Houdini's Last Escape - the FIRST Plank Fringe Review for 2011!

Want to escape? Come to Houdini’s.
 
No really, folks, this is quality theatre. The budding seven-year old magician in overalls who sat on his mom’s lap beside me mumbled that he, “loved da feet trick.”

Me, I loved the actress Tara Travis who played a dozen characters male and female including Bess Houdini. Sure her portrait of some of the males like Houdini’s Rabbi father and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were predictable but they had to be as the character had only four minutes of play at most. And then again he didn’t get the Big Rabbi break. When she played Houdini’s wife and stage assistant of thirty-two years Bess, and Houdini’s mother in the same scene fighting for his love, it was pure magic. And the psychometric clairvoyant was convincingly spiritual.
 
Christopher Bange, as the sad-eyed Houdini who would not accept defeat, sometimes reminded me of Charlie Chaplin. He was nuanced, even depressed, and his dramatic escape from a straightjacket was compelling. I liked when he told the audience how to respond. Oh and the puppets were fun too, specially when the Houdini doll disappeared into a milk carton.
 
The physicality of both actors was terrific in their silent movies. The music was excellent throughout and for the movie scene it sounded like a player piano. The pacing was simply marvellous, there was no downtime in this performance.
 
I understand a lot more about the life and career of this escape artist and so can you. Here’s a hint for those who will be attending the show, BRING A PAIR OF HANDCUFFS and a budding magician who will learn a couple of new card tricks for sure.
 
Saturday, September 10      8 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 13              5 pm
Thursday, Sept. 15             10:30 pm
Friday, Sept. 16                  6:55 pm
Saturday, Sept. 18              1:15pm.