Theater Of Illusion by Russ Stevens

Show 6th July 1996, Royal Pavillion Theatre, Blackpool, England

The magic of Russ Stevens has become almost an institution at the English seaside
holiday resort of Blackpool. For the seventh season in succession Russ is performing
illusions in the Town. This year there is a major difference. It is his own show, in a
theatre he has converted specifically for an illusion show.

The show has been produced and directed by Russ. Unfortunately at time this shows.
It is very difficult for a performer to direct there own work and only the most
experienced performers can do it successfully. Russ at the moment does not quite
have the level of experience to pull it of flawlessly, though he comes very close, and
the overall level of production is far better than many shows which have their own full
time director. The main problem was in the flow from one number to the next.
Routines finished abruptly and without any clear signing that the routine was at the end
until the curtains closed.

This had three effects. First, the audience often felt that there should have been
something extra, that something had been cut from the end of the routine for some
reason and that they were missing out. One of the oldest rules of direction is that you
must give the audience a clear sign when a scene is ended and a reason for that ending.
The second effect was that the audience did not know when to applauded. At the end
of some of the numbers I observed a number of people in the rows in front of me
hesitating about whether to applaud or not, if it was the right time. As soon as they
were clearly satisfied that the routine had ended they applauded, but that pause of
uncertainty definitely reduced the spontaneity and level of the applause. The third
effect was to break up the smoothness and continuity of the show. At the end of the
show I came away feeling I had seen a series of magic acts intermixed with some great
dance routines, but I had not seen a consistent and theamed magic show.

Right, that is my big gripe about the show, but dont let it put you off. This is a great
magical entertainment and one not to be missed. From his opening appearance out of
an apparently impossible box, to the closing water tank escape the show is packed with
interesting, well presented exciting illusions. These include an impossibly small Crystal
Casket, The Revolver, and one of the best presentations of A Girl through a Mirror I
have ever seen.

On the illusion side I had only two complaints. Solids from Shadows, Russ Stevens
own version of the shadow box was missing from the show. This is a pity, I know the
effect has now been around for some time and a lot of illusionist are now doing it,
none though can match Russ in the presentation and style with which he performs the
illusion. My other complaint on the illusion side is the Water Tank Escape which
closes the show. This is done in a high tech presentation with flashing lights and
dazzlers, and the effect is totally to loose the impact of the escape and subsequent
appearance. For anybody who saw Russ perform this effect at the Grand Theatre last
year, the new presentation is a definite let down.

The illusion routines are supported by dancers, and there are a number of dance
routines between the illusions. These have been choreographed by Antony Winmill.
The Theatre of Illusion represents Antonys entry into choreography, and it shows.
Again there is the problem of being both the lead dancer, and the choreographer, it is
difficult to do both jobs unless you are a highly experienced performer with plenty of
choreographic experience behind you. For a first attempt, and given the small size of
the company, Antony has done very well and the dance routines are more interesting
and have a higher content than most of the shows currently around.

However, one constantly has the feeling that he was holding back. That there was a
lot more that he could do. Hopefully in the future, when he had gained in experience
and confidence as a choreographer, we will see some really exciting dance action
coming from one of the most talented dance performers around today.

One major problem with the show was the sound quality. For much of the
performance this was far to loud. Painfully loud at some points. So much so that at
the time when Antony was doing what looked like an impressive tap routine, the music
was at such a high volume we could not hear the tap! Something needs to be done to
correct this and fast. Also something needs to be done about the facilities in the
theatre. The two ladies who were with my party both complained about the ladies
toilets, and the fact that there was no paper. I can assure them the Gents were not in a
much better state.

So I have my gripes about the show and the theatre. This is still though one of the best
shows I have ever seen, and without doubt the best illusion show you can see this side
of the Atlantic. If you are in England, make a point of going to Blackpool to see some
great magic. If you are not, then seriously think about visiting England this summer to
see the Theatre of Illusion.