Letter from David – Albie Selznick’s dream of working with David Bowie leads to a wild ride at Santa Monica Playhouse

A young magician’s quest to work with David Bowie leads to a wild ride of self discovery - and a big surprise.

“This is simply masterful storytelling.” Vince Tula, Hollywood Fringe

Who says working with David Bowie is impossible? Not teenage magician Albie Selznick, whose steadfast determination propels him on a comedic journey amidst LA’s ever-changing cultural zeitgeist of the 70s and 80s. With a little ingenuity, a lot of moxie, and a ton of help from his infamous performance troupe The Mums, Selznick shares how he mimed, juggled, and tightrope walked his way through the theatre, club and rock scenes to reach his hero. Performed by Selznick and featuring narrative appearances by the likes of Andy Warhol and other highly celebrated cultural icons from that era. A completely true story, starring actor and professional magician Albie Selznick, directed by Laura Maccabee. Sundays at 7:00pm, October 4 through December 20, 2026.

“I always need to be working on something,” explains Selznick. “I started doing magic shows at 12, I got my first job-job at 14 as a janitor at my mom’s nursery school, and I never slowed down. I was never good at taking a day off or lying on the beach or vegging out in front of the TV, without crawling out of my skin. I was a very sad kid and somehow I knew early on that if I wanted to make a change I had to do it myself. And I can be irritatingly persistent; I’m like a dog with a bone. As a thirteen-year old who didn’t really fit in, David Bowie was this rare, bright spot. And I thought HE would get me. I thought I was fated to work with him. And then all my problems would just go away. Delusional, sure, but it got me through adolescence. And it motivated me to reach out to him.”

Albie Selznick created and performed in Smoke and Mirrors, the long-running production that the Los Angeles Times called “a brilliant theatrical magic show.” A lifetime member of The Magic Castle, Albie curated and hosted Magic Monday, a weekly showcase of rotating magicians that played for five straight years at Santa Monica Playhouse. For three decades, Selznick performed with his theatrical circus trio The Mums. The Herald Examiner wrote, “The Mums do for the art of juggling and magic what Elvis did for Rock and Roll.” As an actor Selznick consistently works on both stage and screen. He can currently be seen as Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeon in the film Michael.

The creative team includes Sound and Video Editor and Technical Director David B. Marling, Q-lab Designer David Svengalis, Photographer and Videographer Jay Lee, and featured Artwork by Cathy Karol-Crowther. Produced by Albie Selznick, Laura Maccabee, Michelle Grant, and David B. Marling.

Santa Monica Playhouse, currently celebrating 66 years of continuous theatrical and educational services to the community, is supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Steve and Liane Horsley, and Playhouse PALS.