The Illusionists at the Ordway

David: Bringing seven of the world’s foremost modern conjurers to the same stage, the touring production of The Illusionists (at the Ordway) is impressive. Undeniably, each of these skilled showmen has carefully crafted their larger than life stage personas to maximize the strengths of their respective acts.

Yet, this is paradoxically why this particular show does not amaze or engage as much as it should. The playbill states that “the ‘magic’ of the trick is not the illusion itself, but how the performer pulls it off, the way he connects with the audience and humanizes the trick.”

The main problem with this show is not a lack of awe-inspiring tricks or skill, but that it presents too many disparate personalities in a single two-hour engagement. Despite their individual talents, a small taste of each act simply isn’t enough to build affinity for the performers.

Chelsea: In fact, the production is so crammed that two of the seven performers are disappointingly only on stage for a single segment (excepting the opening and the closing where all the performers are present).

Each of the performers has a unique shtick—Minnesota native Dan Sperry performs as a gothic figure who revels in shock and horror; Aaron Crow (one of the one-trick performers) completes his act silently with brooding confidence; Adam Trent acts sort of as the engaging, affable emcee for the show; Jeff Hobson is glitzy and amusing but engages in too much self-parody; and there are three others!

David: These acts are all quite different, so as a result The Illusionists ends up feeling disjointed. I found myself wondering wistfully what a full show from each of these personalities would be like. The Ilusionists depend too much on canned introductions and an on-stage band creating mood shifts between each successive act.

Chelsea: But even greatest hits compilations can have charm.

Like most magic acts, The Illusionists is an interactive show. A handful of audience members were invited to participate. This forced the rest of the audience to ponder and discuss how the illusions were accomplished.

Also, for some of the more daring illusions, the music and effects effectively built suspense. Even if it stood to reason that no one was really in danger, there was nevertheless a sense of palpable fear for a couple of the acts, specifically for bits involving a glass bottle and a watery escape.

David: It is striking how a talented performer can generate a lot of goodwill by simply not dying!

Chelsea: I must admit this simply isn’t my type of show. I’m not into direct audience participation, and many of the transitions and efforts to manufacture crowd energy felt forced, even if some of the actual illusions were impressive.

However, The Illusionists clearly has an audience. There was a clear sense of enjoyment and eagerness from the crowd. So if you have great love for spectacle-focused showmanship and for magic in particular, The Illusionists will likely fit the bill.

David and Chelsea Berglund write movie reviews on their blog Movie Matrimony.