iTunes Exclusive Episode The Illusionists Live From Broadway

A
Greetings Empire member and our members.
If you are hearing the sound of my voice currently, it means the following conditions
have been met.
Once in your lifetime, you have listened to the clubhouse podcast, your one-stop shop for
all things pop culture, live every Sunday, night, seven Easter and four Pacific.
But it also means you subscribe to this show on your favorite podcasting app, because
it is time for another.
Ah, two, six, blue, say.
The 267th one of these things, as the train keeps on moving.
My name is Rob.
I'm the executive producer of the Clubhouse podcast, and I have been called magical at least
once in my life.
Just saying.
But I'm not alone for this particular episode.
Joining me across the desk as he tends to do from time to time is a man that has, in
his personal, I was actually in his professional life, he's pulled many rabbits out of
many hats, because he's just that good.
You may know him as fond Don Go, but his mom and even Don Ford, I'm going to call him
Don Ford.
Welcome sir.
Besides hats, amongst other places, I'm not going there.
Like pots, when I cook him, you want to hand him.
That's where your professional life, do you know, are you not paying attention on it?
Well, when I was a cook, that was still my professional.
That's fair.
Whatever we do, one of these things, it is to review something, this one is no different.
It's a little different from Don, but it's not the first time I've done something
like this.
We as a group, shall we say, have never done what's
considered a repeat review.
I did our first one, this past winter, as I saw for the second year in a row, at the
Wiley Theatre, I saw a Christmas Carol.
But this one, you and I were both at, because what has come back to town for a very limited
run, but the illusionists live from Broadway.
Before we start this whole thing, we got to think the man, the myth of legend, for
us, it's so cool, such a fan of that dude, wonderful guy, so nice to us, one of the coolest
people on the planet, nice to skies ever, had a sound for press night for this particular
production, DSM, musical fairs, some of musicals, musicals, music hall and fair park, we love
them all.
Oh, absolutely, there's some of our favorite people, and they've had us do stuff like this,
and we can talk to you guys about it, so that's even better.
We reviewed this one, just about two years ago, I think two years ago, next month,
something was April a couple of years ago, and so for those of you that don't want to go
digging back through and trying to find this thing, because I'm not going to go digging back
through and find out where it was, but this is what do we have, seven of the greatest
magic workers in the world.
They all specialize in their own version or different art of magic.
So it's not just like, one guy coming out here is my thing, it's like a couple of illusions
and then they change personnel, it's very, it's very fluently moving throughout all seven
of them back and forth, all of it hosted by Jeff Hobbson known as the trickster.
So let's run the cast real quick, let's do it.
You have Andrew Basso, who's the escapologist.
You have Colin Cloud, who's the deductionist, he was not with them when we saw them a couple
of years ago.
Jonathan Goodwin was the dare dev.
I think he was with him.
I think you remember something vaguely about that.
We talked about Hobbson, Kevin James, not that Kevin James, is the inventor.
He does kind of a, I almost steam punk kind of a thing.
On hoc him is the manipulator and Dan Spary is the anti-canger, which is kind of a
the, and he's kind of that goth looking cancun.
Right, and Mr. Liam is the basically the best side of hand.
Oh, absolutely, without it.
He was my favorite part of the first go round and I was kind of hoping for more of, we
had a little bit less of him this time than we did before, but he's always fun to watch.
I don't know that there was any of these guys like that I didn't enjoy.
Even though some of them were the same illusions we saw two years ago, I still had fun
with this.
Oh, yeah, of course.
There were some changes from the one a couple of years ago, so if you saw two years
ago and you're thinking about, you know, seeing this one well, it's the same show.
There are parts that are the same, but there are some variations, especially when
you had the, the deductionist called on cloud.
He's totally different from last time, and he puts on a couple of different performances
throughout the show.
He does indeed.
And he's very entertaining to watch.
By the way, the original was iTunes exclusive 91 way back then.
Yeah, think about that for a moment.
Double digits.
I actually found it.
Double digits.
Almost 200.
But yeah, I mean, I really enjoyed him a lot.
Yes.
He did a couple of things and I don't want to ruin anything for anybody, but he says that his
background is in criminal profiling, so he knows how to read people, but he also does
certain things that I can't even explain.
Yes.
I knew a guy once I saw it at a event I was working one time years ago, and he could
literally be one of those people that could look and feel and everything and kind of read
your mind.
And that's what this guy does.
Yes.
He does.
And it blew my mind away, but there are people that can do that from the sense
reason, everything else.
They had that knack at it.
Very impressive.
And it's not like, you know, the planted people and they're, I had to miss something.
The man who was called up, there was one person from the crowd, because there was crowd
interaction in this and almost in every illusion, if it was safe, there would be a few
of them.
You don't want people involved in.
But the one would call on the cloud, the deductionist.
The first one of the second one, with the man in the lady or the girl by herself.
The man in the lady.
Okay.
Okay.
First one.
That man he brought up was Ron from Channel 8's Good Morning.
Was that Ron Corning?
Yes.
Really?
Yes.
Did I know that?
I'm saying, but you know how, honestly, he got throwing the hat, you know, okay.
So that makes more sense, because if you remember later on in the show, when he was like,
we've never met before, you're not a high profile TV person that interviewed me earlier
this week.
Yes.
So I guess that's where that came from.
Yeah, that's my head that looks like a place pick someone else, you know, but he
was like, but still, you know, realize that's to that was.
Oh, yeah.
You've even sat on the TV this morning.
But no, I don't, I honestly don't believe there were any plans to show it all.
I mean, it's, because these were normal people that were doing normal.
Normal things and this, I was just really impressed with it for something that I had already
seen.
I had just as much fun this go around as I did the first go around and there were certain
things that were different.
Yes.
You know, there, I remember the first time we saw it.
The anti-conjurer did the trick with the bags and the nails and the bag.
He didn't do that this time around.
He did something else, which I thought was really, really neat.
A quarter.
It's on saying.
Yeah.
Yeah, I can leave it there.
Always a fan of Jeff Hobson.
This guy, yes, everything's funny, everything's effective.
His illusions work really, really well.
And he's very interactive.
And he could be very impromptu during the intermission.
He walked up and down the aisles and he came by and he talked to us for your moment and
he talked to people on the other side.
If you're going to have a guy that's going to host a show like this, he's perfect
for it.
Because he can do his own illusions, but he also has that interaction that keeps things moving.
And he lets you know who's who.
The escapeologist, I don't care how many times I see what he did.
What he does.
Any type of escapeologist, it just, I get tense because there's such a small margin
for error there.
Oh, yes.
And he only, he only did one act.
But he did last time too.
Yeah.
But that's all too.
Right.
He had to do another one.
I mean, basically, he shows you how he's going to escape.
He tells you.
You know, it's, I'm sorry.
This is life and death here.
You know, like they even said, they did when they did a show in Sydney.
Australia.
There we all.
We almost died.
Yeah.
But I mean, my, my plus one, who she loved the show.
This was her first magic show.
Good.
Oh, she loved it.
But she has kind of, you know, there were some tests where people might be like,
wow, this is kind of, you know, now we have to warn the fam.
This is mostly family friendly.
But there's definitely some adult themes in this show.
He wanted to see what the, I'm going to say with the dance fairy, the, the, the the
golf guy.
Yeah, that gets a little weird.
Yeah, it's a little weird.
But still, it's, it's still family friendly.
He was my favorite guy.
I think the best act was dance fairy, the, the, the, goth, the, the.
And so I conjure because I just, his act, he, the way he could add the comedy to it.
Yes.
I do really for men to show for me.
I'm more of an and Holland guy.
I just, that dude, amazes me.
The, the manipulator.
Okay.
With the cards.
Okay.
I am such a fan of that dude.
Oh, I'm too.
And like I said, I didn't get to see as much of him as we saw two years ago.
But just still the act where he does, we're just, he's just pulling cards.
Yeah, it's like, and his sleeves are pulled almost all the way up to his mid-by-sap.
And these cards are just coming out everywhere and, they're different colors and different decks.
And amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
And I'm such a huge fan of heart.
Oh, yeah.
It was a visual with those cards and how he's able to get bread, green, and blue cards and just
looks like.
And I'm a huge fan always a huge fan of pops and just because he's the host and he
has to keep things moving and he did a bit with the fire, with the fire, so all in
the fire, which I thought was great.
And now everybody kind of had their own flavor, but they all brought it together, which
I'm such, I just, I love this show.
And I was kind of wondering how I would feel about it knowing some of the things that
were coming because we saw it before.
I still loved it.
Yeah.
I still had a great time with it.
It was great to see something again and still like, how did they do that?
We sat last.
And I still, yeah.
And I still, like, I still felt like a seven year old watching it.
You know, I just had that all in wonder that that doesn't come with them.
You see a lot of things multiple times.
Yes.
But I still left with that same great feeling that I did when we saw it last time.
And that says a lot.
I still have to give it.
I thought the best was spary.
Oh, no.
That's why I did, because when I was watching this act, you know, he has a crowd in
the action.
You know, it's how to play the person he brings up from the audience.
But his added comments really made that act funny considering what he was doing.
Did you?
Yeah.
I'm just saying what he was doing.
I'm not going to be sponsored by the free.
But what his act or tailed when it comes out to it, still he can make you laugh.
Even though it's something that normally would not make you laugh.
When he said about it.
Yes.
So I mean, because he does do one traditional style of illusion.
It's the last one he did.
Yes, which is more of a traditional style.
Yes.
But yes, I mean, some of the stuff that you're laughing at, you're kind of like,
okay, this is not a normal laughing thing.
Yes.
But I thought, yeah, he was very good, but I'm just still.
And I'm just blows in your way.
I would have liked to have seen more from Jonathan Goodwin.
But when you've got a crossbow and you blindfold yourself, I mean, that's pretty much
you've got it going right there.
You know, it's like, please don't let Don have that.
Please, please.
Yeah, I'm okay with that particular sentiment as well.
Yeah.
But there's not to me.
There's not a downside to this.
I can.
It's two hours plus a 20 minute intermission.
And it's a lot of fun.
If you don't need an intermission, the, um,
Oh, it comes out.
Yeah, I just thought about that earlier.
So if there's something I was going, even during the intermission,
the old kids were coming up and all that stuff.
So it's like, it never stops.
So I, I, I can't think of anything I didn't like about it.
Do you mean a kid, so shall we get to the final analysis?
Let's do her.
All right, the way we do the final analysis on the show.
We're not going to give you a thumbs up thumbs down.
We're not going to give you a number of magic wands or
graduating like that.
Our audience whom we affectionately refer to as the empire.
They want us to go deeper.
We're going to go deeper.
We're going to ask two questions.
Question number one is, would you see this production again?
If the answer is no, then we're done here.
But since this is a stage production, it's a little bit different.
Instead of trying to figure out when you go, the question is,
where would you sit if you saw it again?
Because seat pricing would kind of dictate to you the kind of commitment
we would give to a repeat viewing.
Well, we've already seen it again.
So I think we can answer question number one.
When we see it for a third time, it's for us.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I think that's a good question.
So what I'd see this a third time?
Yes.
Absolutely.
Yes.
Where but where would you want to sit?
Just go around.
Because we had really good seats for that.
Yeah, I, don't give me wrong.
Love to read Francesco, thank you, thank you, thank you.
But I would sit more center a little bit for the back.
So I mean, in the front section, more towards the back of the front section
to get the full view.
OK, I, I just think there's not a really a bad seat for this because there's so much
motion going on.
So I mean, there were times where the, where the illusionist was right in front of us.
There were times where they were right in front of the other side.
So I, I think that they do a really good job of covering the room.
So I don't know that there's a bad seat.
They even had crowd interaction with people in the balcony.
Yes, they did.
Yes, they did.
And that's what I thought was really, really good about this.
Was they were able to work the entire room, so no matter where you sat, you had a great
time.
Yes.
And I think that's the key here.
Sit wherever you want.
Yeah.
So you can afford just go have a good time because it's only here through Sunday.
That's it.
And then because next week, we're going to have another one that we're going to review.
And you know, right at this point in time, I was talking to Francisco last night when we saw
this man, he is busy, busy, busy, busy, busy because everything's fast and furious because
we've got let it be coming next week.
Two weeks after that, we've got kinky boots.
And then you've got two or three more, not even mentioned in coming up in May, it's going
to be.
May, the team is going to be the high school musical awards, which we're very excited
and pretty, I think we're going to say we're going to be part of it.
We're going to be there in some way, shape or fashion without a doubt.
For our second year and we're so thankful for everybody at Dallas summer musicals.
They're so good to us, everybody music, call it fair park.
And of course, we got to think, Francis, go, our boy, we're so, we're so happy that we
have people like this that interact with our show because they give us the opportunity
to see these amazing shows and also gives us the opportunity to tell you about them.
So go see the illusionists live from Broadway at musical, a fair park here in Dallas
through Sunday, March the 9th, if you're not, if you're not, no, not March the 9th.
What is the Sunday to 5th, if you're not in ourburg and it comes by, yeah, it
comes to your town, go, this is a great show, this goes international, oh yeah, that's
from Australia, yeah, they had a thing on, even on Fox network one time, you know, that's
how they went from overseas to Broadway to here in their original run, we were the first
non Broadway stop, so go see the illusionists live from Broadway, it is a ton of fun
and you're going to enjoy it, let's do the plugs, visit our website where you can find
our written reviews on the illusionists live from Broadway as well, www dot the clubhouse.cast.com
is where you do that. Follow us on social media, our Twitter handle is at clubhouse show,
everything else is the clubhouse podcast, all three words in that order you're going to mind
up somewhere else, you can follow me on social media, pretty much everything is yes, that
Rob Urban that has spelled ERV, IN, my normal co-host is Chad Wamik, his social media is
Chad N.P. G69 and I'm at Fondongo on Twitter and can email me at Don at the clubhouse podcast.com
email Don for information on how we can come to a live show for you, like we were talking
about earlier, we can come to you for you too because we'd love to do in live shows.
You can email me if you'd like questions, comments, concerns, tell me the
go pound sand, I am Rob at the clubhouse podcast.com, Chad coincidentally is Chad at the clubhouse
podcast.com, Charlotte Parker is on Pinterest because we are morally obligated to say that
and Jules is with her husband because it's kind of their thing. Our normal show is every Sunday,
night, seven Easter and four Pacific, it is still your one stop shop for all things pop culture
or just keep subscribe it on your favorite podcast and the app and get all the cool stuff.
So until next time, for Don and for the Empire, I'm Rob, clubhouse is close, pretty
Palmer assisting, I'm telling you it works.