feats performed by wizards of sorts will be thoroughly entertained.

Jeff Hobson (The Trickster) hosts this production, making several appearances in between acts, blowing minds with his own niche of magic while adding a nice humorous blend to counter some of the darker material. In this show we do see many variations of magic classics such as Harry Houdini’s water tank escape and a number of standard card tricks, but we see them with unique twists applied, surrounded by flashy dancers, eerie sets and a live band accompaniment. There are also a handful of magic tricks that are distinctive to the show, or at least updated to the extent that they seem so. As entertaining as Hobson is (and he is flat out hysterical at times), it is Dan Sperry (The appropriately named Anti-Conjuror) who steals the show. The Marilyn Manson-like Sperry is not only hilarious (especially while interacting with his audience volunteers) but his tricks are probably the show's most impressive (An Ha Lim's card prowess, aka The Manipulator, comes in as a close second). Sperry, who is prominently featured in the show, has an arsenal of magic at his fingertips (literally) that includes birds that fly over the crowd and a few routines that are sure to find the squeamish in just about everyone. Suffice to say, very impressive stuff.

Each Illusionists brings something to the table - The Inventor (Kevin James) whose tinkering with human anatomy is as twisted as you'd think, and The Deductionist (Colin Cloud) who amazes with his feats of mentalism. We also get some hearty gasps from the audience as The Daredevil (Jonathan Goodwin) pushes the envelope to the fullest as he fires arrows from a crossbow at targets just inches away from his assistant's head - and blindfolded! Or perhaps it's the death-defying water tank escape by The Escapologist (Andrew Basso) that makes your heart momentarily stop. Magic lover or not, this is a show that entertains from beginning to end. It is a show where adults find themselves being kids again, wowing as one illusion is as impressive as the next, nearly each major act brings with it a visually stunning set that provides its chosen theme to enhance the overall magical effect.    

Another fun aspect of this show is the amount of the audience participation. There are several occasions where the performers walk through the crowd, combing the seats for a potential victim, until a willing volunteer is selected to take the stage for some light humiliation and some good laughs.

Just to note that The Illusionists: Live from Broadway is suitable for kids and though there are a handful of subtle sexual innuendos thrown out from time to time, they will likely go over the heads of the twelve and under crowd. In fact, Hobson, who is so entertaining he could thrill an audience on his own for an evening, repeatedly makes note of that fact.

Though there are many terrific magician acts right here in town, highly produced magic shows at this level are a rarity in Chicago. I’m sure this show will eventually become a resident show in Las Vegas, but as for Chicago, we don’t really get to see magic performed at this magnitude very often. That said, this is a great opportunity to get out and see a Vegas-like magic show without leaving the city, so grab your friends, kids and co-workers that you kind of like and get ready to have your minds blown.

Creative Producer Simon Painter said, “We can’t wait to bring this electrifying show to Chicago for a truly entertaining experience for the whole family. THE ILLUSIONISTS is the most non-stop and powerful mix of outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on the live stage.”

About the performers:

The Anti-Conjuror, Dan Sperry: Described as Marilyn Manson meets David Copperfield, Dan combines the art of magic with the macabre and is one of the top-10 most Googled people, thanks to a legendary “America’s Got Talent” appearance.

The Trickster, Jeff Hobson is the epitome of glamour and showmanship. Don’t be fooled by his innocent appearance; Jeff has audiences laughing long after the curtain goes down.

The Inventor, Kevin James is known for innovative illusions, is an inventor, comedian and collector of the strange and unusual. Kevin is one of the most prolific inventors of magic in the world and has created some of the most celebrated illusions of the last century.

The Escapologist, Andrew Basso: Italy’s star escape artist, Andrew considers Houdini his hero and is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular illusionists. He is the only person in the world to perform Houdini’s famous Water Torture Cell with absolutely no covers.

The Deductionist, Colin Cloud, one of the greatest thought readers of all time is a psychic savant known as a real-life Sherlock Holmes. Don’t play against him in a game of poker – he’s never lost.

The Daredevil, Jonathan Goodwin, is widely considered one of the most creative, skilled, and frankly crazy stunt performers in the world. He is an accomplished knife thrower, archer, escape artist, fakir, martial artist, free diver, and free climber. Unlike the other performers in the show, Jonathan is not a magician or illusionist but he will leave the audience breathless with his death-defying stunts.

The Manipulator, An Ha Lim: The first place winner at Korea’s Busan International Magic Competition (2006), Italy Club Convention Manipulation (2006) and World Magic Seminar in Asia (2007), An Ha Lim was also a Golden Lion Award winner at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas (2008).

The Illusionists: Live from Broadway is produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and MagicSpace Entertainment. Conceived by Simon Painter, the show’s creative team also includes executive producer Tim Lawson, director Neil Dorward and creative director Jim Millan. The magic show that has gone on to break attendance records worldwide is being performed at Oriental Theatre through February 26th with both matinee and evening shows. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.BroadwayinChicago.com.