Where magic is all around you
Holographic show pays homage to illusionists from different eras
If not for Corey Ross’s nosiness on Zoom calls, Toronto might not be getting its latest immersive exhibition.
“Illusionarium,” which opens Dec. 14, is a collaboration between Lighthouse Immersive, the company behind Toronto’s “Immersive Van Gogh,” and U.K. magician Jamie Allan, who created the show.
It’s a combination of 3D projections, holograms and live magic presented within 23,000 square feet of space in what used to be part of the Toronto Star’s printing plant. Co-producer Ross describes the exhibit as “magic’s greatest hits.”
Ross, who’s been fascinated by magic since he saw a Penn & Teller show in Boston as a teenager, presented Allan’s “iMagician … It’s Magic Beyond Belief” in Chicago and Houston in 2018 and ’19.
They planned a Toronto run this December, when they assumed theatres closed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March would reopen — but we all know how that turned out.
Ross admits he likes to snoop on people’s backgrounds during Zoom calls so, as he and Allan chatted in April or May, Ross noticed “different little things on the bookcase. And I suddenly realized … it’s all history’s greatest magic tricks. He’s got a mini museum sitting behind him. And I said, ‘I think you might actually have what we should do at Christmas sitting on the bookcase behind you.’
“If we can come up with something that marries a magic show with an exhibition on the histo
ry of magic we can really become something fascinating and interesting and experiential.”
“Illusionarium” will open on the second floor of what was once the Star’s printing plant. Lighthouse Immersive’s other shows, “Immersive Van Gogh” and “Gogh by Car,” which feature the work of artist Vincent van Gogh, have been running on the first floor of the cavernous space since July and have welcomed almost 200,000 visitors.
Once all three shows are running, they’ll make up what Ross calls “the world’s first multiplex of experiential entertainment.”
“Illusionarium,” he said, “in essence is four rooms, and each room will cover a different era of magic.”
“The audience will move from room to room and, in each room, they’ll have an experience that will be immersive, will be holograms, will be illusions, and they’ll learn and see what was happening in every era.”
And yes, that includes the man who still qualifies as the most famous magician of all time more than nine decades after his death: Harry Houdini.
“There is a fair amount about Houdini because he’s such a central character in the public’s imagination when you picture magic,” Ross said.
Indeed, the news release for “Illusionarium” promises that “Houdini will appear before your eyes!” via lifelike hologram.
“He’s a little conceited, but an interesting character all the same,” Ross said, chuckling.
The exhibit tells the story of magic from the 17th century through the future of the art form, an area that Allan, who specializes in combining illusions with technology, is particularly passionate about.
“It’s not just visual, it’s not just tricks, there is history,” said coproducer Svetlana Dvoretsky.
“This is magic’s greatest hits so you see a variety of illusions,” added Ross — and he means illusions on a grand scale, things like levitation, metamorphosis, “the greatest escapes.”
“What we have, and it’s never been done before, is large-scale illusions for parlour-sized audiences. We’re doing the big illusions of each era and they’ll be right in front of you.
“And they’re all great showmen, whether it’s Houdini or David Devant or Penn & Teller.”
But the exhibition is also providing work for local magicians who have found their livelihoods curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking of that, coronavirus restrictions will be in effect during the show: Visitors will be in physically distanced groupings, with four people per bubble and a maximum of 12 bubbles per room. Masks will be required.
“The world has gone through a lot in the last year,” said Dvoretsky. “And I think everybody can use a bit of magic.” “Illusionarium” opens Dec. 14 at 1 Yonge St. for a limited engagement until Feb. 15. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. See illusionarium.ca for details.