If you were spellbound by The Illusionists’ seven-member magic show in the UAE last year, Raymond Crowe — aka The Unusualist — promises a “completely different show” this go around.
Jeff Hopson is the only return performer in the Illusionists 2.0 crew with his lighthearted Trickster persona. The Warrior, The Deceptionist, The Manipulator, The Futurist, The Master Magician and Crowe himself are new additions. The men will bring a slew of new tricks with them to Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Theatre (September 25-27) and Dubai’s World Trade Centre (September 30-October 5).
“I think what’s nice about magic is that it works on lots of different levels,” Crowe told tabloid!. “It can be an intellectual level, if you want to try to work out how it works, or an entertainment level, or that weird moment when you have that intake of breath as you’re surprised by the result.”
Crowe, whose act consists of Charlie Chaplin-inspired miming, ventriloquism and hand shadows — projected across a whopping seven metres — says that the “hi-tech” show (think massive LED screens) provides not only magic, but also comedic relief. The crowd will have more than one opportunity to be a part of it all.
“I just look at people [in the audience], and if they look like somebody nice who wants to play, I invite them up. But you don’t want to have somebody up on stage who’s not having a good time. It’s fairly gentle audience participation,” he said.
3D projections
“They also have 3D projection in the show — live 3D projection, so you get really close to some of the magic, as if it’s right in front of your face.”
(Rest assured, only three of the seven acts use the 3D functionality, so audiences won’t have to wear the glasses for the full show.)
The show has travelled through Australia, Mexico and New Zealand so far with no major glitches to speak of.
“We’ve been very fortunate, we haven’t had a catastrophe with this show, and there’s some quite dangerous pieces in it,” Crowe said. “Once you start in with large mechanical props, then you have a high danger [level], because they’re not Nasa Rockets. But the crew we have are very well-disciplined, and we have a lot of safety [guidelines].”
*Tickets for The Illusionists 2.0 start at Dh199 and can be purchased through tixbox.com
