Impossible recoups costs and plans tour and 2016 return to W/E
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
JAMIE Hendry, the producer of Impossible, has announced plans for a tour and 2016 return to the West End after the magic show recouped its costs of £950,000 during its five week run at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Hendry said: “Impossible was a hugely high-risk show to produce and I’m delighted for everyone involved that it has proved to be a commercial success story so quickly.”
Previously Posted: Impossible, described as the biggest magic show in decades, will receive its West End premiere at the Noel Coward Theatre, where it runs for five weeks – from July 24 to August 29, 2015.
The show will feature the very best magicians and tricksters from around the world, fusing dazzling grand stage illusions, up-close-and-personal magic, cutting-edge technological tricks and death-defying escapology in a fast-paced, breathtaking spectacular for every generation.
It was in London that Harry Houdini and the superstars of illusion stunned Victorian audiences on stage. Now, Impossible will ‘re-establish the UK capital as the epicenter of innovation and spectacle, hosting the greatest magic show on Earth’.
Directed by Anthony Owen, the multi award-winning producer and magic consultant behind Channel 4’s Derren Brown shows, Impossible brings eight world-leading performers together live on-stage for the very first time.
The confirmed line-up includes: modern-day Houdini, daredevil and TV escapologist Jonathan Goodwin; mind-blowing mind-reader Chris Cox; magical mentalist Katherine Mills; boundary breaking magician Ben Hart; spell-binding digital marvel Jamie Allan; explosive break-dancing street magician Magical Bones; escapologist and expert magician Ali Cook and world-renowned grand illusionist Luis de Matos.
Produced in the West End by Jamie Hendry Productions, Impossible has scenic design by Andrew D. Edwards, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, video design by Duncan McLean and sound design by Gareth Owen.
Richard Essien, alias Magical Bones, fuses a unique blend of innovative magic and hip hop that will have audiences spellbound as he seamlessly dances his way out of straitjackets. Starting his career as a professional hip-hop dancer, he has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys and Plan B. Now, combining dance with magic, Bones has created a new and challenging form of performance for the entire industry. magicalbones.com/
Master of multiple magical trades, Ali Cook is a daredevil escapologist, sleight of hand expert, street magician, stage illusionist and performer of thought control. A pioneer of the alternative magic scene, he has written and starred in various television series including ITV’s Penn And Teller: Fool Us; BBC 1’s Now You See It; Channel 4’s Dirty Tricks; and Channel 5’s Psychic Secrets Revealed with Derren Brown. www.alicook.com/
A master magician known for his trail-blazing stunts and ability to make cars disappear, Portuguese grand illusionist Luis de Matos has won various prizes for his astounding magic. The youngest ever recipient of the distinguished ‘David Devant Award’, given to him by the Magic Circle for a significant contribution to advancing the art of magic, he’s considered by many as the most renowned and distinguished Portuguese magician of all time. luisdematos.com/
Daredevil and TV escapologist Jonathan Goodwin will have audiences on the edge of their seats as he dances with death on stage. After first appearing on Channel 4’s Dirty Tricks, he has brought his unique stunts to various TV specials including The Seven Stupidest Things to Escape From and How Not to Become Shark Bait! In his television series The Incredible Mr Goodwin, he pushes the limits of possibility with stunts that range from extreme planking to climbing skyscrapers. www.jonathan-goodwin.com/
Modern day Houdini, Jamie Allen fuses magic and technology together to create spell binding stunts that captivate the contemporary audience. Transporting classic magic tricks into the digital age, his phenomenal modern illusions include sawing people in half with lasers and iPad ‘Digital Art’. www.magicjamie.com/
Award-winning mind reading specialist Chris Cox stars in BBC 3’s Killer Magic, bewildering audiences with his unique mind reading talent. Illusion consultant for The Bodyguard, he has flummoxed audiences on stages across the country and continues to control minds in his sell-out tour Fatal Distraction. magiccox.com/
Ben Hart invents unique magic which pushes the boundaries of film, theatre and television and tests the limits of illusion, including decapitation, vanishing and levitation At the age of 16, he won the Magic Circle’s ‘Young Magician of the Year’ Award and his most recent show The Vanishing Boy sold-out to astonished audiences. He recently starred in BBC 3’s Killer Magic, where his unique and unorthodox approaches amazed audiences across the country. benhartmagic.co.uk/
Magical mentalist and sophisticated up-close trickster, Katherine Mills combines psychology with trickery and magic, crossing into her audiences psyche to astound and amaze. The first female magician ever with her own primetime TV series – Mind Games – she is taking the world by storm. www.katherinemills.co.uk/
Tickets: £10, £20, £40, £60. Premium tickets are also available. To book, call 0844 482 5141 (0844 482 5137 for Access bookings) or visit www.impossiblelive.com/.
Times: Monday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm; Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman continues at the Noel Coward Theatre until July 18, 2015. Impossible will be followed by Anna Ziegler’s new play Photograph 51, starring Nicole Kidman and Stephen Campbell Moore (September 5 to November 21, 2015).