The Stiefel Theatre:
Featuring Reza-The Illusionist
Salina,
KS
© Lydia
Lowe 2013
I'm not much for magicians but I decided I was going to go and check out the Reza show at The Stiefel Theatre this past Thursday. There had been a lot of hype around town for this show, even though it was a last minute booking. It was to benefit a good cause, funding schools in Haiti. So these seemed like good reasons to check out the show.
From the moment I entered the theatre I entered a different world. The lights were turned down to a lower level than usual and the stage was dark with the shadows of black equipment on stage. There were several people at the entrance to the theatre to greet me and they were telling everyone in the door that this was an interactive show so it was very important to sit as far to the front as possible. This scared a few people who purposely sat off to the side and farther away from the front seats. But there were those who embraced this and crowded close to the front.
Then the show began and the lights went completely out. Now we were all in strange and unknown territory which threw all of us out of the familiar and into a space where we didn't feel completely comfortable. I think that was the point. Everything that happened from this point on was totally foreign to the audience.
The illusions presented on stage were stunning. Reluctant audience members were pulled onto the stage for various support roles within the illusion being presented. The kids that went on stage adapted quickly and easily while the older folks (18 and over) were a bit more skeptical.
The best illusion by far was the illusion at the end. I have no idea how Reza pulled this off. Quite a complicated stunt that had his assistant and him changing places out of thin air. It began with Reza having his hands bound, being placed in a bag with a drawstring at the top that was pulled tight, he was then stuffed into a box that was locked on all four sides with padlocks. His assistant than stood on the box dropping a black curtain in front of herself, as the curtain hit the stage in front of the box, Reza appeared. His assistant was now in the locked box, in the bag pulled tight at the top with her hands bound. Truly amazing. It all happened within the blink of an eye. Amazing!
Then the show began and the lights went completely out. Now we were all in strange and unknown territory which threw all of us out of the familiar and into a space where we didn't feel completely comfortable. I think that was the point. Everything that happened from this point on was totally foreign to the audience.
The illusions presented on stage were stunning. Reluctant audience members were pulled onto the stage for various support roles within the illusion being presented. The kids that went on stage adapted quickly and easily while the older folks (18 and over) were a bit more skeptical.
The best illusion by far was the illusion at the end. I have no idea how Reza pulled this off. Quite a complicated stunt that had his assistant and him changing places out of thin air. It began with Reza having his hands bound, being placed in a bag with a drawstring at the top that was pulled tight, he was then stuffed into a box that was locked on all four sides with padlocks. His assistant than stood on the box dropping a black curtain in front of herself, as the curtain hit the stage in front of the box, Reza appeared. His assistant was now in the locked box, in the bag pulled tight at the top with her hands bound. Truly amazing. It all happened within the blink of an eye. Amazing!
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