Lionsgate’s blockbuster movie franchise Now You See Me has been moving its magic connected moviegoers since 2013. The films travel the Four Horsemen—a radical of magicians played by Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher and Woody Harrelson—whose expansive illusions treble arsenic slope heists. The trilogy has grossed much than $900 cardinal worldwide and grown to see castmates similar Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Radcliffe and Rosamund Pike.
For its adjacent trick, the franchise is taking the signifier with Now You See Me Live, which has performed sold-out runs successful Sydney and Singapore, and wrapped a play astatine the London Coliseum. The show, produced by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson of The Illusionists, makes its U.S. debut astatine MGM Grand Theater connected October 15.
“What we wanted to bash is fundamentally say, if the Four Horsemen were putting connected a Vegas show, what would it look like? We’re leaning precise heavy into the look, the feel, the lore, the camaraderie of the 4 of them doing magic together,” says Painter, a seasoned shaper who besides co-created Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple. “We’re putting on, for idiosyncratic similar myself with the shortest attraction span connected Earth, the biggest, astir explosive, fantastical evening of entertainment. The Guardian called it magic truthful bombastic you tin spot it from space.”
Painter, who precocious co-produced a unrecorded adaptation of Game of Thrones: The Mad King, says the cardinal to these shows isn’t simply rehashing the narrative. It’s astir creating thing you can’t spot anyplace else.
Now You See Me Live’s Four Horsemen are played by real-life magicians from 4 countries: Italy’s death-defying flight creator Andrew Basso; Canada’s Gabriella Lester, who conquered Houdini’s straitjacket flight astatine 14; America’s magic renaissance antheral Adam Trent; and France’s maestro illusionist Enzo Weyne. Trent is besides a co-creator of the show, alongside Painter. For him, the Now You See Me films did much than capable theaters. They changed however audiences spot his craft.
“For years, magic was the punchline of the joke. We had truthful galore atrocious characters of magicians successful Hollywood, whether it beryllium similar Gob from Arrested Development oregon Burt Wonderstone,” Trent says. “Now You See Me came retired and they showed it successful this airy of like, magic is ace chill and here’s this radical of magicians that usage magic for this chill thing. They’re these stone stars.”
Trent says he’s worked with galore of these magicians before, having starred successful The Illusionists unrecorded show, but getting them unneurotic onstage is simply a uncommon sight. Each magician leverages their skills and builds acts together. He considers the Four Horsemen a supergroup of magicians, and due to the fact that the amusement is lone 75 minutes, they’re bringing their champion material.
That said, there’s a batch of movie magic that can’t beryllium replicated successful existent life. A fewer of Now You See Me’s grandest illusions impact CGI, but Trent says helium and Painter person worked to guarantee the signifier versions don’t disappoint. Painter promises jaw-dropping illusions, harrowing escapes, hair-raising stunts involving a unrecorded scorpion and an affectional finale.
The Horsemen besides instrumentality the signifier successful the MGM Grand Theater, a country agelong associated with David Copperfield’s historical magic show, and Trent says the value of that isn’t mislaid connected him.
“Vegas is known for having the top magicians successful the world. We’ve got Penn and Teller, and if you spell back, Lance Burton and truthful galore of our colleagues we’ve grown up with are here. So the barroom is precise precocious for Vegas,” Trent says. “For each of us, this is conscionable a pinch maine infinitesimal wherever you turn up arsenic a kid, you travel to the Las Vegas Strip, and you spell spot each your idols perform. To beryllium capable to stock the Boulevard with them is surely not taken lightly connected us.”
NOW YOU SEE ME LIVE Thursday - Tuesday, 7 p.m., $63-$163, MGM Grand Theater, ticketmaster.com.
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