A Daredevil Among The Illusionists
January 24, 2018 at 8:16 p.m.
A Daredevil Among The Illusionists
By David [email protected]
“What I do is not a trick, but the idea is sort of escape stuff,” the British-born daredevil and escape artist said in a telephone interview Friday.
“The Illusionists – Live from Broadway” will be at The Honeywell Center’s Ford Theater at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets are $35, $45 and $75.
Along with “The Daredevil” Goodwin, the non-stop show includes Colin Cloud, “The Deductionist”; Kevin James, “The Inventor”; An Ha Lim, “The Manipulator”; and Jeff Hobson, “The Trickster.”
Goodwin said that while he is not an illusionist like the other guys, the original creator of escape artistry was Harry Houdini, so the two crafts have always been allied.
When he was 7 years old, he read a book about Houdini and was enthralled. “The difference between Houdini and Spider-Man is that Houdini is real,” he said.
“When I was approached to join the show, I jumped at the chance to travel with these guys and showcase what I do all around the world,” he said.
Goodwin said it’s fun to perform with them and he’s constantly amazed to watch them from offstage.
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At the beginning of his performance, he goes to great pains to show what he does is not a trick. Everything he does is real – and dangerous.
“The other guys get asked how do they do what they do. I get asked why do I do what I do,” Goodwin said.
Over the years, he’s been hanged, buried alive, hung by his toes from helicopters, burned at the stake, attacked by sharks and more, according to The Illusionists website. As for what he won’t do, Goodwin said “never say never.”
“I have a list of things I do want to try that I haven’t been able to pull off yet to my satisfaction. I don’t have a death wish, but my job is to create something that people wouldn’t do and then practice it until I get it right,” he said.
The time it takes from conception to performing on stage can take anywhere from six months to as long as six years, he said, depending on the difficulty level.
He does one stunt where he hangs suspended 25 feet in the air just by a webbing in his teeth. Not only is it difficult to do, he said, hardly anyone else in the world does it anymore.
Along the way he’s had some injuries. He did a stunt for a television show once where he was tied to a zip line with some gasoline and there was a bonfire at the bottom. He traveled too fast down the line and broke a bone.
“It’s a real challenge. When you’re learning to be a stand-up comedian or whatever, you can try it and maybe you’ll get laughs, or if you don’t you can go back and rewrite it. If you light yourself on fire, you have to get it right the first time,” Goodwin said.
During the live show, there are a couple of moments where two performers will share the stage, but Goodwin said everyone’s skill sets are so different, it’s hard to collaborate too much.
“It’s like a variety show, if you will,” he said.
The Illusionists have been touring for six years, during which time the show has evolved and the cast has changed. Goodwin said two of the men are from the original ensemble.
And the content changes from venue to venue, he said. What an audience sees in Wabash will be different from what an audience sees in New York.
“Everyone on stage is at the top of their game. It is the most diverse show on stage,” he said.
Goodwin said he likes the changes.
“I’d get incredibly bored (if it stayed the same) and I have a lot of material in my catalog,” he said. “It’s a new show. There are new things in it that are brand new to me, and the other performers have new material. It’s fresh and exciting.”
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“What I do is not a trick, but the idea is sort of escape stuff,” the British-born daredevil and escape artist said in a telephone interview Friday.
“The Illusionists – Live from Broadway” will be at The Honeywell Center’s Ford Theater at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets are $35, $45 and $75.
Along with “The Daredevil” Goodwin, the non-stop show includes Colin Cloud, “The Deductionist”; Kevin James, “The Inventor”; An Ha Lim, “The Manipulator”; and Jeff Hobson, “The Trickster.”
Goodwin said that while he is not an illusionist like the other guys, the original creator of escape artistry was Harry Houdini, so the two crafts have always been allied.
When he was 7 years old, he read a book about Houdini and was enthralled. “The difference between Houdini and Spider-Man is that Houdini is real,” he said.
“When I was approached to join the show, I jumped at the chance to travel with these guys and showcase what I do all around the world,” he said.
Goodwin said it’s fun to perform with them and he’s constantly amazed to watch them from offstage.
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At the beginning of his performance, he goes to great pains to show what he does is not a trick. Everything he does is real – and dangerous.
“The other guys get asked how do they do what they do. I get asked why do I do what I do,” Goodwin said.
Over the years, he’s been hanged, buried alive, hung by his toes from helicopters, burned at the stake, attacked by sharks and more, according to The Illusionists website. As for what he won’t do, Goodwin said “never say never.”
“I have a list of things I do want to try that I haven’t been able to pull off yet to my satisfaction. I don’t have a death wish, but my job is to create something that people wouldn’t do and then practice it until I get it right,” he said.
The time it takes from conception to performing on stage can take anywhere from six months to as long as six years, he said, depending on the difficulty level.
He does one stunt where he hangs suspended 25 feet in the air just by a webbing in his teeth. Not only is it difficult to do, he said, hardly anyone else in the world does it anymore.
Along the way he’s had some injuries. He did a stunt for a television show once where he was tied to a zip line with some gasoline and there was a bonfire at the bottom. He traveled too fast down the line and broke a bone.
“It’s a real challenge. When you’re learning to be a stand-up comedian or whatever, you can try it and maybe you’ll get laughs, or if you don’t you can go back and rewrite it. If you light yourself on fire, you have to get it right the first time,” Goodwin said.
During the live show, there are a couple of moments where two performers will share the stage, but Goodwin said everyone’s skill sets are so different, it’s hard to collaborate too much.
“It’s like a variety show, if you will,” he said.
The Illusionists have been touring for six years, during which time the show has evolved and the cast has changed. Goodwin said two of the men are from the original ensemble.
And the content changes from venue to venue, he said. What an audience sees in Wabash will be different from what an audience sees in New York.
“Everyone on stage is at the top of their game. It is the most diverse show on stage,” he said.
Goodwin said he likes the changes.
“I’d get incredibly bored (if it stayed the same) and I have a lot of material in my catalog,” he said. “It’s a new show. There are new things in it that are brand new to me, and the other performers have new material. It’s fresh and exciting.”
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