The seven greatest magicians from around the world gathered together to perform mind-boggling tricks and cunning acts for the show “The Illusionists – Live from Broadway.” These skillful feats were performed at the Fox Theater by The Anti-Conjuror (Dan Sperry), The Inventor (Kevin James), The Weapon-Master (Ben Blaque), The Deductionist (Colin Cloud), The Escapologist (Andrew Basso), The Trickster (Jeff Hobson) and The Manipulator (Yu Ho-Jin). While all of the acts were integrated to form the show, each magician had his own specific set of skills.
The opening act was performed by The Trickster, who remained onstage as the spokesperson for the rest of the show. His comedic narrative and bubbly personality added a pleasant lightness to the more serious portions of the show. Throughout the show, he held the audience’s attention with simple but entertaining tricks.
The Anti-Conjuror was a mysterious character with black makeup and a dark sense of humor. His skills were impressive and gory with slight of hand and volunteer-directed tricks that amazed the audience.  Some were bloody, some relied on jump scares, and some were just unsettling. His sly comments and suggestive facial expressions added to his crazy demeanor but did not hinder the polished ease of his tricks.
The Inventor’s tricks included building a person out of stray limbs, cutting a person in half, and levitating paper. While still impressive, his performance was less thrilling than his partners’ because of the lack of originality. However, his presentation was impressive: backup dancers and assistants as well as flashing lights and fog provided lots of excitement.
The Escapologist was the most fascinating magician of the night. Inspired by Harry Houdini, Basso is a master of escape. He held his breath underwater for over four minutes and freed himself from padlocks and chains, using only a paper clip.
The Manipulator fascinated the audience using cards and a scarf. His silence gave his performance a mysterious effect. He reappeared for the closing act to show more slight of hand tricks. There was a point when The Manipulator’s act got a bit boring, but the finale was captivating.
The Weapon Master used arrows and a crossbow to hit targets of apples, string and paper incredibly precisely. His skills were impressive, but his performance lacked the mysterious element of the others. His act was primarily a demonstration of talent, rather than magic, which was somewhat disappointing.
The Deductionist performed a series of mind-reading tricks with members of the audience. While they were entertaining and seemed impossible at first glance, it wasn’t hard to imagine how the tricks were carried out.
The Illusionists gave a fantastic performance overall, with few flaws in the mechanics. Their show contained some jokes and implications that were a bit inappropriate, but the humor was a good contrast to the magic. Each magicians’ skills were mesmerizing, and every act made the show memorable.