Daring illusions, magical fun in Hope
HOPE, Ark.—Imagine growing up as a kid on the road, going from theater to theater for magical entertainment.
Such was the life of young Sharii MacNeill, whose parents started the Nelson Illusions show back in the 1990s. Each night, she’d see her father perform daring magic tricks with her mother, even with a sword, inside the theater.
“I spent my childhood watching from the wings of the stage,” MacNeill said earlier this week as the family toured. Next week, that tour brings them to Hope’s Hempstead Hall for a Thursday show at 7 p.m.
They’ll arrive in Hope with two white trucks worth of massive stage equipment, totaling more than 30,000 pounds, including a jet turbine.“We’re the largest touring illusion company in the U.S.,” said MacNeill, whose husband Scott is also part of the show, along with her parents, Jeff and Lynn. She got her start on stage at age 18 months.
Speaking of big illusions, Nelson Illusions’s biggest is a drill that’s 8 feet long and lifts Sharii up and spins her in the air after going right through her. “That, in itself, is the largest illusion that is touring in the world,” MacNeill said.
There’s also the so-called Blades of Death, which spin and crash down into a box from which her husband must escape. It’s a new illusion for this touring show, which is called “Dreams of the Impossible.” The “Dreams” show will include floating in the air, birds, pretty set pieces and even a cannon that shoots MacNeill across the stage.
The show is in two parts, the magician explains. The first section is more of a circus carnival with bizarre illusions. For example, MacNeill is shrunk down to a foot in size. The second section includes more of the deadly illusions, plus some romance.
“We always like to say that the show has something in it for everyone,” said MacNeill, who’s also chopped into four sections during the show. Kids, adults, young couples on a date—they should all see something to enjoy.
The small magic company takes great pride in the massive pieces of equipment they bring to the stage. “We really like to bring something large. That’s why it’s necessary for us to perform in theaters, not just on streets or anything else like that,” MacNeill said.
They’ll modify the show as needed. “This is our first season of ‘Dreams of the Impossible,’” she said of the new show. Some set pieces are returning, such as the drill. Over the summer, the Pennsylvania-based company rebuilds, paints backdrops and prepares for the upcoming tours.
“We travel across the country about twice a year,” MacNeill said about journeys that take them from their home base all the way to Washington state and on down to Florida.
Specializing in theater shows connects them to the audience in a particular way, the magician said. For them, stages are similar to movie sets, and each is unique as it poses different challenges.
“Then when the audience comes in it brings the whole thing to life,” MacNeill said. The relationship with the audience makes it all go, makes it work.
“It’s like magic,” she said of that special connection. Following a show, the audience comes up to ask questions and talk with people who were just performing on stage.
“It’s very special to be able to see live theater and live performance,” MacNeill said.
With such dangerous illusions to be performed on stage, is she ever scared of what happens? Sometimes, she admits, noting there are lots of safety checks. “You’re always on your toes, which is a good thing,” MacNeill said.
She urges people to come on down to Hempstead Hall and enjoy some live theater, to see crazy things they never thought they’d see or imagined would appear on stage.
“We are two generations of performers, and we try to bring something for everyone in the audience,” MacNeill said.
(Tickets: $35 to $8. To buy tickets or for more information, visit HempsteadHall.com or call 870722-8565.)