As Erik (Houdini) strives for the top, his pernicious obsession to prove that ordinary people can do extraordinary things grows exponentially to the point where danger is no longer just an illusion. Although every sign uproariously warns him to reconsider his decisions in life, his desideratum to become “someone” outgrows him.
When he has his last chance to restore everything, he realizes that his mission must be to set an example of passion, self-belief, discipline and to continue his life-long commitment.
Erik tenaciously continues his path and accepts his fate that although people will possibly remember him as the greatest, he let the most important thing disappear around him: life.
Now available for worldwide licensing excluding Hungary. Restrictions may apply.
Music & Book by Bálint Varga
Lyrics by Lia Barcellona Tamborra
Logo by Max Hechtman
Picture Your Production Today - Listen to the Full Show
WHAT IS THE AUDIO THEATER EXPERIENCE?
It's like being in the theater with your eyes closed. Or think of it as watching a movie without visuals.
You listen to the ENTIRE show accompanied by orchestration, stage direction, sound effect, but YOU get to decide what the set looks like. What the characters wear, how they walk, what they look like. This is your UNIQUE experience. The magic of imagination.
d’ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical was recorded from Overture to Finale with all dialogue, songs, incidental music, underscore, and narrations. However, you may ask: What exactly makes it an audio theatre EXPERIENCE? Well, it is the sound environment that surrounds the characters in the show. You will hear people walking on the cobblestone outside, the light of a match, or a distant church bell, and with these small details, you are placed directly in the middle of the action. In addition to that, every sound has been placed into a stereo design, so we can feel exactly where people are in the room or where they are walking to and from. This is a new, innovative, media form that has never been heard before.
Get ready to experience d’ILLUSION.
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Overview
Type of Show
Duration
Performance Groups
Dance Requirements
Minimal
Tech Requirements
Advanced
Cast Summary
4m, 3f Principals + Ensemble
Casting
Male Principals
4
Female Principals
3
Ensemble
Medium-Large
-
1. Erik Weiss a.k.a. Houdini*
2. Theo Weiss - a.k.a Dash(i) / Hardeen, Erik’s younger brother*
3. Bess Rahner - Erik’s wife, singer in Floral Sisters
4. Martin Beck - talent agent, Houdini’s manager
5. Mina “Marjorie” Crandon - unpredictable spiritualist
6. Cecilia Weiss - the boys’ loving mother
7. Samuel Weiss - the boys’ dying father (he has throat cancer)
Daisy - Houdini’s assistant on the tour
Floral Sisters (Maggie / Nicole)
Theatre Owner [SHE]
Fortuneteller (played by Mina)
Gordon - Mina’s assistant
Journalists / Street People / Men / Women
The interviewer
Theatre Owner [HE]
*Young Erik and Young Theo (Dash) are both played by their adult versions.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The creators highly support non-traditional casting.
Instrumentation
Orchestra Size:
Medium-Large
Orchestration:
About The Authors
LIA BARCELLONA TAMBORRA (Lyrics) is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist who has performed, studied and taught internationally. Writing credits include: Hypatia and the Heathens, D’illusion: The Houdini Musical, Dangersparkle and the Lion, Atlantis! The Final Hours, Polyamory! The Musical, Why Don’t I Have a Girlfriend, and more. She has written for and consulted with dozens of museums and cultural institutions. Lia has trained intensively with Helikos and Embodied Poetics and holds a BFA in theater from NYU Tisch where she focused on creating original and devised work. She is the co-founder of Dangerlion Productions and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
BÁLINT VARGA (Music & Book) - Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Balint is a NY-based composer, conductor, orchestrator, and immigration advocate. He started playing piano at age 4. At 17, he moved to Paris where he started his first professional work at the Bastille Opera House. First, he graduated from Béla Bartók Jazz Conservatory, later he moved to America and studied composition and conducting at Berklee College of Music. His work has been performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Symphony Hall, Strathmore, Joe's Pub. He received his US Green Card for extraordinary abilities based on his achievements in his field.
Notable writing credits: Yasuke - The Black Samurai, d'ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical, Hypatia and the Heathens, Reflections, Where We Rush To Disappear, Why Don't I Have A Girlfriend? He’s a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the Lehman Engel BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop. Balint also collaborated on Broadway workshops such as Elton John’s Tammy Faye, Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell, Mariah Carey’s Christmas Show, and Forest Whitaker’s Benefit Concert. He wrote special choral arrangements for Josh Groban. BALINTVARGA.COM