Prepare For An Extraordinary Night: The Illusionists

Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in June 2017.

I am a big fan of all things magic, so when I heard The Illusionists were coming to Perth I was beyond excited. I love the premise of the show, seven different styles of magic performed by the best of the best.

The Illusionists definitely lived up to and exceeded all of my expectations. It was probably the most magical and extraordinary show I have ever, and might ever, see.

Even though I was fortunate enough to attend the media call and saw a sneak peek of the show, I was not prepared for everything that happened.

The show opens spectacularly with The Trickster, Harrison Greenbaum, who melds comedy with magic so flawlessly. He got the entire audience into the spirit of the night, and ready for the wonders ahead. An aspect of the performance I found beyond hilarious was when the audience tried to explain what a ‘construction bobcat’ was to him. After the intermission, Greenbaum performed an incredible card trick which blew my mind. 

Australia’s very own Raymond Crowe is The Unusualist, and he was a joy to watch. I applaud the audience members who went on stage during his act. I was also blown away when I realised that he was the guy who did the shadow puppet piece to “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. It went viral on the Internet a few years ago but seeing it live brought tears to my eyes.

James Moore, The Deceptionist, had some good tricks during the show, but felt like he lacked some of the energy that the other performers had. However, he did redeem himself with his fire trick during his final act. The Inventor, Kevin James, was a kooky edition to the ensemble. His sections of the show were more classic magic than the others when he sawed someone in half and made a ‘Charlie Chaplin doll’ come to life. I was amazed and mildly freaked out by the whole thing. This was the first time I had seen someone cut in half and move independently from their body.

Colin Cloud as The Deductionist was one of my favourite acts of the night; he literally is a modern day Sherlock Holmes. He correctly guessed the numbers people rolled on a 12- sided die, correctly guessed audience members birthday to the day referring to himself as “freaking Facebook reminders”. By far the best part of his act was his mind-blowing numbers trick. Then there is The Daredevil, Jonathon Goodwin, who is either the bravest or craziest person I have ever met (potentially both) when he performed his homage to Houdini – the classic straightjacket escape, with a much deadlier twist, by setting himself on fire.

Finally, The Manipulator, An Halim, whose card manipulation is so simple yet completely captivating to witness as he makes cards appear out of thin air. My favourite thing about his act was the joy clearly written across his face whilst he performs. You can plainly see how much he loves what he does, and it makes my heart swell. His closing act for the show was breathtaking and left me wondering how he did that to the cards; it was just a simple and beautiful way to end such a spectacular show.